Wilf Paiement
Encyclopedia
Wilfred Paiement, Jr. is a former professional
ice hockey
right winger
in the NHL
from 1974 through 1988, for six different NHL teams.
by the Kansas City Scouts
of the NHL. He played two seasons in Kansas City before the team moved to Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies
.
Paiement was a member of the Canadian team which returned to the World Championship in Austria in 1977
after seven years of absence. During the tournament, frustrated by the lack of success, many members of Team Canada, including Paiement, resorted to violence. Paiement attacked Swedish player Lars-Erik Ericsson (who received a stick in the eye), as well as Russian players Sjadrin, Jakusjev and Babinov (who were all knocked unconscious).
On October 25, 1978, Paiement attacked Detroit Red Wings journeyman Dennis Polonich
with his stick. The diminutive five-foot-six-inch Polonich was trash-talk
ing with Paiement, when Paiement struck Polonich's across the face with a two-handed slash, which resulted in severe facial lacerations, a smashed nose that required extensive reconstructive surgery, and a severe concussion. Along with a match penalty, Paiement was given the second longest (at the time) suspension in NHL history - 15 games. Polonich sued, and was rewarded with a settlement of $850,000 in 1982; he has suffered with breathing problems from then on.
Paiement was traded from the Rockies to the Toronto Maple Leafs
along with Pat Hickey
for Lanny McDonald
and Joel Quenneville
on December 29, 1979.
Paiement played in Toronto for the next three seasons before again being traded to the Quebec Nordiques
for Miroslav Frycer
and a 7th round pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft
(Jeff Triano). After five seasons in Quebec, he was traded to the New York Rangers
for Steve Patrick
where he only played eight games.
The Buffalo Sabres
claimed Paiement off waivers on October 6, 1986. He only played one season in Buffalo before rounding out his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins
and finally, the Muskegon Lumberjacks
of the IHL in 1987–88.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
in the NHL
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...
from 1974 through 1988, for six different NHL teams.
Playing career
Wilf Paiement was selected in the first round 1st (2nd overall) of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft1974 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1974 NHL Amateur Draft was held via conference call at the NHL office in Montreal, Quebec. In an effort to prevent the WHA from poaching players, the draft was conducted early and in secret. This failed to prevent tampering as information leaked out via agents and other sources over the three...
by 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...
of the NHL. He played two seasons in Kansas City before the team moved to Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
.
Paiement was a member of the Canadian team which returned to the World Championship in Austria in 1977
1977 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1977 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Vienna, Austria from 21 April to 8 May. Eight teams took part, first playing each other once, then the four best teams advancing to a new round. The tournament was also the 55th ice hockey European Championship...
after seven years of absence. During the tournament, frustrated by the lack of success, many members of Team Canada, including Paiement, resorted to violence. Paiement attacked Swedish player Lars-Erik Ericsson (who received a stick in the eye), as well as Russian players Sjadrin, Jakusjev and Babinov (who were all knocked unconscious).
On October 25, 1978, Paiement attacked Detroit Red Wings journeyman Dennis Polonich
Dennis Polonich
Dennis Daniel "Polo" Polonich is a retired professional ice hockey centre who spent his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. He was known as a troublemaker who would do anything to disrupt the opposition...
with his stick. The diminutive five-foot-six-inch Polonich was trash-talk
Trash-talk
Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations , primarily in the US. It is often used to intimidate the opposition, but can also be used in a humorous spirit...
ing with Paiement, when Paiement struck Polonich's across the face with a two-handed slash, which resulted in severe facial lacerations, a smashed nose that required extensive reconstructive surgery, and a severe concussion. Along with a match penalty, Paiement was given the second longest (at the time) suspension in NHL history - 15 games. Polonich sued, and was rewarded with a settlement of $850,000 in 1982; he has suffered with breathing problems from then on.
Paiement was traded from the Rockies to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
along with Pat Hickey
Pat Hickey
Patrick Joseph Hickey is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 10 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues.-Playing career:...
for Lanny McDonald
Lanny McDonald
Lanny King McDonald is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year NHL career in which he scored 500 goals and over 1,000 points...
and Joel Quenneville
Joel Quenneville
Joel Norman Quenneville is the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks professional ice hockey team. He is a former ice hockey defenseman and former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues...
on December 29, 1979.
Paiement played in Toronto for the next three seasons before again being traded to the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The 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...
for Miroslav Frycer
Miroslav Frycer
Miroslav "Mirko" Fryčer is a retired Czech ice hockey forward.Fryčer started his National Hockey League career with the Quebec Nordiques in 1981. He also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Edmonton Oilers. He left the NHL after the 1989 season...
and a 7th round pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft
1982 NHL Entry Draft
The 1982 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1981–82 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
(Jeff Triano). After five seasons in Quebec, he was traded to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
for Steve Patrick
Steve Patrick
Stephen Gary Patrick is a former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft...
where he only played eight games.
The Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
claimed Paiement off waivers on October 6, 1986. He only played one season in Buffalo before rounding out his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and finally, the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Lumberjacks
The Muskegon Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Muskegon, Michigan.-Facts:-Season-by-Season record:Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses/Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in...
of the IHL in 1987–88.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) 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 Goal (ice hockey) 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 Assist (ice hockey) 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 (ice hockey) 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... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A 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 | ||
| 1971–72 | Niagara Falls Flyers Niagara Falls Flyers ----The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982.... |
OHA Ontario Hockey Association 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... |
34 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | St. Catharines Black Hawks St. Catharines Black Hawks The St. Catharines Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1962 to 1976. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHA | 61 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 173 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 70 | 50 | 73 | 123 | 134 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | 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... |
NHL | 78 | 26 | 13 | 39 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Kansas City Scouts | NHL | 57 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies (NHL) The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was... |
NHL | 78 | 41 | 40 | 81 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 80 | 31 | 56 | 87 | 114 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1978–79 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 65 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 34 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 41 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 72 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 1980–81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 77 | 40 | 57 | 97 | 145 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 18 | 40 | 58 | 203 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Quebec Nordiques Quebec Nordiques The 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... |
NHL | 8 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 28 | ||
| 1982–83 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 26 | 38 | 64 | 170 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 39 | 37 | 76 | 121 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 24 | ||
| 1984–85 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 68 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 165 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 58 | ||
| 1985–86 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 145 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... |
NHL | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 45 | ||
| 1986–87 | Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... |
NHL | 56 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Muskegon Lumberjacks Muskegon Lumberjacks The Muskegon Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Muskegon, Michigan.-Facts:-Season-by-Season record:Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses/Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in... |
IHL | 28 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 52 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 1987–88 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 946 | 356 | 458 | 814 | 1757 | 69 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 185 | ||||
Achievements
- Wilf Paiement was the first player ever drafted by the current day New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
organization. - He played in the very first games for the Kansas City ScoutsKansas City ScoutsThe 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...
and the Colorado RockiesColorado Rockies (NHL)The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
. - While Paiement was playing for the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
he wore the number 99 for the 187 games he spent in Toronto, and is one of only 3 players (Rick DudleyRick DudleyRichard Clarence Dudley is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Dudley was previously the general manager of several hockey teams. Dudley played in the World Hockey Association and in the National Hockey League. Dudley has also served as a head coach in the National...
for 30 games and Wayne GretzkyWayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
for 1,487 games), and was the last player other than Gretzky to wear that number. He last wore #99 on March 6, 1982 against the Montreal CanadiensMontreal 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 ...
. - Upon his retirement from the NHL, Paiement was the last active player that had ever played for the Kansas City Scouts.