VanIslander
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- Sep 4, 2004
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Pierre "The Fire Starter" Larouche was the youngest to ever score 50 goals in a season and also was the first NHLer to score 50 goal seasons with two different franchises (in Pittsburgh 1976-77, Larouche hit the 53-goal mark while centring Rick Kehoe and Vic Hadfield; in Montreal he centered Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt and registered 50 goals). He scored 20+ goals for ten seasons, thrice top ten in goals, twice a Stanley Cup champion in Montreal, an all star gamer in both Pittsburgh and New York. The Calder trophy runner-up had back in juniors scored 251 points to set a QMJHL league record that lasted until Mario Lemieux arrived a decade later. Larouche would become the New York Rangers 94th best all-time in the 100 Rangers Greats book and 85th in the Habs Heroes book.
The knocks on him:
HHOF said:In terms of pure offensive talent, centre Pierre Larouche had few peers. He was at his best when allowed to rag the puck or use his quick release around the net.
100 Rangers Greats said:Skill and charisma made ''Lucky Pierre'' a fan favourite everywhere he played, and New York was no exception.
His nickname was misleading since much of the success Larouche enjoyed as a goal scorer came not from luck, but from stealth and cunning. At his most dangerous when drifting unnoticed through the offensive zone, Larouche would emerge from a cluster of players at the goaltenders's doorstep, poised to convert a pass for an effortless tap-in goal.
Our History said:Very few people in the history of hockey were as proficient at finding the back of the net as Pierre Larouche.
Fast on his skates and an excellent stickhandler, Larouche was able to hold the puck for as long as he wanted to, threading his way through traffic until he used his quick release to baffle goaltenders around the NHL. When the curtain closed on 1975-76, Larouche had scored 53 times en route to a team-best 111-point season to finish fifth in the NHL.
The knocks on him:
But Larouche was somewhat indisciplined in his early years - there was occasional suspensions for lateness to practice and missing curfew - and he struggle to find consistency. It was a stigma that he carried with him from city to city.
'' Asking Larouche to dig in the corners is like asking Picasso to paint a garage.'' - Herb Brooks
- ''Tubby was a card - so loose. And he was so talented. He played the game so well that you kind of shock your head sometimes at some of the stuff he could do with the puck. He was a great guy and it was fun to play with him.'' - Kelly Kisio