A MEMBER OF THE FIRST-EVER CANADIENS’ SQUAD, NEWSY LALONDE WAS THE TEAM’S FIRST VERITABLE SUPERSTAR.

Edouard Charles Lalonde is better known in the hockey world as “Newsy”, a nickname he picked up as a result of a paper mill job he held in his youth.

A standout in both hockey and lacrosse as a youngster, Lalonde began his on-ice professional career in his hometown of Cornwall, Ontario when he was just 16 years old. Leaving home at 18, he joined teams in both Ontario and Manitoba before cracking the lineup of the newly formed Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association in 1909.

On January 5, 1910, the Montreal Canadiens played their first game. In front of more than 3,000 fans at the Jubilee Rink in the city’s East End, Newsy Lalonde scored two goals in the 7-6 overtime win over the Cobalt Silver Kings.

Traded to the Renfrew Millionaires shortly afterwards, Lalonde scored nine goals for them later the same year. He returned to Montreal as captain the following season, scoring 19 goals and recording 61 penalty minutes before suiting up with the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for the 1911-12 campaign.

The fall of 1912 brought Lalonde back to Montreal, once again as team captain, where he firmly established himself as one of hockey’s first superstars. Over the next 10 seasons of rough and tumble hockey, Newsy Lalonde, wearing number 4, became the game’s premiere marksman, averaging better than a goal per game.

Lalonde resigned his captaincy before the 1915-16 campaign when he was named player-coach. He did double duty, holding both jobs until 1922. The following spring, the Canadiens won the first of their 24 Stanley Cup titles. He was named captain a third time prior to the 1916-17 campaign.

In 1917, the National Hockey League was formed and the Montreal Canadiens were one of the founding franchises. Lalonde continued his offensive production through five NHL seasons, leading the league on two occasions and finishing second and fourth in two other years. Always willing to engage in a bit of the rough play, Lalonde frequently found himself among the league leaders in penalty minutes.

A gifted scorer, Lalonde scored six goals in one game in 1920, a team record which stands to this day.

After the 1922-23 season, he headed west once again, this time traded to Saskatoon of the Western Canada Hockey League for Aurèle Joliat, a fitting successor to wear Lalonde’s number 4.

His playing days behind him, Lalonde returned to the Canadiens as a coach, taking over from Cecil Hart from the outset of the 1932 season. He remained behind the bench until December 1934, when general manager Leo Dandurand took over.

The greatest marksman of his era and one of the original “Flying Frenchmen,” Lalonde was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

Edouard Charles “Newsy” Lalonde died on November 21, 1970.