Jean-Baptiste “Jack” Laviolette was the first general manager of the Club de Hockey les Canadiens, during the team’s inaugural season in 1909-10 as a member of the new National Hockey Association. Born on July 27, 1879, in Belleville, Ontario, Laviolette moved with his family to Valleyfield at the age of 12. It was there that he discovered a true passion for ice hockey. In 1909, at J. Ambrose O’Brien’s request, Laviolette iced a team made up entirely of French-speaking players. He was credited with signing star players Edouard “Newsy” Lalonde and Didier Pitre. The Canadiens’ first game was played in Montreal on January 5, 1910, against the Cobalt Silver Kings. A member of the NHA executive, Laviolette was also simultaneously the Canadiens’ general manager, coach and captain, as well as one of the team’s defensemen. He is credited with the first victory in team history, a 7-6 win in front of 5,000 spectators. As the team’s co-general manager along with Joseph Cattarinich in 1910, Laviolette compiled a 2-10-0 record. Jack Laviolette won the Stanley Cup as a player with the Canadiens in 1916. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.