Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1982 | |||
Born |
Drummondville, Quebec, Canada | November 22, 1943||
Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | Montreal Canadiens | ||
National team | Canada | ||
Playing career | 1963–1979 |
Yvan Serge Cournoyer (born November 22, 1943) is a Canadian former professional
Cournoyer was born in Drummondville, Quebec. He was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he credited to longer blades on his skates. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. In 2017 Cournoyer was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[1]
Playing career
In 1961, Cournoyer started his junior ice hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association. By the time he was 18 years old, his legs had become so muscular that he required specially tailored pants.[2]
Cournoyer made his NHL debut in 1963 with the Montreal Canadiens and earned a full-time spot with the club in 1964 after just seven games with the American Hockey League's Quebec Aces.[3]
Cournoyer was initially regarded by Canadiens head coach
Cournoyer scored a career-high 47 goals in the
Cournoyer was named captain of the Canadiens in 1975 following the retirement of Henri Richard, pushing him to play harder in his new leadership role.[2] Cournoyer would become only one of the Habs' two captains to win Stanley Cups throughout his entire (2+ year) tenure as captain, the other one being Maurice Richard, Henri's older brother. The speedy Cournoyer's ability to stay true to his form in his older age was a favourite topic of discussion of the Montreal fans and hockey media, however, and he did slow down due to a disc in his back that was pressing on a nerve and causing him great pain.[2] Cournoyer eventually had to have surgery on his back and missed the entire 1977 playoffs.
Cournoyer returned for the 1977–78 season and played in 68 games, scoring 24 goals and collecting 29 assists to match his previous season's total of 53 points, though it was evident his back still bothered him. He managed to perform in the playoffs again, however, with seven goals and four assists in 15 games en route to Montreal's third consecutive Cup.[3] However, he was forced to retire following the 1979 season after playing in just fifteen games. When he retired, he only trailed Maurice Richard, and Jean Beliveau on the Canadiens' all-time scoring list.[2] Cournoyer won a total of 10 Stanley Cups as a player (tied with Beliveau), second only to Henri Richard's 11. The Cournoyer legacy includes many Top 10 Canadien records - 7th in total games played (968), 4th in goals scored (428), 7th in assists (435) and 6th in total points scored (863).
Cournoyer played for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series and is part of the famous picture wherein Paul Henderson jumps into his arms after scoring the game (and series) winner. Cournoyer scored three goals during the series. Late in the third period of Game 8, his goal tied the score, making a win by Canada possible.[4]
Cournoyer coached the Montreal Roadrunners during the 1994–95 season and was an assistant coach to the Canadiens during the 1996–97 season.[3] He serves as an official ambassador for the Montreal Canadiens.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1960–61 | Lachine Maroons | MMJHL | 42 | 37 | 31 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
1961–62
|
Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 32 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | ||
1962–63
|
Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 36 | 37 | 27 | 64 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||
1963–64
|
Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 53 | 63 | 48 | 111 | 30 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 27 | 15 | ||
1963–64 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1964–65 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 55 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
1964–65 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 18 | 11 | 29 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
1966–67 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 25 | 15 | 40 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
1967–68 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 64 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 4 | ||
1968–69 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 43 | 44 | 87 | 31 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 5 | ||
1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 72 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 37 | 36 | 73 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 6 | ||
1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 73 | 47 | 36 | 83 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 40 | 39 | 79 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 2 | ||
1973–74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 40 | 33 | 73 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | ||
1974–75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 29 | 45 | 74 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 | ||
1975–76 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 71 | 32 | 36 | 68 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
1976–77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 60 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1977–78 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 68 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 10 | ||
1978–79 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 968 | 428 | 435 | 863 | 255 | 147 | 64 | 63 | 127 | 47 |
International
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1972
|
Canada | SS | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
Senior totals | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
See also
- List of players with 5 or more goals in an NHL game
- List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
References
- ^ "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Legends of Hockey -- The Legends -- Honoured Player -- Cournoyer, Yvan -- Biography". Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ a b c d e "Yvan Cournoyer's profile at hockeydb.com". Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ Zweig, Eric (February 7, 2006). "1972 Canada-Soviet Hockey Series (Summit Series)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
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