Guy Lapointe

This article is about the ice hockey player. For the fictional character, see Tusk (2014 film).
Guy Lapointe
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1993
Born (1948-03-18) March 18, 1948 (age 76)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
St. Louis Blues
Boston Bruins
National team  Canada
Playing career 1968–1984

Guy Gerard Lapointe (born March 18, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He retired in 2020 after serving as Coordinator of Amateur Scouting with the NHL's Minnesota Wild for 20 years.

Career

Nicknamed "Pointu" (a play on his name in French, where "pointu" carries most of the same meanings as "sharp" or "pointy" in English), Lapointe was famous for his powerful slapshot and brutal body-checks.

Along with defencemen Larry Robinson and Serge Savard, Lapointe was a member of the "Big Three" and played a key role in the Canadiens' winning the Stanley Cup six times in 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979.

He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1982 and signed with the Boston Bruins after the following season. He retired in 1984 following a series of injuries.

Lapointe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame 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 defenceman (28), and most goals for a rookie defenceman (15). His number (#5) was retired by the Canadiens on November 8, 2014. Since the #5 is already retired on behalf of Bernie Geoffrion, they will both share the honour. Interestingly, similar to Bernie Geoffrion, his number was raised side by side with the number of other members whose numbers were already retired before him, though this time being the 2 other members of the "Big Three", Serge Savard and Larry Robinson (Savard and Robinson's banner were lowered halfway and were raised back up to the rafters with Lapointe's banner, just like what they did to Bernie Geoffrion and his father-in-law Howie Morenz).

Pranks

Lapointe was also known for his sense of humour and being a prankster. One of his most famous pranks is probably the Vaseline coated handshake with then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau as he was visiting the Canadiens' locker room. Another time, Lapointe "stole" rookie Mario Tremblay's new Pontiac Grand Prix and relocated it to a different level of that parking garage, then waiting a few days before disclosing this to Tremblay who had already filed a police report and contacted insurance. [1]

Coaching and scouting

Following his retirement from playing, Lapointe became general manager of the Longueuil Chevaliers of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, followed by a stint as associate coach with the Quebec Nordiques. He later served as an assistant coach and later as a scout with the Calgary Flames.

He was the Chief Amateur scout with the Minnesota Wild, a position he has held from the franchise's inception in 2000 to 2020.

Personal life

He is the father of three children: Guy Jr., Stephanie and Jordan.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1965–66 Verdun Jr. Maple Leafs QJHL 37 7 13 20 96 — — — — —
1966–67 Verdun Jr. Maple Leafs QJHL — — — — — 12 1 1 2 14
1967–68 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 51 11 27 38 147 11 1 6 7 40
1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1968–69 Houston Apollos CHL 65 3 15 18 120 3 1 0 1 6
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1969–70 Montreal Voyageurs AHL 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 Blues 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 Bruins NHL 45 2 16 18 34 — — — — —
NHL totals 894 171 451 622 893 123 26 44 70 138

Awards and accomplishments

  • NHL First All-Star Team (1973)
  • NHL Second All-Star Team (1975, 1976, 1977)
  • Played in NHL All-Star Game (1973, 1975, 1976, 1977)

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1972 Canada SS 7 0 1 1 6
1976 Canada CC 7 0 4 4 2
Senior totals 14 0 5 5 8

International play

Early into his NHL career, Lapointe was chosen to play in the historic 1972 Summit Series against the USSR. Lapointe accepted the invitation regardless of the fact his wife would give birth to his first child (Guy Jr.), during the series, while the team was in the USSR. He would compete internationally again for Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup and the 1979 Challenge Cup against the Soviets, which replaced that year's All-Star Game.