- Claude Larose (ice hockey b. 1943)
Claude David Larose (born
March 2 , 1943 inHearst, Ontario ) is a retired former professionalice hockey player who played 943 career NHL games for theMontreal Canadiens ,Minnesota North Stars and St. Louis Blues. He also served as an assistant coach for theHartford Whalers after his retirement. He won 5Stanley Cup s during his career.Prior to his joining the
Montreal Canadiens , the team suffered from a lack of toughness.Claude Larose was one of those playersSam Pollock thought could add toughness without sacrificing speed and scoring and he was right. Over a 16-year career, 10 with the Canadiens, Larose scored 226 goals and added 257 assists for 483 points in 943 NHL games. He also had 887 career penalty minutes and led the Canadiens in penalties during the 1971Stanley Cup Playoffs, whenMontreal upset both the defending championBoston Bruins and the powerful Chicago Black Hawks. "We became the toughest team in the League in 1963–64, which dismayed the opposition," Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau wrote in hisautobiography .Statistics say some things about a player, but not everything.Claude Larose was instant chemistry for his linemates. Many players of that era had their best years while skating with Larose.Ralph Backstrom finished second inMontreal scoring in Larose's rookie year.Danny Grant won theCalder Memorial Trophy with Larose on his line. Playing on a line withMinnesota North Stars teammates Grant andDanny O'Shea , Larose scored the tying, final goal in the 1969 NHLAll-Star Game.Returning from an injury in 1974, Larose was thrown onto a line with the
Mahovlich brothers, Frank and Peter, and scored four goals against Pittsburgh'sGary Inness . He got a hat trick the next game while playing the right wing withJacques Lemaire andSteve Shutt . Paired with them again, he got two goals the following game."I think that's still a Canadiens' record, nine goals in three games," Larose said recently. "I'd just come back from the broken leg I suffered the year before. I started playing around Jan. 15.
Yvan Cournoyer then got hurt and they put me in his place. A lot of people still remind me about that. We couldn't figure out what was happening. I'd shoot, they'd go in. We were playing forScotty Bowman . You know, if he thought you were too hot, he'd put you on another line!Today he is a pro scout for the
Carolina Hurricanes .ee also
*
List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*Stanley Cup
*List of Stanley Cup winners External links
*hockeydb|2983|Claude Larose
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