The French Connection (ice hockey)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The three players posing in their hockey gear

The French Connection is the

French-Canadians from Quebec: Perreault from Victoriaville; Robert from Trois-Rivières; and Martin from Verdun.[1] The name referred both to the origins of the players and to the 1971 movie The French Connection, based upon the book of the same name.[1]

Perreault and Martin were the first-round draft picks of the Sabres in the franchise's first two years, while Robert was acquired in a trade late in the Sabres' second season. The trio accounted for most of Buffalo's scoring during their seven years together, amassing a total of 1,681 points over 1,536 man-games from 1972 to 1979,[2] while leading the Sabres to the franchise's first appearance in the

National Hockey League All-Star Game
at least twice while playing together.

A bronze statue of the three players outside of an arena
A bronze statue of the French Connection at First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York

History

Perreault was acquired by the team with their first draft pick of their inaugural season in the

1971. Both players were drafted after three seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Robert was acquired in a trade on March 4, 1972, for Eddie Shack. He played twelve games for the Sabres during the 1971–72 NHL season.[3][4] Perreault played his entire 17-season career with the Sabres. Martin played all but 4 games of his injury-shortened 11-season career with the Sabres. The trio played together as a line most of the time until the fall of 1979.[5] On October 5, 1979, Scotty Bowman traded Robert to the Colorado Rockies for defenseman John Van Boxmeer. This ended the French Connection era in Buffalo, but not before the trio became the first three players to accumulate 200 goals in a Sabres uniform.[6] Each player's jerseys were retired; Perreault's #11 was retired during a ceremony on October 17, 1990, and Robert's #14 and Martin's #7 were retired on November 15, 1995. All three numbers hang together from the KeyBank Center rafters under a French Connection banner.[7]

In hopes of averting the lean years that troubled most expansion teams,

check.[13] Sabres coach quickly teamed Robert with Perreault and Martin after the trade.[14] The two players complemented Perreault and became a dynamic combination that dazzled fans.[9]

There are differing claims as to who dubbed the hockey line “The French Connection” as a reference to the Academy Award-winning film. Origination of the term was often given to writer Lee Coppola when he was operating the Buffalo Auditorium message board and who later became Dean of Journalism at St. Bonaventure University. Credit is also given to WKBW TV's Rick Azar, the Dean of TV sportscasters in Buffalo, who used it first on a 6pm Eyewitness News sportscast and references it in his 2014 book, Tales from Azar's Attic.[15] A half century later, Erik Brady, in his July 22, 2021, Buffalo News column on who first named the French Connection line, suggested “maybe the answer is both, independent of one another.”

The trio played together as a regular line through the 1974–75 season. At times, they were split up during the last four seasons.[16] When they played together they often faced the opposition's top defensive lineups. Since the trio were tremendous skating scoring threats these opponents would concentrate on checking them and staying on top of them. For example, against the Montreal Canadiens Bob Gainey's line would oppose them. Rick Martin once said about this line "I had Jimmy Roberts between me and my shadow."[12]

Perreault was known as a naturally gifted skater and playmaker who was capable of making an end-to-end rush at any time. His fame was hampered by his own shy personality. His stickhandling and head faking confounded even the best defensive players in the world.

penalty killing unit. He was perhaps the least flashy of the three, but was the most complete. He was the player who checked and worked hard in the corners.[19]

Perreault holds numerous club career records (including regular season games played,

hat tricks, four-goal games, 40-goal seasons, consecutive 40-goal seasons, 50-goal seasons (tied with Danny Gare) and consecutive 50-goal seasons.[20] Although Robert's name is not as prominent in the record books. his 40-goal and 60-assist 1974–75 NHL season was the club's first 100-point season by an individual.[4] During the seven full seasons the trio was together, Perreault led the Sabres in scoring five times and Robert and Martin led the team once each.[20] Martin led the team three times in goals, Perreault twice and Robert once during this time. Perreault led the team in assists four times and Robert did so twice. In addition, the two tied once for the lead in assists.[20] Martin's 1975–76 season with 7 hat tricks continues to be tied with Alexander Mogilny for the franchise single-season record. Martin and Perreault continue to be first and second for rookie season points and goals in franchise history (records set before the arrival of Robert).[20]

The trio led the Sabres to the Stanley Cup playoffs every full season they were together, except the 1973–74 NHL season when Perreault suffered a broken leg and only played in 55 games. The impact of the combination was obvious as the team began the first full season of the French Connection era with a ten-game unbeaten streak; the team made the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise and the three members of the French Connection were the team's three leading scorers.[21] The team suddenly went unbeaten in their first 21 home games, while setting a record for post 1967 expansion teams by recording a home winning streak of 12 and while going unbeaten in New York state for 25 games including 1 win at the Nassau Coliseum and 3 at the Madison Square Garden.[22] Their first playoff appearance during their first full season together (1972–73) was not only the franchise's first playoff appearance, but the series also marked history as the only National Hockey League Playoff series with brothers (Ken Dryden and Dave Dryden) as opposing goaltenders.[14] In the first game of the series, both goaltenders were chosen as being among the three stars of the game.[14] During the 1974–75 NHL season, all members of the trio were selected to play in the National Hockey League All-Star game; they all finished among the top ten in league scoring, and they led the team to a tie for first place in the regular season standings.[3]

