Newsy Lalonde

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Newsy Lalonde
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1950
Lalonde with Vancouver Lacrosse Club in 1920
Born (1887-10-31)October 31, 1887
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada
Died November 21, 1970(1970-11-21) (aged 83)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Renfrew Creamery Kings
Vancouver Millionaires
Saskatoon Sheiks
New York Americans
Playing career 1904–1927

Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde (October 31, 1887 – November 21, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and a professional lacrosse player. Lalonde is regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's greatest players of the first half of the 20th century and one of Canadian sport's most colourful characters.[1] He played for the Montreal Canadiens – considered to be the original "Flying Frenchman" – in the National Hockey Association and the NHL. He also played for the WCHL's Saskatoon Sheiks.

Early life and family

Lalonde was born to Pierre Lalonde (1847 – 1926) and Rose Lalonde (1849 – 1939).[2] As a minor, he worked as, first, a reporter, then as a printer, for the Cornwall Freeholder and Woodstock, Ontario Express newspapers, where he acquired the "Newsy" moniker.[3][4]

On May 7, 1913, Lalonde married Iona Elizabeth Letters (1899 – 1966), daughter of James Harcourt and Sarah Job. The couple had two children.[5]

Early ice hockey career

Lalonde (left) with Renfrew Creamery Kings teammates Frank Patrick and Cyclone Taylor.

In 1904, Lalonde started his career with the Cornwall Victorias of the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL). The next season, he played for the Woodstock club of the Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League. Lalonde made the trek to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 1906 to play in the International Professional Hockey League, hockey's first known professional league. In his one season in the Sault, he was named to the IHL Second All-Star Team. In 1907, Lalonde signed with the Toronto Professionals of the Ontario Professional Hockey League, and with line mates Bruce Ridpath and Wally Mercer led the "Torontos" to the league championship, losing the Cup in a close match with the Montreal Wanderers in which Lalonde scored twice.

The year 1910 saw the foundation of the National Hockey Association (NHA), precursor to the NHL, and Lalonde joined the Montreal Canadiens for their first season. Lalonde scored the first goal for the Montreal Canadiens.[6] Halfway through the season, the Habs traded him to the Renfrew Creamery Kings, for whom Lalonde led the league in scoring.[7] He rejoined the Canadiens for the 1911 season—professional hockey was only then developing any sense of teams retaining the rights to their players—during which he had several stick battles and provoked the ire of opposing fans.

With the formation of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) in 1912, Lalonde jumped to the Vancouver Millionaires, and promptly led the league in scoring its inaugural year. Vancouver traded him back to Montreal the following season for Didier Pitre. In 1915, Lalonde held out in contract negotiations, only playing six games, but aside from that, he remained with the Canadiens for the next ten years, winning the NHA scoring title again in 1916 and captaining the Canadiens to his only Stanley Cup victory.[8] Despite his holdout, he was named player-coach of the Canadiens in 1915.

NHL/WCHL career

Lalonde with the Montreal Canadiens.

Newsy Lalonde played (and scored) in the first NHL game on December 19, 1917, when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators, 7–4. He would score in each of the first six NHL games, a mark that would stand unchallenged for the rest of the century.[citation needed]

During the 1919 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lalonde scored seventeen goals in ten games. However, on the day of the sixth game of the finals against the Seattle Metropolitans, Lalonde, owner George Kennedy, Joe Hall, Billy Coutu, Jack McDonald and Louis Berlinguette were hospitalized with influenza, in the wave of the 1918 flu pandemic. Five and a half hours before its start, the game was postponed. With his entire team either hospitalized or confined to bed, Kennedy announced he was forfeiting the game—and the Cup—to the Metropolitans. However, the Metropolitans felt it would be unsporting to accept the trophy under the circumstances, and the sixth game was never played. Hall did not survive.[9]

Lalonde, sitting second from right, with the Saskatoon Crescents in 1923–24.

Thereafter Lalonde had two fine years, but after the Kennedy estate sold the Canadiens to Leo Dandurand, his clashes with the new ownership affected his play to the point where he left the team for four games, and he was relegated to reserve duty amidst the boos of the fans.[citation needed] Saskatoon Crescents' manager Frederick E. Betts sought to sign Lalonde as the team's player-coach for the season, and was willing to buy Lalonde's release pending all other National Hockey League clubs waiving their right to claim Lalonde.[10][11] Dandurand and Betts later agreed to trade the rights to highly-touted prospect Aurèle Joliat to bring Lalonde to the Crescents.[12] (When Lalonde and Joliat met later that season, Lalonde, unhappy that Joliat was fast becoming a fan favorite in Montreal, got his "revenge" by serving Joliat with a vicious crosscheck to the face).[citation needed]

