Guy Lapointe
| Guy Lapointe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame,1993 | |||
| Born |
March 18, 1948 Montreal,Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1968–1984 | ||
Guy Gerard Lapointe(born March 18, 1948) is aCanadianformer professionalice hockeydefencemanwho played for theMontreal Canadiens,St. Louis BluesandBoston Bruinsin theNational Hockey League.He retires in 2020 after serving as Coordinator of Amateur Scouting with the NHL'sMinnesota Wildfor 20 years.
Career
[edit]Nicknamed "Pointu" (a play on his name in French, where "pointu" carries most of the same meanings as "sharp" or "pointy" in English), Lapointe was famous for his powerful slapshot and brutal body-checks.
Along with defencemenLarry RobinsonandSerge Savard,Lapointe was a member of the "Big Three" and played a key role in the Canadiens' winning theStanley Cupsix times in1971,1973,1976,1977,1978,1979.
He was traded to theSt. Louis Bluesin1982and signed with theBoston Bruinsafter the following season.He retired in 1984 following a series of injuries.
Lapointe was inducted into theHockey Hall of Famein 1993. In 884 NHL games, Lapointe recorded 171 goals and 451 assists for 622 points. He still holds the Montreal Canadiens' record for most goals in a season for a defenceman (28), and most goals for a rookie defenceman (15). His number (#5) was retired by the Canadiens on November 8, 2014. Since the #5 is already retired on behalf ofBernie Geoffrion,they will both share the honour. Interestingly, similar toBernie Geoffrion,his number was raised side by side with the number of other members whose numbers were already retired before him, though this time being the 2 other members of the "Big Three",Serge SavardandLarry Robinson(Savard and Robinson's banner were lowered halfway and were raised back up to the rafters with Lapointe's banner, just like what they did to Bernie Geoffrion and his father-in-lawHowie Morenz).
Pranks
[edit]Lapointe was also known for his sense of humour and being a prankster. One of his most famous pranks is probably the Vaseline coated handshake with then-Prime MinisterPierre Elliot Trudeauas he was visiting the Canadiens' locker room. Another time, Lapointe "stole" rookieMario Tremblay's newPontiac Grand Prixand relocated it to a different level of that parking garage, then waiting a few days before disclosing this to Tremblay who had already filed a police report and contacted insurance.[1]
Coaching and scouting
[edit]Following his retirement from playing, Lapointe became general manager of theLongueuil Chevaliersof theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League,followed by a stint as associate coach with theQuebec Nordiques.He later served as an assistant coach and later as a scout with theCalgary Flames.
He was the Chief Amateur scout with theMinnesota Wild,a position he has held from the franchise's inception in 2000 to 2020.
Personal life
[edit]He is the father of three children: Guy Jr., Stephanie and Jordan.
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1965–66 | Verdun Jr. Maple Leafs | QJHL | 37 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Verdun Jr. Maple Leafs | QJHL | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1967–68 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 51 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 147 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 40 | ||
| 1968–69 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Houston Apollos | CHL | 65 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 120 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 57 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 92 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 15 | 29 | 44 | 107 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 34 | ||
| 1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 11 | 38 | 49 | 58 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 117 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 20 | ||
| 1973–74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 71 | 13 | 40 | 53 | 63 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1974–75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 88 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 1975–76 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 21 | 47 | 68 | 78 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1976–77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 25 | 51 | 76 | 53 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 1977–78 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 49 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 1978–79 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 43 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1979–80 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 33 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 79 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | ||
| 1981–82 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 47 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 1983–84 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 45 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 894 | 171 | 451 | 622 | 893 | 123 | 26 | 44 | 70 | 138 | ||||
Awards and accomplishments
[edit]- NHL First All-Star Team (1973)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (1975, 1976, 1977)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1973, 1975, 1976, 1977)
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Canada | SS | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 1976 | Canada | CC | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | |||
International play
[edit]Early into his NHL career, Lapointe was chosen to play in the historic1972 Summit Seriesagainst theUSSR.Lapointe accepted the invitation regardless of the fact his wife would give birth to his first child (Guy Jr.), during the series, while the team was in theUSSR.He would compete internationally again for Canada in the1976 Canada Cupand the1979 Challenge Cupagainst the Soviets, which replaced that year's All-Star Game.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics fromNHL.com,orEliteprospects.com,orHockey-Reference.com,orLegends of Hockey,orThe Internet Hockey Database
- 1948 births
- Living people
- Boston Bruins players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Calgary Flames coaches
- Calgary Flames scouts
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
- Houston Apollos players
- Ice hockey people from Montreal
- Minnesota Wild scouts
- Montreal Canadiens players
- Montreal Junior Canadiens players
- National Hockey League players with retired numbers
- Quebec Nordiques coaches
- St. Louis Blues players
- Stanley Cup champions
- Canadian ice hockey coaches