Pierre Larouche

He was at his best when allowed to rag the puck or use his quick release around the net. The tricky forward recorded ten 20-goal seasons in the NHL and was one of the most prolific scorers to ever play junior hockey in Canada.

Larouche spent most of his two junior seasons with the Sorel Black Hawks where he was one of the greatest scorers in the history of the QMJHL. In 1973-74, he scored 251 points to set a league record that lasted until Mario Lemieux arrived a decade later. After his record setting year, "Lucky Pierre" was chosen eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The slick pivot scored 31 goals as a rookie and finished runner up to Eric Vail in the Calder trophy voting. The next year he hit the 53-goal mark while centring Rick Kehoe and Vic Hadfield. The highlight of his season in 1976-77 was being a part of Team Canada when it returned to the World Championships. The next year he was off to a slow start but realized a dream when he was acquired by the Stanley Cup-champion Montreal Canadiens for Peter Mahovlich and Peter Lee.

Larouche did not see as much ice time as he would have liked under coach Scotty Bowman. His lack of interest in playing defence was a source of friction between the two, but Larouche still managed to see some action in the playoffs and win two Stanley Cup rings. When the Habs retooled in 1979-80, Larouche's offense was rekindled under Bernie Geoffrion and Claude Ruel. He hit the 50-goal mark for the second time in his career though he faced criticism after scoring only one goal when the club was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Following his tenure in Montreal, Larouche joined the Hartford Whalers for a couple of seasons where he contributed eleven power play goals in 1981-82. Prior to the 1983-84 season, he was signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers where he recorded one 40-goal performance and hit the 20-goal mark three times. In 1985-86, he started the season in the minors and ended up being one of the few players to scored twenty goals in two different leagues the same year. Larouche retired after dressing for ten games with the Rangers in 1987-88.