Alphonse Lacroix
Alphonse Albert Lacroix (October 21, 1897 – April 12, 1973), known as "Al" or "Frenchy", 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.
| Alphonse Lacroix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
October 21, 1897 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Died |
April 12, 1973 (aged 75) Lewiston, Maine, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 136 lb (62 kg; 9 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| Playing career | 1917–1931 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Representing the United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1924 Chamonix | Team competition |
Career
Lacroix was born in Newton, Massachusetts, 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.[1] His only experience at the top professional level came in 1925, when he replaced the Montreal Canadiens' Georges Vezina.
Vézina was unknowingly suffering from tuberculosis. Running a fever of 102 °F and coughing up blood on the ice, Lacroix relieved Vézina 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 Vézina'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.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | Min | GA | SO | GAA | GP | W | L | Min | GA | SO | GAA | ||
| 1914–15 | Newton High School | HS-MA | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 294 | 15 | 0 | 2.04 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | ||
| 1915–16 | Newton High School | HS-MA | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 280 | 9 | 2 | 1.29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Newton High School | HS-MA | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 320 | 10 | 4 | 1.25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1917–18 | Boston Navy Yard | USNHL | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 455 | 22 | 3 | 1.93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Boston A.A. Unicorns | Exhib | 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 | ||
| 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 | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 280 | 16 | 0 | 3.43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | Providence Reds | Can-Am | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 250 | 12 | 0 | 2.88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 280 | 16 | 0 | 3.43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | United States | OLY | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 6 | 4 | 1.20 | |
| Senior totals | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 6 | 4 | 1.20 | |||
References
- "Canadiens seeking Rheaume as goalie". The Montreal Gazette. December 14, 1925. p. 19.
Lacroix, the former U.S. Olympic goalkeeper, has been carrying the net duty for Canadiens since Vezina's retirement, but this former Boston amateur is the league relief goalkeeper, held by the circuit for emergency purposes in case of severe accident to any of the goaltenders of the league teams,...
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database