Elmer Lach, who passed away Saturday at the age of 97, was a Montreal Canadiens legend and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won three Stanley Cups, and was a master playmaker who benefitted from sharing a line with Maurice Richard for much of his career.
Here’s a look at his accomplishments as one of the underrated greats of a historic era in the National Hockey League:
– When Lach retired at the closure of the 1953-54 season, he was second all-time in points with 623. The only person ahead of him was his teammate Maurice Richard (651).
– Lach centred The Punch Line with Toe Blake on left wing and Richard on the right. In the four years after becoming a unit in 1944 until Blake’s retirement in 1948 the trio combined for 321 goals, 333 assists, and 654 points, with Richard, Lach, and Blake sitting first, second, and third in the league in points respectively during that time.
– He won the Hart Trophy in 1944-45 as the league’s MVP when Richard became the NHL’s first 50-goal scorer, and Lach led the NHL with 54 assists and 80 points. Lach was the sole assist on Maurice Richard’s 50th goal in 50 games during the 1944-45 campaign.
– Lach was the inaugural recipient of the Art Ross Trophy — given to the player with the most points during the season — when it was first awarded after the 1947-48 campaign. Lach edged out New York Rangers forward Buddy O’Connor by a single point. Lach had 30 goals and 31 assists in 60 games.
– He won the Stanley Cup three times, all with the Montreal Canadiens, in 1944, 1946, and 1953.
– As much as he was known as being a great playmaker, Lach also had a penchant as a bit of an aggressor and his body paid the toll. In total, Lach missed 150 games due to numerous injuries throughout his career, including but not limited to: breaking his nose seven times, breaking his jaw twice, a broken elbow, and a fractured skull.
– His most famous injury occurred during his most famous goal: Lach scored the winning goal at 1:22 of overtime against the Boston Bruins to clinch the 1953 Stanley Cup. During the celebration Maurice Richard hit Lach with his stick, breaking his nose.
– Lach was the NHL’s all-time leader in points for over a year. Lach passed Boston Bruins’ forward Bill Cowley’s 548 points during the 1952 season, and held the honour until midway through the 1953-54 season when he was passed by Maurice Richard.
– Lach holds the Montreal Canadiens record for most assists in a game — a mark he set February 6, 1943 when he notched six assists in Montreal’s 8-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
– He led the league in points in 1945, and 1948
– He was a first team All-Star in 1945, 1948, 1952, and a second team All-Star in 1944, and 1946.
– Lach was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.
– The Montreal Canadiens retired his number 16 on December 4, 2009. It was the second time Montreal retired the number, having previously retired it for Henri Richard in 1975.
