Elmer Lach
Encyclopedia
Elmer James Lach is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey
centre
who played 14 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens
in the National Hockey League
. He was part of the Punch line
, along with Maurice Richard
and Toe Blake
. He led the league in scoring twice, and was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy
in 1945 as the league's Most Valuable Player. Lach won three Stanley Cup
s with Montreal. He retired as the league's all-time leading scorer in 1954, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
12 years later. His number 16 was retired on December 4, 2009 during the Montreal Canadiens Centennial celebrations.
, Saskatchewan
, a small town 133 kilometres (82.6 mi) north of Regina
. He began playing junior ice hockey for with the Regina Abbotts in the 1935–36. He played the two following seasons with the senior Weyburn Beavers of the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL). In the 1938–39 season, Lach joined the Moose Jaw Millers of the SSHL. In his first season with the Millers, he led them in assists, with 20, and was the leading playoff scorer. He also scored 17 regular-season goals. The next season, he scored 15 goals and 29 assists, and led in playoff scoring again. Lach was also noted for his defensive contributions.
Lach signed with the Montreal Canadiens
on October 24, 1940. He came to the Canadiens' training camp with only an overnight bag, not expecting to be offered a contract. In his first NHL season, Lach played 43 games, scoring seven goals and adding 14 assists. He was limited to only one game the following season, after suffering an elbow injury in the first game. He returned the following season to score 58 points in 45 games. He set a still-standing Canadiens records by scoring six assists in one game on February 6, 1943.
In the 1943–44 season, Montreal head coach Dick Irvin
tried a line combination of Lach at centre, Maurice Richard
on the right wing, and Toe Blake
at left. This line became known as the Punch line
and dominated the NHL for four seasons. In the first season of the Punch line, Lach played 48 games, scoring on average an assist per game; he also added 24 goals. At the conclusion of the season, Lach was named to the Second All-Star team. He also won his first Stanley Cup
, helping sweep the Chicago Black Hawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the 1944–45 season, Lach played in all 50 games, picking up a league-leading 80 points, of which 26 were goals and 54 were assists. That season, linemate Maurice Richard became the first player in the NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
. That season, the Punch line amassed 220 points in total, a NHL record until the 1960s. Lach was presented the Hart Memorial Trophy
as the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named to the First All-Star team.
After being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the semi-finals in the previous season, Lach and the Canadiens won another Stanley Cup in the 1945–46 season. Lach led all players with 34 regular season assists, and was named once more to the Second All-Star team. In the 1947–48 season, Lach became the first recipient of the Art Ross Trophy
, after leading the league in points, with 61. The Punch line ceased to exist after Blake retired at the end of the season. Lach led the league in assists for the last time in the 1951–52 season, with 50. In the 1952–53 season, Lach won his third and final Stanley Cup in a memorable finish. At 1:22 of overtime, he scored the Cup-winning goal against the Boston Bruins
; however, in the on-ice celebration immediately after the goal, Maurice Richard accidentally broke Lach's nose with his stick.
in 1966. In 1998, he was ranked number 68 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
On December 4, 2009, coinciding with the Canadiens centennial celebration, #16 was retired a second time for Lach (along with Emile Bouchard
's #3; #16 had been frozen prior for Henri Richard
).
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...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played 14 seasons for 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 ...
in 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...
. He was part of the Punch line
Punch line (ice hockey)
The Punch line was a famous ice hockey line for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1940s. It consisted of Elmer Lach at center, Toe Blake on left wing, and Maurice Richard on the right side....
, along with Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
and Toe Blake
Toe Blake
Hector "Toe" Blake, CM was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League .-Nickname:His nickname came out of his childhood for his younger sister was unable to pronounce his name...
. He led the league in scoring twice, and was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different...
in 1945 as the league's Most Valuable Player. Lach won three Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s with Montreal. He retired as the league's all-time leading scorer in 1954, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
12 years later. His number 16 was retired on December 4, 2009 during the Montreal Canadiens Centennial celebrations.
Early life
He was born in NokomisNokomis, Saskatchewan
-Famous residents:* Jordan Hendry, Chicago Blackhawks player.* Elmer Lach, former NHL player and Hall of Famer .* Ken Shields, lead singer in Streetheart.* Max Braithwaite, author....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, a small town 133 kilometres (82.6 mi) north of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. He began playing junior ice hockey for with the Regina Abbotts in the 1935–36. He played the two following seasons with the senior Weyburn Beavers of the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL). In the 1938–39 season, Lach joined the Moose Jaw Millers of the SSHL. In his first season with the Millers, he led them in assists, with 20, and was the leading playoff scorer. He also scored 17 regular-season goals. The next season, he scored 15 goals and 29 assists, and led in playoff scoring again. Lach was also noted for his defensive contributions.
