BLESSED WITH EXCEPTIONAL SPEED AND A LETHAL WRIST SHOT, YVAN COURNOYER WAS ONE OF THE MOST FEARED FORWARDS IN HOCKEY.

Speed has been a hallmark of the Montreal Canadiens since their inception. The tradition began with the likes of Aurèle Joliat and Howie Morenz and each generation since has provided contenders for the title of “Fastest of all time”. Fans who remember the 1960s and 1970s will never forget Yvan Cournoyer. With legs pumping like pistons, he blazed his way through a 16-year NHL career epitomizing the skill, grace and firepower that symbolized the Flying Frenchmen.

Young Yvan Cournoyer had one objective: to play for the Montreal Canadiens. Dedicating himself to the task, he spent endless hours honing his skills on the ice and off. Countless summer hours spent shooting four-pound metal pucks strengthened his wrists and gave him the hardest shot the junior hockey world had seen in a generation.

Breaking in with a bang, Cournoyer scored four times in a five-game tryout in 1963-64 and stuck with the Canadiens the next season. Used almost strictly as a power-play specialist in his first years, Cournoyer bided his time, becoming one of the league’s most potent scoring threats despite seeing limited ice time. His scoring numbers increased annually, from seven in his rookie year to 18 the next, as Montreal captured the Stanley Cup in both 1965 and 1966.

Still rarely playing when teams were at even strength, Cournoyer notched 25 goals in 1967-68, a mark he would match or surpass for 11 straight seasons. Forum crowds thrilled at the sight of the 5-foot-7 forward in full flight, taking a pinpoint pass, blowing past defensemen and closing in on goaltenders.

By the time Cournoyer began his fifth season, reservations about his defensive play and ability to play in heavy traffic had been put to rest and he finally got the chance to play a regular shift. Responding to the challenge, Cournoyer didn’t disappoint, picking up 43 goals. His 83 points led the team’s scoring parade in 1968-69 as “The Roadrunner” entered his prime.

Opponents couldn’t hit what they couldn’t catch and Cournoyer was untouchable. Turning on a dime at full throttle without losing speed or control of the puck, Cournoyer defied the laws of physics night after night. By filling nets around the league with rubber, Cournoyer carved out a place for himself among the most celebrated Canadiens of all time.

Hitting his peak as the 1960s gave way to the 1970s, Cournoyer was named to four NHL All-Star teams in five years. Invited to suit up for Canada in the fall of 1972, Cournoyer was a favorite with crowds both across Canada and in Moscow, finishing the memorable series with the tying goal and an assist on Paul Henderson’s now famous series-clincher.

Maintaining the intensity of the Summit Series through the NHL campaign, Cournoyer blazed through a 79-point regular season in 1972-73, the third time he hit the 40-goal plateau. Cournoyer was still on fire in the playoffs, when he set a new NHL scoring record. His 15th postseason goal brought the 1973 Stanley Cup to Montreal, the sixth time Cournoyer would have his name engraved on it.

Named Canadiens captain before the 1975-76 season, Cournoyer wore the “C” for the final four years of his career. He promptly helped lead the Habs to four straight Stanley Cups, retiring after the 1978-79 triumph with his name written on the oldest trophy in professional sport 10 times.

Cournoyer’s 428 goals place him fourth all-time in the Canadiens’ record books, while his 435 assists have him sixth. Only five men have amassed more than Cournoyer’s career total of 863 regular season points. In sixth place for both points and assists in the postseason, Cournoyer’s 64 playoff markers are trail only Maurice Richard and Jean Béliveau.

The Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors to Cournoyer in 1982, his first year of eligibility.

On November 12, 2005, the number “12” he wore for over 1,100 games was retired and raised to the rafters of the Bell Centre.