Marcel Pronovost
Marcel Pronovost | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1978 | |||
Born |
Lac-à-la-Tortue, Quebec, Canada | June 15, 1930||
Died |
April 26, 2015 Windsor, Ontario, Canada | (aged 84)||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
Playing career | 1949–1970 |
Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930 – April 26, 2015) was a
Pronovost began coaching in 1969 and spent several seasons behind the bench of the
Early life
Pronovost was born June 15, 1930, in the community of
Hockey was a significant part of life for the Pronovosts, and three of Marcel's brothers followed him to the NHL: Claude was a goaltender who played three games and Jean played nearly 1,000 at forward.[2] In his autobiography, A Life in Hockey, Marcel argued that the NHL having only six teams until 1967 prevented some of his other brothers from reaching the league.[7]
Playing career
The Red Wings placed Pronovost with the
Upon starting his professional career in 1949–50, the Red Wings assigned Pronovost to the
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings brought Pronovost to Detroit at the conclusion of his USHL season.
The NHL All-Star Game format of the time had the defending champion face a team of the all-stars formed from the remaining teams. The 1950 All-Star Game was played prior to the start of the 1950–51 season and Pronovost played in the contest, a 7–1 victory by Detroit.[15] It was the first of 11 All-Star Games which he would ultimately play.[8] The Red Wings had been promoting Pronovost as their next great defenceman, but he suffered a broken cheekbone and a cracked bone in his ankle in separate incidents during the pre-season. Not wanting to let the team down, he tried to play through the injuries but his performance suffered and by December 1950, the Red Wings demoted him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Indianapolis Capitals.[16] Pronovost scored 32 points in 34 games with Indianapolis before the Red Wings recalled him back to the NHL. Though he played only a half season with the Capitals, he was named an AHL Second Team All-Star on defence.[2] He finished with seven points in 37 games with Detroit and scored his first NHL goal on February 19, 1951, on goaltender Jack Gelineau. It was a last-minute goal that salvaged a 2–2 tie against the Boston Bruins.[17]
The Red Wings again won the Stanley Cup in
By the 1956–57 season, Pronovost had gained recognition as being one of the NHL's top defencemen.[22] The Red Wings named him an alternate captain of the team, a position he held until 1965.[23] He was named to represent the NHL All-Stars at the 1957 All-Star Game, the first of five consecutive appearances, and was named to the post-season Second All-Star team in both 1958 and 1959.[8] Pronovost scored a career high 11 goals in 1958–59 and was named to the first All-Star team in both 1959–60 and 1960–61.[20] The Canadiens even fêted him by holding "Marcel Pronovost Night" on March 5, 1960, in which he received gifts and was cheered by the opposing Montreal crowd. It was reported as being the first time in NHL history that a team honoured an opposing player.[24]
The Red Wings were unable to duplicate the championship success Pronovost enjoyed in his first six seasons.[2] In 1959, Detroit missed the post-season entirely and Pronovost worked those playoffs as an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada.[25] The team reached, and lost, the Stanley Cup Finals to Chicago in 1961. Pronovost suffered a broken bone in his ankle that caused him to miss two games of the series and play the remainder in significant pain. Toronto owner Harold Ballard argued that Detroit would have won the series if Pronovost had been healthy.[26] Detroit also lost in the 1963 and 1964 finals,[27] which marked eight appearances in the final for Pronovost. He is also one of four players in NHL history to play in four game 7's in the Stanley Cup Finals.[28]
Toronto Maple Leafs
Pronovost's tenure with the Red Wings came to an end on May 20, 1965, as he was involved in an eight-player trade. He was dealt to the Maple Leafs, along with
The 1966–67 Maple Leafs had the oldest roster in the NHL and became known as the "Over the Hill Gang".
