Canadiens to retire Lapointe's jersey in 2014-15

Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Guy Lapointe will have his No. 5 jersey retired during the 2014-15 NHL season. The team will make a formal announcement Thursday at 11 a.m. ET at the Canadiens Hall of Fame at Bell Centre.

Lapointe was a member of the heralded "Big Three" with Larry Robinson and Serge Savard that anchored the Canadiens defense in the 1970s and played a key role in Montreal winning the Stanley Cup six times during the decade, including four straight from 1976 to 1979.

In 884 NHL games with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins, Lapointe had 622 points (171 goals, 451 assists), and holds Canadiens records for most goals in a season by a defenseman (28) and most by a rookie defenseman (15). Lapointe's 25 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are tied with Robinson for the most in Canadiens history.

He competed for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union and represented Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup.

Lapointe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993 and is coordinator of amateur scouting for the Minnesota Wild. His No. 5 will join that of Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, a 1972 Hall of Fame member who played 14 of his 16 NHL seasons in Montreal.