Noel Picard

Noël Picard
Noel Picard in 2005
Born (1938-12-25)December 25, 1938
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died September 6, 2017(2017-09-06) (aged 78)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
St. Louis Blues
Atlanta Flames
Playing career 1960–1973

Joseph Jean-Noël Yves Picard (December 25, 1938 – September 6, 2017) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1965 to 1973.

Playing career

Group of hockey players. A hockey player in black is raised a few feet off the ice with his hands raised in excitement.
Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins after scoring the Cup-winning goal in May 1970, with Picard behind him

Picard started his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1965. He later played for the St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Flames. Picard retired after the 1973 season, winning one Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1965. He is noted for tripping Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins after Orr scored the series-winning goal of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, sending a jumping Orr flying through the air with his arms raised in celebration. This image stands as one of the most famous action shots in North American sports history.[1][2]

Personal life

Picard was a broadcaster for Blues games after he retired. He purchased Midway, a restaurant in Cuba, Missouri, in 1976 and later sold.[3] He returned to Montreal, where he died in 2017.[4]

Picard had two children with his wife Viviane who were raised in the St. Louis area;[5] a daughter Annie in Chicago,[6] and son Dan (who lives in New Baden, Illinois).[7] Picard was the younger brother of Roger Picard, whom he briefly played with in St. Louis for one season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1959–60 Peterborough Petes OHA 29 1 3 4 22 12 2 1 3 4
1960–61 Jersey Larks EHL 55 2 6 8 55 — — — — —
1961–62 Montreal Olympics Qué-Sr. 18 3 7 10 8 6 1 3 4 17
1961–62 Montreal Olympics Al-Cup — — — — — 15 2 6 8 38
1962–63 Sherbrooke Castors Qué-Sr. — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0
1963–64 Omaha Knights CPHL 59 4 25 29 147 9 1 2 3 12
1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 16 0 7 7 33 3 0 1 1 0
1964–65 Omaha Knights CPHL 50 13 23 36 142 — — — — —
1965–66 Houston Apollos CPHL 58 3 15 18 186 — — — — —
1966–67 Seattle Totems WHL 63 3 24 27 135 10 2 5 7 16
1966–67 Providence Reds AHL 9 0 3 3 17 — — — — —
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 66 1 10 11 142 13 0 3 3 46
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 67 5 19 24 131 12 1 4 5 30
1969–70 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 1 4 5 88 16 0 2 2 65
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 75 3 8 11 119 6 1 1 2 26
1971–72 St. Louis Blues NHL 15 1 5 6 50 — — — — —
1972–73 St. Louis Blues NHL 16 1 0 1 10 — — — — —
1972–73 Atlanta Flames NHL 41 0 10 10 43 — — — — —
NHL totals 335 12 63 75 616 50 2 11 13 167

References

  1. ^ "100 Best Stanley Cup Final Photos". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  2. ^ Fox, Luke (10 May 2017). "Bobby Orr talks hockey's most iconic photograph". Sportsnet. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Ghosts of the past haunt Route 66 landmark - Cuba, MO - Route 66 Mural City". 15 June 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  4. ^ Timmermann, Tom (7 September 2017). "Noel Picard, an original St. Louis Blue, dies at 78". Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  5. ^ Pinkert, Chris (October 4, 2017). "Blues to honor Picard with No. 4 on helmets". NHL.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Annie Picard". anniepicard.net. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Dan. "Noel Picard, 72, has greetings, tales to tell". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 7 September 2017.