On a line with future Hall of Famer Bill Cook, Lalonde achieved his final scoring title as playing coach of the Sheiks, although the team had a poor overall record. The next two seasons the team was much improved, but Lalonde himself was finally feeling his age and was no longer an impact player. He scored the final goal of his career on March 2, 1925, against Vancouver. The following season he played three regular season games and two playoff games, the last for the Saskatoon franchise before the Western Hockey League folded.[citation needed]

The following season, 1927, Lalonde was named the head coach of the New York Americans. He played as a substitute for one final game in November 1926 before hanging up his skates permanently. After his retirement, he also served as the head coach of the Ottawa Senators between 1929 and 1931, and of the Canadiens between 1932 and 1935.[citation needed]

Lacrosse career

Although Lalonde is best-remembered today as a hockey player, he was just as prominent in lacrosse, which in the early years of the 20th century was one of the most popular professional sports in Canada. Lalonde earned more in lacrosse than he did in hockey. He started play in 1905 as a goaltender, but moved to the attack position in 1910, becoming the sport's greatest star. He would break the scoring record for his Montreal team in 1910 with 31 goals. In 1912, he was signed to be player-manager of the Toronto Lacrosse Club, but almost immediately changed his mind and joined the exodus of players heading west for big contracts.[13] He was signed by Con Jones to play for Vancouver for $5,000 for one season.[14] In comparison, as a hockey player, his salary in 1910–11 for the Montreal Canadiens was $1,300, which was considered high for the time. As late as 1920 he could not get more than $2,000 a year playing hockey. Lalonde scored an incredible 66 goals for the Montreal Nationals in 1914.

Lalonde, third from left in the front row, with the Vancouver Lacrosse Club in 1912.

After coming west in 1909 as a hired-hand with the Regina Capitals to compete against the New Westminster Salmonbellies in their challenge for the Minto Cup, playing as a defenceman, Lalonde then decided to remain in British Columbia when Vancouver Lacrosse Club president Con Jones offered him a fortune of a contract rumoured in the range of $3,500 (or $72,000 in modern currency); this was more than double what he was earning with the Montréal Nationals the previous season. To compete against that perennial powerhouse squad of legends and hated rivals, New Westminster Salmonbellies, Con Jones went out and bought the best player in Canada that money could buy: Newsy Lalonde.

Lalonde would pay off Jones by helping lead Vancouver to three Minto Cup pro championships – in 1911,[15] 1918, and 1920. He played what was back then called the inside home position – basically an attacking forward who played on the crease as the primary threat against the opposing goaltender – and his goal-scoring prowess was critically important to the success of his Vancouver team as Lalonde constantly went up against some of the finest New Westminster goaltenders of the day, stalwarts such as Alex "Sandy" Gray and then later the legendary Alban "Bun" Clark.

Lalonde with Montreal Nationals lacrosse team.

During his nine seasons spent playing for the Vancouver Lacrosse Club and Vancouver Terminals, Lalonde finished 11th in overall career games played (2nd with the Vancouver club) and 3rd overall in career goal-scoring with 147 goals in 93 games.

However, what is more impressive is in five of those nine seasons with Vancouver, he led the league in goal-scoring (and in 1911, also in penalties). During a ten-season period from 1910 through 1918, and regardless whether he was playing out west in the professional British Columbia Lacrosse Association with Vancouver or back east in the National Lacrosse Union or Dominion Lacrosse Union with the Montréal Nationals, Lalonde would lead the respective league for goals in all seasons but one.

In an era when lacrosse was notably rough and tumble and players wore no padding, all the while swinging wooden sticks, Lalonde was one never to back down from the toughness aspect of the game.[16] His favourite tactic was to crowd his check and bull his way through opposition. Along with all his goals, the intensely competitive Lalonde also amassed 45 penalties and 356 penalty minutes during his career on the West Coast.

In 1950, he was selected by a panel of Canadian sports journalists as the greatest lacrosse player of the first half of the 20th century. He received an impressive 13 votes compared to his next two challengers, Billy Fitzgerald (6 votes) and Henry Hoobin (5 votes).

As a fitting, final tribute to his career, Lalonde was an obvious choice for the initial inductees to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1965 in the "field player" category.[17]

Legacy and playing style

"It’s very simple. All that is necessary is to keep the puck away from him."

Lester Patrick jokingly describes the only way to prevent Lalonde from scoring[18]

A leading scorer for the Canadiens in six years, Lalonde served as captain from 1915 to 1921. He was a member of the first Montreal Canadiens team to win the Stanley Cup in 1916. He was scoring champion seven times in the National Hockey Association, Pacific Coast Hockey Association, National Hockey League and Western Hockey League, an unprecedented feat in the major professional ranks and unsurpassed until Wayne Gretzky's tenth scoring title in 1994. From 1910 to 1954, he held the record for the most regular-season goals scored by a major league hockey player, including his pre-NHL and WCHL totals — 468 goals,[19][20] a record later broken by Maurice Richard.

