ONE-THIRD OF THE FAMOUS “PUNCH LINE”, ELMER LACH, AN EXCEPTIONAL PLAYMAKER, EARNED THE FIRST ART ROSS TROPHY IN 1948.

In the fall of 1940, a young center from Saskatchewan boarded a train heading east. His destination was the Canadiens’ training camp in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. Elmer Lach made the team and has been a Montrealer ever since.

Spending his entire career under the direction of Dick Irvin, Lach played 14 years of the hardnosed brand of hockey that distinguished the NHL play of his era. When he went into the corners for the puck, Lach almost invariably emerged with it, often leaving opponents with a painful memory of the encounter.

In 1943-44, Lach was assigned new linemates. With veteran Toe Blake on one wing and a reputedly brittle youngster named Maurice Richard on the other, “The Punch Line” set the standard for talent and toughness. With their big line firing on all cylinders and the supporting cast following their example, the Habs became the class of the league, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1944 and 1946.

Lach quickly established himself as hockey’s top playmaker, doing the heavy lifting and effortlessly making the puck appear on his linemates’ sticks. On February 6, 1943, he picked up six assists in an 8-3 win over Boston. No member of the Habs since Lach has bettered the feat.

The year “Rocket” Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games, Elmer Lach set an NHL record with 54 assists. He also won the scoring title and was presented with the Hart Trophy, as league MVP.

When he won the NHL scoring title for a second time in 1947-48, Lach was named the first recipient of the newly created Art Ross Trophy.

Lach asked for no quarter and gave none, be it in practice or against other teams. He paid the price for his approach to the game without complaint or recrimination, despite suffering a number of career-threatening injuries.

Lach’s second season ended minutes into the first game of the year when he went down with an elbow injury. In later years, he suffered a broken cheekbone and a fractured skull. All told, Lach missed over 150 games due to injury, averaging to one out of every five games.

After scoring the Cup-winning goal in 1953, Lach collided with Richard in a memorable celebratory airborne embrace that left him starting his summer sporting a broken nose.

Following the 1953-54 season, Lach retired, embarking on a successful business career shortly thereafter. When he left the ice, it was as the NHL’s all-time leader for assists and total points. Over a half century after hanging up his skates, Lach is still among the top 10 all-time Canadiens in both categories.

The only surviving member of “The Punch Line”, Lach is one of the few remaining links to hockey’s Golden Age. Congenial by nature and with gratitude for all the game has done for him, he fills the role with dignity and grace.

On December 4, 2009, the day of the 100th anniversary of the Canadiens, his famous number 16 was retired.