Pierre Larouche

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 200px
position = Centre
height_ft = 5
height_in = 11
weight_lb = 175
played_for = New York Rangers
Hartford Whalers
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
nationality = Canada
birth_date = Birth date and age|1955|11|16|mf=y
birth_place = Taschereau, QC, CAN
career_start = 1974
career_end = 1988
draft = 8th overall
draft_year = 1974
draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins
wha_draft = 30th overall
wha_draft_year = 1974
wha_draft_team = Houston Aeros

Pierre Larouche (born 16 November, 1955 in Taschereau, Quebec) is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers.

Larouche played junior ice hockey with the Sorel Éperviers of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. During the 1973–74 QMJHL season, Larouche won the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the league's top scorer, with 94 goals, 157 assists, for a total 251 points. Larouche set the Canadian Hockey League record at the time, which is now second only to Mario Lemieux's 282 points ten years later.

Larouche was drafted 8th overall by the Penguins in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. In 1976, he became the 16th player ever to reach the 50-goal mark. At the time he was the youngest player to hit the 50-goal plateau. His record was broken by Wayne Gretzky in 1980. He was first player to score 50 goals in a season with 2 different teams: he scored 53 with Pittsburgh in 1975–76 and 50 with Montreal in 1979–80.

Larouche is also one of the few players to score at least a point-per-game average in their final NHL season. He scored 12 points in 10 games, during the 1987–88 NHL season, his last in the league. He won 2 Stanley Cups with Montreal in 1978 and 1979.

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1974–1988	Season Highs	NHL		79	53	58	111	52		16	8	9	17	4
14 Seasons	Career	NHL		812	395	427	822	237		64	20	34	54	16

External links

*hockeydb|2985
*legendsofhockey|13318
*Nhlprofile|8448707|Pierre Larouche