Much of Lalonde's production came from his highly accurate snap shot, and his remarkable longevity which allowed him to play a physically aggressive style for upwards of 23 seasons. Lester Patrick, co-founder of the PCHA and then-captain of the Victoria Aristocrats, claimed in 1912 that Lalonde possessed the best shot in hockey: “He shoots every bit as hard as Pitre, and is much more deadly."[18] Up until 1918, Lalonde cleverly used a specific rule of hockey – which stipulated that goaltenders could not drop to their knees to block shots – to complement his superb accuracy. Coming off the right wing or down the centre, he would unleash a “wicked knee-high shot” which would catch the opposing goalie between the glove – or stick – and pad.[18] This shot placement was deliberately done in order to slow down a goalie's reaction time; they were often unable to decide between using their glove hand or blocker hand to deflect or catch the puck, and shuffling to one side or the other to use their pads. Lalonde's snapper was so lethal that opposing coaches would often assign three to four of their own players just to shadow him, and – in one of the earliest iterations of the trap – attempt to pin him into a corner in order to prevent his being able to get into a scoring position.[18] Where Lalonde lacked somewhat was in the speed department, but he made up for it with his head, always thinking ahead of the plays.[21]

"Why, Hall always starts chewing the rag the minute he sees my face on the ice. I never speak to him until he gets shouting at me half a dozen times and keeps telling me I won't finish the game. Then of course I've got to start something."

Lalonde on his on-ice feud with Joe Hall.[22]

On a more personal level, he was said to have been one of the meanest players of his time, hated by opposition players and even by some of his teammates. As a coach, he once punched one of his players who tried to stand up to him, as a warning to the team that he would not take any back-talk. Before Joe Hall became a teammate of Lalonde on the Montreal Canadiens in 1917–18, when Hall was still a member of the rivaling Quebec Bulldogs in the NHA, the two players had an on-ice feud with each other that lasted over several seasons, often resulting in violent blows between the two players and subsequent stitches to sew up head wounds. Lalonde claimed that the violence was most often provoked by Hall taunting him verbally.[22]

In 1950, Lalonde was named athlete of the half century in lacrosse. He was also elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1965, and the Sports Hall of Fame of Canada. He had lit the torch when the Sports Hall of Fame opened in Toronto in August 1955.

In 1998 he was ranked number 32 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, making him the highest-ranking player on the list who had played in a professional league before the founding of the NHL.

Lalonde has the 3rd best points per game total in NHL history at 1.667, trailing only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.[23]

Career statistics

Ice hockey regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1904–05 Cornwall Athletic OHA Jr.
1904–05 Cornwall HC FAHL 2 1 0 1
1905–06 Woodstock Seniors OHA Sr. 7 8 0 8
1906–07 Canadian Soo IHL 18 29 4 33 27
1906–07 Cobalt Silver Kings TPHL
1907–08 Portage la Prairie Cities MPHL 1 0 0 0 0
1907–08 Toronto Professionals OPHL 9 32 0 32 37
1907–08 Toronto Professionals St-Cup 1 2 0 2 0
1907–08 Haileybury Comets TPHL 1 3 0 3 0
1908–09 Toronto Professionals OPHL 11 29 0 29 79
1908–09 Montreal Nationals Exhib 1 5 0 5 0
1909–10 Montreal Canadiens Exhib 1 2 0 2 3
1909–10 Montreal Canadiens NHA 6 16 0 16 40
1909–10 Renfrew Creamery Kings NHA 5 22 0 22 16
1910–11 Montreal Canadiens NHA 16 19 0 19 63
1911–12 Vancouver Millionaires PCHA 15 27 0 27 51
1911–12 PCHA All-Stars Exhib 3 5 0 5 11
1912–13 Montreal Canadiens NHA 18 25 0 25 61
1913–14 Montreal Canadiens NHA 14 22 5 27 23 1 0 0 0 2
1914–15 Montreal Canadiens NHA 7 4 3 7 17
1915–16 Montreal Canadiens NHA 24 28 6 34 78
1915–16 Montreal Canadiens St-Cup 4 3 0 3 41
1916–17 Montreal Canadiens NHA 18 28 7 35 61 1 1 0 1 23
1916–17 Montreal Canadiens St-Cup 4 1 0 1 24
1917–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 14 23 7 30 16 2 4 2 6 17
1918–19 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 22 10 32 40 5 11 2 13 15
1918–19 Montreal Canadiens St-Cup 5 6 0 6 3
1919–20 Montreal Canadiens NHL 23 37 9 46 34
1920–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 24 33 10 43 36
1921–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 20 9 5 14 20
1922–23 Saskatoon Crescents WCHL 29 30 4 34 44
1923–24 Saskatoon Crescents WCHL 21 10 10 20 24
1924–25 Saskatoon Sheiks WCHL 22 8 6 14 42 2 0 0 0 4
1925–26 Saskatoon Sheiks WHL 3 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 2
1926–27 New York Americans NHL 1 0 0 0 2
1927–28 Quebec Beavers Can-Am 1 0 0 0 0
NHA totals 108 164 22 185 359 2 1 0 1 25
PCHA totals 15 27 0 27 51
WCHL totals 75 48 20 68 112 4 0 0 0 6
NHL totals 99 124 41 165 138 7 15 4 19 32