Career
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 ...
on October 24, 1940. He came to the Canadiens' training camp with only an overnight bag, not expecting to be offered a contract. In his first NHL season, Lach played 43 games, scoring seven goals and adding 14 assists. He was limited to only one game the following season, after suffering an elbow injury in the first game. He returned the following season to score 58 points in 45 games. He set a still-standing Canadiens records by scoring six assists in one game on February 6, 1943.
In the 1943–44 season, Montreal head coach Dick Irvin
Dick Irvin
James Dickinson Irvin, Sr. was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League.Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Irvin was one of the greatest players of his day, balancing a torrid slapshot and tough style with gentlemanly play...
tried a line combination of Lach at centre, Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
on the right wing, and Toe Blake
Toe Blake
Hector "Toe" Blake, CM was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League .-Nickname:His nickname came out of his childhood for his younger sister was unable to pronounce his name...
at left. This line became known as the Punch line
Punch line (ice hockey)
The Punch line was a famous ice hockey line for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1940s. It consisted of Elmer Lach at center, Toe Blake on left wing, and Maurice Richard on the right side....
and dominated the NHL for four seasons. In the first season of the Punch line, Lach played 48 games, scoring on average an assist per game; he also added 24 goals. At the conclusion of the season, Lach was named to the Second All-Star team. He also won his first Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, helping sweep the Chicago Black Hawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the 1944–45 season, Lach played in all 50 games, picking up a league-leading 80 points, of which 26 were goals and 54 were assists. That season, linemate Maurice Richard became the first player in the NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
50 goals in 50 games
"50 goals in 50 games" refers to the act of scoring 50 goals in the first 50 games of a National Hockey League season. Scoring fifty goals in fifty games in the NHL is a rare achievement....
. That season, the Punch line amassed 220 points in total, a NHL record until the 1960s. Lach was presented the Hart Memorial Trophy
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different...
as the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named to the First All-Star team.
After being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the semi-finals in the previous season, Lach and the Canadiens won another Stanley Cup in the 1945–46 season. Lach led all players with 34 regular season assists, and was named once more to the Second All-Star team. In the 1947–48 season, Lach became the first recipient of the Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
, after leading the league in points, with 61. The Punch line ceased to exist after Blake retired at the end of the season. Lach led the league in assists for the last time in the 1951–52 season, with 50. In the 1952–53 season, Lach won his third and final Stanley Cup in a memorable finish. At 1:22 of overtime, he scored the Cup-winning goal against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
; however, in the on-ice celebration immediately after the goal, Maurice Richard accidentally broke Lach's nose with his stick.
Retirement
Lach retired in 1954 as the league's all-time leading scorer, having played 664 regular season games, scoring 215 goals and 408 assists for 623 points, as well as 76 postseason games, where he scored 19 goals and 45 assists for 64 points. He retired as he had accepted an offer to coach the Montreal Junior Canadiens. He also stood behind the bench for the Montreal Royals for two seasons, before pursuing business interests. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1966. In 1998, he was ranked number 68 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
On December 4, 2009, coinciding with the Canadiens centennial celebration, #16 was retired a second time for Lach (along with Emile Bouchard
Emile Bouchard
Émile Joseph "Butch" Bouchard, CM, CQ is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played defence with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League from 1941 to 1956. He is member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, won four Stanley Cups, was captain of the Canadiens for eight years and was voted...
's #3; #16 had been frozen prior for Henri Richard
Henri Richard
Joseph Henri Richard is a former professional ice hockey player who played centre with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League from 1955 to 1975...
).
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 | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1940–41 | 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 ... |
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... |
43 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1942–43 1942–43 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 18 | 40 | 58 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1943–44 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 24 | 48 | 72 | 23 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 1944–45 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 26 | 54 | 80 | 37 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1945–46 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 34 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 1946–47 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 31 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1947–48 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 60 | 30 | 31 | 61 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1948–49 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 36 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 59 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1949–50 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 64 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1950–51 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 48 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1951–52 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 15 | 50 | 65 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1952–53 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 56 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1953–54 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 664 | 215 | 408 | 623 | 478 | 76 | 19 | 45 | 64 | 36 | ||||
See also
- Punch linePunch line (ice hockey)The Punch line was a famous ice hockey line for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1940s. It consisted of Elmer Lach at center, Toe Blake on left wing, and Maurice Richard on the right side....
- In "The Rocket", a made for TV movie about Maurice Richard, Lach was played by former NHL player Mike Ricci