ONE OF THE GAME’S MOST NOTORIOUS PESTS THROUGHOUT THE 1970S, CENTER DOUG RISEBROUGH HELPED THE CANADIENS TO FOUR STANLEY CUP TITLES.

If there is a hockey-related job in the NHL, chances are Doug Risebrough has filled it at some point during his 30 years in the league. Currently charged with leading the Minnesota Wild as general manager, Risebrough began his life in professional hockey with a 13-year playing career, the first eight of which were spent with the Montreal Canadiens.

Chosen with one of the Canadiens’ four first round picks in the 1974 Amateur Draft, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound center spent a total of seven games with the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs before being called up to replace an injured Henri Richard early in the 1974-75 campaign.

For the next eight years, the feisty forward was one of the biggest pests in the NHL. An energy player who got under opponents’ skins with his tenacious and unrelenting approach to the game, Risebrough was a valuable member of the four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships that concluded each of his first four seasons with the Habs.

Playing with fellow youngsters Yvon Lambert and Mario Tremblay, Risebrough did everything he could to prevent oncoming attackers from reaching the Montreal net. His tactics, while not always within the rules of the game, were remarkably effective and frustrating to his opponents.

Despite spending the equivalent of almost three and a half games in the penalty box in his rookie year, Risebrough still found time to pick up 47 points in the 1975-76 regular season and add another eight in the playoffs.

With experience and maturity, Risebrough reduced his time in the penalty box over the next few seasons, remaining a solid two-way performer while still playing a tough physical game. Craftier with his tactics, he developed a knack for goading opponents into retaliation penalties as they grew frustrated with his antics.

Retaining his nose for the net, his offensive productivity consistently improved. Risebrough hit career highs in 1976-77, registering 22 goals, 38 assists and 60 points. That same year, he had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for the third time as a player.

Following the 1981-82 season, Risebrough was dealt to Calgary where he played the next five seasons, annoying his opponents with the same dogged approach he had shown for over 500 regular season and playoff matchups in Montreal.

Joining the Flames as an assistant coach in 1987-88, Risebrough was part of the Stanley Cup winner that defeated Montreal in the spring of 1989, the only time a Canadiens team has ever lost the Finals on home ice.

Progressing rapidly through the ranks, Risebrough left Calgary as the general manager and headed further north to the rival Edmonton Oilers. Later becoming the first hockey operations employee hired by the expansion Minnesota Wild, Risebrough assumed the duties of general manager and executive vice-president in 1999, and added the title of President of Minnesota Sports and Entertainment four years later.