Among their postseason highlights was the May 20, 1975, game three of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals. This game, known as the fog game, was memorable because Buffalo Memorial Auditorium had no air conditioning and the arena temperature matched the 90 degree outdoor temperature, which caused fog to shroud the ice surface. During the overtime, play was delayed seven times due to fog on the ice surface at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. The players were instructed by Flyer coach Fred Shero and Sabre coach Floyd Smith to shoot whenever possible because of the impaired goaltender vision. Eventually, the French connection combined to score a Martin to Perreault to Robert game-winning goal. This came after the French Connection swarmed Flyer goalie enabling Bill Hajt to knock in a Rick Martin rebound to send the game to overtime.[23]

The 1975–76 season would also be memorable for the trio and the franchise. On January 4, 1976, the Sabres hosted part of the two-team eight-game NHL tour by the opposing the

Soviet Wings. The Sabres handed the Russians the first of only two defeats on the tour. The French Connection contributed 4 goals and 5 assists to a 12–6 victory. The night marked the worst defeat by a Russian hockey team in international competition.[24]

The trio was, and remains,

Lady Byng Trophy in 1973. All honours for all players were as Buffalo Sabres. All Official NHL All-Star team selections were earned while the three were teammates. Perreault was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.[4]

The line made occasional appearances as members of the

Terrence Pegula as the Sabres' owner on February 24, 2011.[25] A statue of "The French Connection," unveiled in 2012,[26] is located outside the Sabres' arena, now known as KeyBank Center.[27][2]

The French Connection years

Regular season

The French Connection regular season records
  René Robert Rick Martin Gilbert Perreault
Season GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 75 40 43 83 83 75 37 36 73 79 78 28 60 88 10
1973–74 76 21 44 65 71 78 52 34 86 38 55 18 33 51 10
1974–75 74 40 60 100 75 68 52 43 95 72 68 39 57 96 36
1975–76 72 35 52 87 53 80 49 37 86 67 80 44 69 113 36
1976–77 80 33 40 73 46 66 36 29 65 58 80 39 56 95 30
1977–78 67 25 48 73 25 65 28 35 63 16 79 41 48 89 20
1978–79 68 22 40 62 46 73 32 21 53 35 79 27 58 85 20

Playoffs

The French Connection playoff records
  Robert Martin Perreault
Season GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 6 5 3 8 2 6 3 2 5 12 6 3 7 10 2
1973–74 —
1974–75 16 5 8 13 16 17 7 8 15 20 17 6 9 15 10
1975–76 9 3 2 5 6 9 4 7 11 12 9 4 4 8 4
1976–77 6 5 2 7 20 6 2 1 3 9 6 1 8 9 4
1977–78 7 2 0 2 23 7 2 4 6 13 8 3 2 5 0
1978–79 3 2 2 4 4 3 0 3 3 0 3 1 0 1 2

See also

  • List of ice hockey linemates

Notes

  1. ^ a b "The French Connection". The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Strong, Gregory (February 21, 2017). "NHL 100: Legion of Doom highlights hockey's all-time iconic lines". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Buffalo Sabres". Tank Productions. May 10, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History" (PDF). Buffalo Sabres and the National Hockey League. 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  5. ^ "Pinnacle". Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  6. ^ 1978–79 Buffalo Sabres Media Guide, p. 78.
  7. ^ "Buffalo Sabres Retired Numbers". Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  8. ^ Gilbert, p. 8.
  9. ^ a b Brewitt, p. 58.
  10. ^ Maiorana, p. 29.
  11. ^ Perreault had centered for Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif, while Martin teamed with Bobby Lalonde and Norm Gratton (Maiorana, p.29).
  12. ^ a b Brewitt, p. 59.
  13. ^ Brewitt, p. 56.
  14. ^ a b c Brewitt, p. 44.
  15. Azar book on French Connection.pdf Stepping Out Into Traffic, p.93,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stepping_Out_Into_Traffic_re_French_Connection.pdf
    publisher Thought Leaders Press, ISBN 978-1-945389-05-4
  16. ^ Brewitt, p. 61.
  17. ^ Podnieks, et al., pp. 536–538.
  18. ^ Podnieks, et al., pp. 593–594.
  19. ^ Podnieks, et al., pp. 568–569.
  20. ^ a b c d "The Record Book" (PDF). Buffalo Sabres and the National Hockey League. 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  21. ^ Maiorana, p. 61.
  22. ^ Maiorana, p. 99–102.
  23. ^ "One on One with Gilbert Perreault". legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
  24. ^ Brewitt, pp. 68–72.
  25. ^ a b Malowicki, Jessica (February 24, 2011). Pegula era kicks off with surprise Archived January 11, 2013, at archive.today. WGRZ. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  26. ^ "Sabres unveil statue honoring French Connection". USA Today.
  27. ^ "20 years, 1 building, 4 names: Buffalo's downtown arena".

References

Brewitt, Ross, 26 Seasons in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium, Taylor Publishing Company, 1996,
ISBN 0-87833-125-5
.
Gilbert, John, Buffalo Sabres, Creative Education, 1996,
ISBN 0-88682-670-5
.
Maiorana, Sal, Thank You Sabres: Memories of the 1972–73 Season, Quality Sports Publications, 1997,
ISBN 1-885758-10-3
.
Podnieks, Andrew, Denis Gibbons, Pavel Barta, Dmitri Ryzkov, Tom Ratschunas, et al., Kings of the Ice: A History of World Hockey, NDE Publishing, 2002,
ISBN 1-55321-099-9
.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_French_Connection_(ice_hockey)&oldid=1187091041"