Alphonse Lacroix
Encyclopedia
Alphonse Albert "Al, Frenchy" Lacroix (October 21, 1897 – April 12, 1973) was an American
ice hockey
goaltender
who is best known as a member of the silver medal-winning American ice hockey team at the 1924 Winter Olympics
, and as the emergency goaltender who replaced Georges Vezina
when he collapsed in a game in 1925.
, and began his hockey career playing for the high school team in 1914. By 1917 he began playing in the Boston
city senior amateur league. He joined the Boston Athletic Association
in 1919 and played for their hockey team in the city senior league and later the United States Amateur Hockey Association. He was selected to the United States Olympic team at the 1924 Winter Olympics
, winning a silver medal.
In 1925 he was retained by the National Hockey League
as an emergency goaltender, on hand to replace any of the clubs' goalies should they suffer serious injury. His only experience at the top professional level came in 1925, when he replaced the Montreal Canadiens
' Georges Vezina
.
Vezina was unknowingly suffering from tuberculosis
. Running a fever of 102 °F and coughing up blood on the ice, Lacroix relieved Vezina at the start of the second period of the opening game of the 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season
against the Pittsburgh Pirates
on November 28. By December 15 the Canadiens had signed Herb Rheaume
as Vezina's permanent replacement. Lacroix would stay on with the Canadiens as a spare goaltender until 1927, but never played another game in the NHL.
Lacroix continued his career in the Can-Am League
and the semi-pro North East Hockey League. He retired from hockey in 1931.
He died in Lewiston, Maine
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
who is best known as a member of the silver medal-winning American ice hockey team at the 1924 Winter Olympics
1924 Winter Olympics
The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
, and as the emergency goaltender who replaced Georges Vezina
Georges Vézina
Joseph-Georges-Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association and nine in the National Hockey League , all with the Montreal Canadiens...
when he collapsed in a game in 1925.
Career
Lacroix was born in Newton, MassachusettsNewton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, and began his hockey career playing for the high school team in 1914. By 1917 he began playing in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
city senior amateur league. He joined the Boston Athletic Association
Boston Athletic Association
The Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit, organized sports association for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It hosts such events as the world-renowned Boston Marathon....
in 1919 and played for their hockey team in the city senior league and later the United States Amateur Hockey Association. He was selected to the United States Olympic team at the 1924 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics
At the 1924 Winter Olympics, an ice hockey tournament was contested. The competition was held from Monday, January 28, 1924 to Sunday, February 3, 1924. Canada defended their championship from the 1920 Summer Olympics...
, winning a silver medal.
In 1925 he was retained by the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
as an emergency goaltender, on hand to replace any of the clubs' goalies should they suffer serious injury. His only experience at the top professional level came in 1925, when he replaced the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
' Georges Vezina
Georges Vézina
Joseph-Georges-Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association and nine in the National Hockey League , all with the Montreal Canadiens...
.
Vezina was unknowingly suffering from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Running a fever of 102 °F and coughing up blood on the ice, Lacroix relieved Vezina at the start of the second period of the opening game of the 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season
1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 17th season and ninth as a member of the National Hockey League . The Canadiens lost their star goalie Georges Vezina to tuberculosis and struggled as a team, not making the playoffs...
against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)
The Pittsburgh Pirates were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League , based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1925–26 to 1929–30. The nickname comes from the baseball team also based in the city...
on November 28. By December 15 the Canadiens had signed Herb Rheaume
Herb Rheaume
Herbert Elbert Rhéaume , born in Mason, Quebec, was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 31 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens as an emergengy replacement following Georges Vézina's death during the 1925–26 season...
as Vezina's permanent replacement. Lacroix would stay on with the Canadiens as a spare goaltender until 1927, but never played another game in the NHL.
Lacroix continued his career in the Can-Am League
Canadian-American Hockey League
The Canadian-American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct ancestor of the American Hockey League....
and the semi-pro North East Hockey League. He retired from hockey in 1931.
He died in Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... |
GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | ||
| 1914-15 | Newton High School | high school | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 294 | 15 | 0 | 2.04 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | ||
| 1915-16 | Newton High School | high school | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 280 | 9 | 2 | 1.29 | - | ||||||||
| 1916-17 | Newton High School | high school | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 320 | 10 | 4 | 1.25 | - | ||||||||
| 1917-18 | Boston Navy Yard | Boston seniors | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 455 | 22 | 3 | 1.93 | - | ||||||||
| 1918-19 | Boston Navy Yard | Boston seniors | |||||||||||||||||
| 1919-20 | Boston A.A. Unicorns Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit, organized sports association for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It hosts such events as the world-renowned Boston Marathon.... |
Boston seniors | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 135 | 8 | 0 | 2.67 | - | ||||||||
| 1920-21 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | USAHA | |||||||||||||||||
| 1921-22 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | USAHA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | - | ||||||||
| 1922-23 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | USAHA | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 405 | 10 | 4 | 1.11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 180 | 4 | 1 | 1.00 | ||
| 1923-24 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | USAHA | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 270 | 10 | 1 | 1.67 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 180 | 8 | 0 | 2.67 | ||
| United States | Olympics Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics At the 1924 Winter Olympics, an ice hockey tournament was contested. The competition was held from Monday, January 28, 1924 to Sunday, February 3, 1924. Canada defended their championship from the 1920 Summer Olympics... |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 6 | 4 | 1.20 | - | |||||||||
| 1924-25 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | USAHA | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 955 | 40 | 4 | 1.88 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 150 | 10 | 1 | 3.00 | ||
| 1925-26 | Montreal Canadiens 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season The 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 17th season and ninth as a member of the National Hockey League . The Canadiens lost their star goalie Georges Vezina to tuberculosis and struggled as a team, not making the playoffs... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 280 | 16 | 0 | 3.43 | - | ||||||||
| 1926-27 | Montreal Canadiens 1926–27 Montreal Canadiens season The 1926–27 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 18th season, and tenth in the National Hockey League . The team rebounded from its last place finish to place second in the Canadian Division and qualify for the playoffs... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | - | ||||||||
| 1927-28 | Providence Reds Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956... |
Can-Am Canadian-American Hockey League The Canadian-American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct ancestor of the American Hockey League.... |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 250 | 12 | 0 | 2.88 | - | ||||||||
| Lewiston St. Doms | NEHL | 22 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1350 | 42 | 5 | 1.87 | 5 | 305 | 16 | 0 | 3.15 | |||||
| 1928-29 | Lewiston St. Doms | NEHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 9 | 0 | 2.25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 240 | 8 | 1 | 2.67 | ||
| 1929-30 | Providence Reds | Cam-Am | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | - | ||||||||
| 1930-31 | Boston Tigers | Cam-Am | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 240 | 13 | 0 | 3.25 | - | ||||||||