Cournoyer, Yvan S.
Hockey
b. Nov. 22, 1943, Drummondville, Quebec
Opposition goalie Gerry Cheevers once jokingly asked Cournoyer if he could please slow down a little. "No, Gerry," Cournoyer laughed, "I have the tailwinds tonight."
It seemed that Cournoyer usually had the tailwinds. Nicknamed "Roadrunner," he was small but fast and flashy. Cournoyer joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1964 after only five games in the minor leagues and quickly became one of the most feared scorers in hockey. In his first season, other teams often intimidated him with rough play, but he took boxing lessons during the summer and could no longer be bullied.
Particularly dangerous on the power play because of his puck-handling ability, Cournoyer won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs in 1973, when he scored 15 goals in Stanley Cup competition, including the goal that beat the St. Louis Blues in the final game.
In 16 seasons, all with the Canadiens, Cournoyer scored 428 goals and had 435 assists for a total of 863 points in 968 regular season games. He added 64 goals and 63 assists in 147 playoff games.