Bobby Lalonde

Robert Patrick Lalonde (born March 27, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 641 games in the National Hockey League from 1971 to 1982. During his career he accumulated 124 goals, 210 assists for a total of 334 points. He played for the Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and a short stint with the Calgary Flames until his eventual retirement due to a recurring knee injury. Bobby Lalonde was listed at 5'5" and was the shortest player to play in the NHL at that time.[1] He was selected 17th overall in the second round of the 1971 NHL Entry Draft.

This article is about the hockey player. For the musician, see Bobby Lalonde (musician).
Bobby Lalonde
Born (1951-03-27) March 27, 1951
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Atlanta Flames
Boston Bruins
Calgary Flames
HC Davos
NHL Draft 17th overall, 1971
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1971–1982

He now resides on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, with his wife Carolyn. He has two sons. Brent, the eldest, was born while he was playing for the Vancouver Canucks and his younger son Court was born while he was playing for the Atlanta Flames.

Playing career

Lalonde played in the 1962 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the LaSalle youth team.[2] His junior career began with the Ontario Hockey Association's Montreal Junior Canadiens, for whom he played from 1968 to 1971, earning 255 points in combined goals and assists. The Junior Canadiens won the Memorial Cup twice during Lalonde's tenure there, once in 1969 and again the following year.[3][4]

Lalonde turned pro in 1971, joining the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks as their number two draft choice.[5][6] He netted 1 goal and 5 assists in 27 games with the Canucks prior to being sent to their American Hockey League affiliate Rochester Americans for the remainder of the season.[7] Lalonde skated with the Americans for 42 games, tallying 25 points in goals and assists. The following season Lalonde skated with the Canucks, where he remained until 1977. He spent nearly half of the 1973–74 season out of play due to an ankle injury.[8] During the 1975–76 and 1976–77 seasons, Lalonde briefly played for the Central Hockey League's Tulsa Oilers. All told, Lalonde netted 189 points in combined goals and assists in 353 games with the Canucks.

In October 1977, Lalonde (then a free agent) was picked up by the Atlanta Flames.[9] Lalonde remained with the Flames through 1979, scoring 38 goals and 56 assists in 154 games.

Lalonde was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for future considerations in October 1979. He found himself playing for Fred Creighton, who had coached him previously in Atlanta.[10] He spent the bulk of the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons in Boston, tallying 14 goals and 37 assists in 133 games.

In October 1981, the Bruins bought out the remaining year of Lalonde's contract and released him as a free agent.[11] Lalonde returned to the NHL on a minor-league contract with the Calgary Flames,[12] playing 19 games with the CHL's Oklahoma City Stars and 1 game with the Flames. He then moved to the European leagues,[13] playing 15 games with HC Davos of the Swiss National League A before retiring from professional hockey in 1982.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1968–69 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 5417274418 130550
1968–69 Montreal Junior Canadiens M-Cup ————— 844817
1969–70 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 5442428473 166101617
1969–70 Montreal Junior Canadiens M-Cup ————— 126192519
1970–71 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 61596812771 118132135
1971–72 Rochester Americans AHL 4214112519 —————
1971–72 Vancouver Canucks NHL 271562 —————
1972–73 Vancouver Canucks NHL 7720274732 —————
1973–74 Vancouver Canucks NHL 3634718 —————
1974–75 Vancouver Canucks NHL 7417304748 50000
1975–76 Vancouver Canucks NHL 7114365046 10002
1975–76 Tulsa Oilers CHL 43252 —————
1976–77 Vancouver Canucks NHL 6817153239 —————
1976–77 Tulsa Oilers CHL 72240 —————
1977–78 Atlanta Flames NHL 7314233728 11010
1978–79 Atlanta Flames NHL 7824325624 21010
1979–80 Atlanta Flames NHL 30112 —————
1979–80 Boston Bruins NHL 7110253528 40112
1980–81 Boston Bruins NHL 624121631 32132
1981–82 Calgary Flames NHL 10000 —————
1981–82 Oklahoma City Stars CHL 196111736 —————
1981–82 HC Davos NLA 1582129— 12131326
NHL totals 641124210334298 164266

References
  1. Donovan, Dan (October 22, 1977). "Atlanta BIG Test For Pens". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  2. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  3. Canadian Press (May 7, 1970). "Jr. Habitants tough on western Wings". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  4. "Memorial Cup History". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  5. Canadian Press (October 9, 1971). "Vancouver Canucks' future looks bright". The Leader-Post. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  6. Canadian Press (October 6, 1971). "Leafs, Stars in top form". The Windsor Star. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  7. Canadian Press (November 19, 1971). "Canucks send Bobby Lalonde to Rochester". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  8. Sigurdson, Hal (November 23, 1973). "Canucks must regain October feeling". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  9. Associated Press (October 20, 1977). "Lalonde Bought". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  10. Associated Press (October 24, 1979). "Bruins get Lalonde from Flames". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  11. Press release (October 6, 1981). "Sports Moves". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  12. Associated Press (October 29, 1981). "The whisper is Vail is on waivers". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  13. Olson, Arv (October 28, 1981). "'Europeans not problem' Neale says of Canucks". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
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