Pronovost appeared in 70 games for the Maple Leafs in
Coaching career
Supported by Tulsa's general manager Ray Miron, who helped him behind the bench, Pronovost appeared in 53 games for the Oilers in 1969–70 and coached the team to a 35–27–10 record.[42][43] He ended his playing career after appearing in 17 games for Tulsa in 1970–71,[10] and coached two additional seasons for the Oilers before taking his first major league job.[44] The Chicago Cougars of the newly founded World Hockey Association (WHA) announced Pronovost had signed a two-year contract to become the franchise's first head coach on July 6, 1972.[45] He lasted only one season in Chicago before being fired as the Cougars posted a 26–50–2 record in 1972–73.[46][47]
Pronovost returned to coaching in 1975 as he was hired mid-season to take over the
Among the highlights for Pronovost and the Sabres in his first season was Buffalo's first regular season victory in franchise history against the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1977. Buffalo had 15 losses and two ties in its previous 17 visits (not counting the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, in which the Sabres won two and lost four).[50] The Sabres finished with a 44–17–19 record and finished second in the Adams Division. They defeated the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by Philadelphia.[51] However, after the Sabres recorded only eight wins in their first 24 games in 1978–79, the organization fired Pronovost along with general manager Punch Imlach.[52] Pronovost returned to Hull almost immediately, but left the team again in 1979 to become an assistant to head coach Bobby Kromm in Detroit.[53] When Kromm was fired late in the 1979–80 season, general manager Ted Lindsay and Pronovost took over as the team's coaches.[54] Lindsay was the official coach of the team for the final nine games of the season, but Pronovost worked behind the bench as the Red Wings won only two contests and lost seven.[55] Pronovost remained with Detroit as Lindsay's assistant to begin the 1980–81 season, but both were dismissed after Detroit began with a 3–14–3 record.[56]
Returning again to junior hockey, Pronovost was hired as the coach of the
Scouting career
Pronovost turned to scouting in 1985 when he joined the
Legacy
Known as an offensive defenceman at the outset of his NHL career,[66] Pronovost played an aggressive rushing style that led Red Wings fans to call him "Detroit's own Flying Frenchman".[11] He also established a reputation as a physical player who rarely missed time to serious injury.[60] He overcame numerous injuries, including a cracked vertebra suffered in 1954. Among his other injuries, he suffered a broken jaw, broke his wrist twice, separated his shoulder and broke his nose 14 times.[67] By age 32, he had required over 200 stitches to close various cuts and lacerations.[11] Pronovost viewed the injuries as part of the game: "My game is a contact sport. It's a game of men. I expected to get bounced and get my lumps. I also expected to play in every single game."[67]
2012 marked Pronovost's 65th year in professional hockey, tying
In 1978, Pronovost was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[71] He has also been inducted into the Windsor and Essex County Sports Hall of Fame (1995), had his uniform number 4 honoured by the Windsor Spitfires in 2005 and in 2012 was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.[72] The Detroit Red Wings recognized Pronovost's contribution to their organization in 2009 by presenting him with a championship ring from their 2009 title season.[73]
Personal life
Pronovost adopted Windsor as his home having played or worked close to the city for most of his career.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1947–48 | Windsor Spitfires | OHA | 33 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 61 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28 | ||
1947–48 | Detroit Auto Club | IHL | 19 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1948–49 | Windsor Spitfires | OHA | 42 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 126 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
1948–49 | Detroit Auto Club | IHL | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | ||
1949–50 | Omaha Knights | USHL
|
69 | 13 | 39 | 52 | 100 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 9 | ||
1949–50 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
1950–51 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 37 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1950–51 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 34 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1951–52 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 50 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
1952–53 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 72 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
1953–54 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 57 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | ||
1954–55 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 90 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
1955–56 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 46 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
1956–57 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1957–58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 62 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 52 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
1958–59 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1959–60 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
1960–61 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 44 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
1961–62 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1962–63 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
1963–64 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 67 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 42 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
1964–65 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
1965–66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 54 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
1966–67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 58 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
1967–68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 34 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 53 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1969–70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 1,206 | 88 | 257 | 345 | 851 | 134 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 104 |
Coaching
Season | Team | League | Regular season |
Playoffs | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pct | Division rank | Result | |||
1969–70 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 72 | 35 | 27 | 10 | .556 | 3rd overall | Lost in first round |
1970–71 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 72 | 27 | 37 | 8 | .431 | 6th overall | Did not qualify |
1971–72 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 72 | 34 | 30 | 8 | .528 | 2nd overall | Lost final |
1972–73 | Chicago Cougars | WHA | 78 | 26 | 50 | 2 | .346 | 6th, West | Did not qualify |
1975–76 | Hull Festivals | QMJHL
|
56 | 23 | 26 | 7 | .473 | 4th, West | Lost in first round |
1976–77 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 72 | 26 | 37 | 9 | .424 | 5th, Lebel | Lost in first round |
1977–78 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 44 | 19 | 7 | .656 | 2nd, Adams | Lost Adams Division Final |
1978–79 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | .458 | Fired mid-season | |
