Guy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe (born March 18, 1948) is a retired
CanadianCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defencemanDefence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
who played for the
Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, St. Louis Blues and
Boston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in the
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He currently serves as Coordinator of Amateur Scouting with the NHL's
Minnesota WildThe Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
.
Career
Along with defencemen
Larry RobinsonLarry Clark Robinson is a former ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. Robinson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and is currently the defensive coach for the New Jersey Devils...
and
Serge SavardSerge Aubrey "The Senator" Savard, OC, CQ is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a local businessman in Montreal, and is nicknamed the Senator.-Playing career:Savard played minor league hockey with the...
, Lapointe was a member of the "Big Three" and played a key role in the Canadiens' winning the
Stanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
six times in
1971-References:...
,
1973The 1973 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a rematch of the 1971 championship series. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to two.-Paths to the Final:...
,
1976-References:...
,
1977The 1977 Stanley Cup Final championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins were making their first appearance in the Final series since their loss in the 1974 Final. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to none,...
,
1978The 1978 Stanley Cup Final championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their third-straight appearance. The series was a rematch of the 1977 final...
,
1979The 1979 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the New York Rangers and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their fourth straight appearance. It was New York's first appearance since . The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win...
. Nicknamed "Pointu", Lapointe was famous for his practical jokes, sense of humor and powerful slapshot. He was traded to the
St. Louis BluesThe St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
in 1982 and signed with the
Boston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
the following season. He retired in 1984 following a series of injuries.
Following his retirement, Lapointe became general manager of the
Longueuil ChevaliersThe Longueuil Chevaliers were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, playing in Longueuil, Quebec at Colisée Jean Béliveau. They were founded in 1982 and set a Canadian Hockey League record for the most successful season ever by an expansion franchise, going 37-29-4...
of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey LeagueThe Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
, followed by a stint as associate coach with the
Quebec NordiquesThe Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
. He later served as an assistant coach and later as a scout with the
Calgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
. He is currently coordinator of amateur scouting with the
Minnesota WildThe Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, a position he has held since the franchise's inception.
Lapointe was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 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 defenseman (28), and most goals for a rookie defenseman (15).
Career statistics
| |
|
Regular season |
|
Playoffs |
| Season In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
|
Team |
League |
GP |
G In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
|
A In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
|
Pts Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...
|
PIMA penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
|
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
PIM |
| 1967–68 |
Montreal Junior Canadiens |
OHA The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
|
51 |
11 |
27 |
38 |
147 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 1968–69 |
Houston Apollos The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981....
|
CHL |
65 |
3 |
15 |
18 |
120 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
| 1968–69 |
Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
|
NHL |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 1969–70 |
Montreal Canadiens |
NHL |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 1969–70 The 1969–70 AHL season was the 34th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Montreal Voyageurs became the second Canadian-based team in the league, and finished first overall in the regular season...
|
Montreal Voyageurs |
AHLThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
|
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 BluesThe St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
|
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 BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
|
NHL |
45 |
2 |
16 |
18 |
34 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| NHL totals |
894 |
171 |
451 |
622 |
893 |
123 |
26 |
44 |
70 |
138 |
International play
Early into his NHL career, Lapointe was chosen to play in the historic 1972 Summit Series against the USSR. He would compete internationally again for Canada in the
1976 Canada CupThe 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
and the
1979 Challenge CupThe 1979 Challenge Cup was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of all-stars from the National Hockey League, held in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the 1978–79 NHL season.The Challenge Cup, unlike its...
against the Soviets, which replaced that year's All-Star Game.
External links