Larry Giroux
Encyclopedia
Larry "Buffalo Head" Giroux (born August 28, 1951 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan
) is a retired Canadian ice hockey
defenceman. Defenceman Larry Giroux played nearly 300 NHL games for four different clubs in the 70s and 80s. He was a decent positional player who could pass the puck to his forwards effectively. The hard working defender was also known as "Buffalo Head" due to his puffy hairstyle. Other nicknames included "Melon Head" (the more distasteful moniker), and "Cotton."
Born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Giroux starred in junior with the local Red Wings and the Swift Current Broncos. He then spent a year playing senior hockey with the WIHL's
Kimberley Dynamiters
before signing as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues. He was assigned to the Fort Worth Wings of the CHL and recorded 47 points on the way to being named to the league's first all-star team.
After a solid rookie season with St. Louis in 1973-74, Giroux was traded to the expansion Kansas City Scouts. He only lasted 21 games there before he was sent to the Detroit Red Wings for Guy Charron. Giroux spent nearly four years as a useful farmhand with the Wings before returning to the Blues in 1978-79. Along the way he was named the CHL's top defenceman and a first team all-star in 1978. Following his return to St. Louis he played 73 games and played in all situations for the first time since his rookie season. After signing as a free agent with the Hartford Whalers, Giroux played 47 games in 1979-80 before retiring.
Giroux started his National Hockey League
career with the St. Louis Blues in 1974. He also played for the Kansas City Scouts
, Detroit Red Wings
, and Hartford Whalers
. He retired after the 1980 season.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
) is a retired Canadian ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice 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...
defenceman. Defenceman Larry Giroux played nearly 300 NHL games for four different clubs in the 70s and 80s. He was a decent positional player who could pass the puck to his forwards effectively. The hard working defender was also known as "Buffalo Head" due to his puffy hairstyle. Other nicknames included "Melon Head" (the more distasteful moniker), and "Cotton."
Born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Giroux starred in junior with the local Red Wings and the Swift Current Broncos. He then spent a year playing senior hockey with the WIHL's
Western International Hockey League
The Western International Hockey League was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88...
Kimberley Dynamiters
Kimberley Dynamiters (WIHL)
The Kimberley Dynamiters are a defunct Senior Amateur ice hockey club that played from 1946-1981 in the Western International Hockey League ....
before signing as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues. He was assigned to the Fort Worth Wings of the CHL and recorded 47 points on the way to being named to the league's first all-star team.
After a solid rookie season with St. Louis in 1973-74, Giroux was traded to the expansion Kansas City Scouts. He only lasted 21 games there before he was sent to the Detroit Red Wings for Guy Charron. Giroux spent nearly four years as a useful farmhand with the Wings before returning to the Blues in 1978-79. Along the way he was named the CHL's top defenceman and a first team all-star in 1978. Following his return to St. Louis he played 73 games and played in all situations for the first time since his rookie season. After signing as a free agent with the Hartford Whalers, Giroux played 47 games in 1979-80 before retiring.
Giroux started his National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The 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...
career with the St. Louis Blues in 1974. He also played for the Kansas City Scouts
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts was a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1974–76. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies...
, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, and Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
. He retired after the 1980 season.