1978–79 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 36 | 4 | 29 | 3 | .153 | 5th, Lebel | Did not qualify |
1979–80 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 64 | 21 | 33 | 10 | .406 | Left mid-season | |
1981–82 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 68 | 22 | 42 | 4 | .353 | 6th, Emms | Lost in second round |
1982–83 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | .133 | Fired mid-season | |
WHA totals | 78 | 26 | 50 | 2 | .346 | ||||
NHL totals | 104 | 52 | 29 | 23 | .611 |
Awards and honours
Award | Year | Ref. |
---|---|---|
USHL Rookie of the Year
|
1949–50 | [11] |
USHL First Team All-Star | 1949–50 | [8] |
AHL Second Team All-Star | 1950–51 | [8] |
Award | Year | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Second team All-Star | 1957–58 1958–59 |
[20] |
First Team All-Star | 1959–60 1961–62 |
[20] |
Played in the NHL All-Star Game | 1950, 1954 1955, 1957 1958, 1959 1960, 1961 1963, 1965 1968 |
[8] |
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ Duff, Bob (April 27, 2015). "Hockey Hall of Famer Marcel Pronovost dead at 84". Windsor Star. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Shea, Kevin (December 22, 2006), One on one with Marcel Pronovost, Hockey Hall of Fame, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 8
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 9
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 7
- ^ a b Marcel Pronovost biography, Hockey Hall of Fame, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 13
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Duplacey & Zweig 2010, p. 401
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 26
- ^ a b c d e Marcel Pronovost player card, National Hockey League, retrieved December 28, 2013
- ^ a b c d O'Brien, Andy (February 1, 1963), "Marcel Pronovost", Ottawa Citizen, p. 27, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ a b "Only 19 but already old experts compare him with Eddie Shore", La Voix de Shawinigan, p. 11, April 21, 1950, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 43
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 46
- ^ "Lindsay, Sawchuk star as Detroit beats All-Stars 7–1", Montreal Gazette, p. 19, October 9, 1950, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 49–50
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 52
- ^ "Detroit sets record in capturing Stanley Cup", Montreal Gazette, p. 18, April 16, 1952, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 55
- ^ a b c d Marcel Pronovost statistics, Hockey Hall of Fame, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 72–74
- ^ a b "It's taken time, but Pronovost has star status now", Toledo Blade, p. 22, January 22, 1957, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 79
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 88
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 83
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 90
- ^ Hahn, Beam & Kujawa 2013, p. 236
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 92
- ^ "Unhappy with Leafs, Bathgate joins Wings in giant swap", Montreal Gazette, p. 29, May 21, 1965, retrieved December 30, 2013
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 95
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 104
- ^ "Henderson's four goals belt Blues, 5–3". Montreal Gazette. October 28, 1966. p. 35. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ McKinley 2006, p. 197
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 112
- ^ Pincus 2006, p. 117
- ^ a b Axthelm, Pete (May 15, 1967), "Beware the watchdogs at the old folks home", Sports Illustrated, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 120
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 124
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 151
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 152
- ^ Carroll, Dink (January 3, 1970). "Playing the field". Montreal Gazette. p. 25. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 153
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 195–196
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 156
- ^ "WHA clubs grab Dorey, Williams, Pronovost from NHL", Montreal Gazette, p. 19, July 7, 1972, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 160
- ^ "Cougars settle with Pronovost", Pittsburgh Press, p. 27, September 25, 1973, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Casey, Tom (November 1, 1971), "Hull will announce Pronovost as coach", Ottawa Citizen, p. 19, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Casey, Tom (August 3, 1977), "Pronovost shuffles off to Buffalo", Ottawa Citizen, p. 19, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Brown, Frank (November 11, 1977), "Sabres win in Philly for the first time", The Evening News, Newburgh, New York, p. 6B, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 163
- ^ "Sabres fire Punch, Pronovost", Montreal Gazette, p. 21, December 5, 1978, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 165
- ^ "Coach fired, Pronovost gets Detroit post", Ottawa Citizen, p. 25, March 21, 1980, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Hahn, Beam & Kujawa 2013, p. 185
- ^ "Lindsay, Pronovost fired by Red Wings", Montreal Gazette, p. 17, November 25, 1980, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 169
- ^ "Ontario junior team fires Pronovost", Montreal Gazette, p. G2, November 6, 1981, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 172
- ^ a b Podnieks 2003, p. 696
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 176
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 177
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 180
- ^ Marcel Pronovost – Scout, New Jersey Devils Hockey Club, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 181
- ^ Carroll, Dink (October 9, 1950), "Playing the field", Montreal Gazette, p. 16, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ a b Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 69
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 193
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 184–185
- ^ Marin, Eric (November 29, 2012), Pronovost autobiography details 65-year career in pro hockey, New Jersey Devils Hockey Club, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ "Plante selected for Hall", Spokane Spokesman-Review, p. 23, June 13, 1978, retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 185–186
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 186
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 185
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 99
- ^ Pronovost & Duff 2012, p. 189
- ^ Duff, Bob (April 27, 2015). "Hockey Hall of Famer Marcel Pronovost dead at 84". Windsor Star. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
General
- Playing statistics: Marcel Pronovost player card, National Hockey League, retrieved December 28, 2013
- Coaching statistics: Pronovost & Duff 2012, pp. 197–198
- Duplacey, James; Zweig, Eric (2010), Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Firefly Books, ISBN 978-1-55407-662-8
- Hahn, John; Beam, Todd; Kujawa, Kyle, eds. (2013), 2013–14 Detroit Red Wings Media Guide, Detroit Red Wings Hockey Club
- McKinley, Michael (2006), Hockey: A People's History, McClelland & Stewart, ISBN 0-7710-5769-5
- Pincus, Arthur (2006), The Official Illustrated NHL History, Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-88850-800-X
- Podnieks, Andrew (2003), Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL, Doubleday Canada, ISBN 0-385-25999-9
- Pronovost, Marcel; Duff, Bob (2012), A Life in Hockey, Bibliosis, ISBN 978-1-926845-98-2
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database