Known for his big shot and fun-loving personality, Guy Lapointe teamed with Larry Robinson and Serge Savard to form the Montreal Canadiens' legendary "Big Three" on defense in the 1970s.
Lapointe, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993, helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup six times during the decade, including four straight seasons from 1976-1979.
Known for his big shot and fun-loving personality, Guy Lapointe teamed with Larry Robinson and Serge Savard to form the Montreal Canadiens' legendary "Big Three" on defense in the 1970s.
Lapointe, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993, helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup six times during the decade, including four straight seasons from 1976-1979.
A Montreal native who grew up rooting for the Canadiens, Lapointe set a Canadiens record for rookie defensemen in 1970-71 by scoring 15 goals and had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 20 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help get his name on the Cup for the first time.
Lapointe finished second to Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins in the voting for the Norris Trophy, awarded each season to the NHL's top defenseman, and was selected to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1972-73 after scoring 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 76 games. He scored an NHL career-high 28 goals in 1974-75 to set a Canadiens record for defensemen and begin a run of three straight seasons with at least 20 goals.
Lapointe's 158 goals from 1970-71 through 1978-79 were second most in the NHL over that span among defensemen behind Orr's 192 and his 516 points (158 goals, 358 assists) were third most among defensemen behind Orr's 659 and Brad Park's 553.
A renowned prankster, Lapointe had a way of keeping things light in the locker room by cutting teammates skate laces or putting shaving cream and other messy solutions into their skates, shoes, pockets and gloves.
Lapointe had 572 points (166 goals, 406 assists) in 777 games over 14 seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the St. Louis Blues on March 9, 1982. His 166 goals are second most among defensemen in Canadiens history behind Robinson's 197 and he's tied with Andrei Markov for second in points among Montreal defensemen behind Robinson's 883.
Lapointe's 25 career playoff goals are tied with Robinson for most among Canadiens defensemen.
After playing two seasons with St. Louis, Lapointe signed with Boston in 1983 and played one season for the Bruins before retiring in 1984. Lapointe, who also represented Canada in the Summit Series against the Soviet Union in 1972, finished his NHL career with 622 points (171 goals, 451 assists) in 884 games.
Montreal retired his No. 5 jersey Nov. 8, 2014.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- AHL First All-Star Team (1970)
- NHL First All-Star Team (1973)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (1975, 1976, 1977)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1973, 1975, 1976, 1977)
- Traded to St. Louis by Montreal for St. Louis' 2nd round pick (Sergio Momesso) in 1983 NHL Draft, March 9, 1982.
- Signed as a free agent by Boston, August 15, 1983.
