FAMOUS FOR HIS GOAL AGAINST THE BRUINS IN 1979, YVON LAMBERT PLAYED A KEY SUPPORTING ROLE IN THE CANADIENS’ FOUR CUP TRIUMPHS AT THE END OF THE 1970S.

Yvon Lambert scored over 200 goals in his eight seasons with the Montreal Canadiens but one stands taller than all the others combined.

On May 10, 1979, the Habs went into overtime in the seventh game of their semifinal series against Boston thanks to an infamous too many men call against the Bruins which led to a late tying goal by Guy Lafleur that set the stage for Lambert to play the hero.

Nine minutes into the sudden death period, linemate Mario Tremblay threw the puck towards the Bruins net and Lambert found the mesh, sending his team into the Finals and cementing his place in Canadiens history. While most long-time Habs fans remember the big left winger’s overtime clincher against the Bruins, many have forgotten that Lambert also scored the Stanley Cup winner against the Rangers less than two weeks later.

Drafted by Detroit in 1970, he was acquired by Montreal a year later and sent to the American Hockey League’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs. Learning the ropes his first year in Halifax, Lambert exploded in his second AHL season, leading the league in scoring with 52 goals and as many assists.

The Voyageurs won the 1974 Calder Cup and with nothing left to learn down on the farm, Lambert joined the Habs for the following season, quickly establishing himself as a rugged, reliable performer. After a 16-point rookie campaign, Lambert potted 32 goals and 35 assists in each of the next two seasons, reaching the 20-goal plateau in all but one of his remaining years in Montreal.

Lambert, who hoisted the Stanley Cup four times in his career, spent most of his time playing on the Habs’ hard-working second line with Mario Tremblay and Doug Risebrough. Equally effective at shutting down enemy attackers as they were at launching their own assaults, the trio was an essential component in four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships in the late 1970s.

Always popular with his teammates, the outgoing, fun-loving Lambert enjoyed himself as much away from the ice as he did on it. A fan favorite, he was also the most enthusiastic singer the team had seen since Bernard Geoffrion, appearing on local television programs and having his vocal stylings immortalized on vinyl.

Lambert finished his NHL career in Buffalo. Picked up by Scotty Bowman, he played the 1981-82 season in Sabres colors and spent the next two years with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. There he won a second Calder Cup in 1983 and led the team to the Finals the next season.

Returning to Montreal following his retirement, Lambert coached briefly before rejoining the Canadiens organization. He spent the next two decades in a public relations capacity, his easy-going and hospitable manner making him one of the team’s most popular figures.

One of the most-recognized Habs alumni, Lambert regularly laces up his skates each winter with the Canadiens Oldtimers squad, still holding his own with and against the best players of his era.