Lacrosse

SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GAMES GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PENALTIES PIM MINS W L GA GAA WIN%
1905 Cornwall Colts NLU 8 0 0 0 580 1 7 41 5.66 .125
1906 Cornwall Colts NLU 14 0 0 0 1200 8 6 80 5.33 .571
1907 Cornwall Colts NLU 11 0 0 0 940 8 3 63 5.36 .727
1908 Cornwall Colts NLU 11 0 0 0 875 7 4 48 4.39 .636
1909 Regina Capitals 2 0 0 0 0 0
1909 Vancouver Lacrosse Club BCLA 10 25 25 6 48
1910 Montréal Nationals NLU 12 31 6 37
1911 Vancouver Lacrosse Club BCLA 14 16 16 13 97
1912 Vancouver Lacrosse Club BCLA 10 15 15 11 91
1913 Vancouver Lacrosse Club BCLA 7 16 16 2 10
1914 Montréal Nationals DLU 18 66 14 80
1915 Montréal Nationals NLU 12 36 9 45
1916 Montréal Nationals NLU 18 57 4 61
1917 Montréal Nationals NLU 4 22 9 31
1918 Vancouver Greenshirts MLA 7 23 23 1 5
1918 Ottawa Capitals NLU 1 3 0 3 1
1918 Leaside Braves CLA 1 1 0 1
1919 did not play
1920 Vancouver Terminals BCLA 12 14 14 5 48
1921 Vancouver Terminals BCLA 17 18 18 5 53
1922 Vancouver Terminals BCLA 13 19 19 2 4
1923 did not play
1924 Vancouver Terminals BCLA 3 1 1 2 0 0
CAREER TOTALS 205 363 43 406 46 356 3595 24 20 232 5.27 .545

Coaching record

National Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
Montreal Canadiens 1917-18 22 13 9 0 26 1st in NHL Lost O'Brien Trophy (7-10 vs. TOR)
Montreal Canadiens 1918-19 18 10 8 0 20 2nd in NHL Won O'Brien Trophy (4-1 vs. OTT)
Tied Stanley Cup (2-2-1 vs. SEA)
Montreal Canadiens 1919-20 24 13 11 0 26 2nd in NHL Did not qualify
Montreal Canadiens 1920-21 24 13 11 0 26 3rd in NHL Did not qualify
Montreal Canadiens 1921-22 7 2 5 0 4 4th in NHL Resigned
New York Americans 1926-27 44 17 25 2 36 4th in Canadian Did not qualify
Ottawa Senators 1929-30 44 21 15 8 50 3rd in Canadian Lost league quarter-finals (3-6 vs. NYR)
Ottawa Senators 1930-31 44 10 30 4 24 5th in Canadian Did not qualify
Montreal Canadiens 1932-33 48 18 25 5 41 3rd in Canadian Lost in league quarter-finals (5-8 vs. NYR)
Montreal Canadiens 1933-34 48 22 20 6 50 2nd in Canadian Lost in league quarter-finals (3-4 vs. CHI)
Montreal Canadiens 1934-35 16 5 8 3 13 4th in Canadian Fired
NHL totals 339 144 167 28 316 7-7-4 (0.500)

Western Canada Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
Saskatoon Crescents 1922-23 30 8 22 0 16 4th in WCHL Did not qualify
Saskatoon Sheiks 1923-24 30 15 12 3 33 3rd in WCHL Did not qualify
Saskatoon Sheiks 1924-25 28 16 11 1 33 2nd in WCHL Lost league semi-finals (4-6 vs. VIC)
Saskatoon Sheiks 1925-26 30 18 11 1 37 2nd in WHL Lost league semi-finals (3-4 vs. VIC)
WCHL totals 118 57 56 5 119 0-2-2 (0.250)

Canadian-American Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
Quebec Castors 1927-28 40 18 14 8 44 3rd in CAHL Won league semi-finals (4-2 vs. BOS)
Lost Fontaine Cup finals (7-11 vs. SPR)
Providence Reds 1931-32 40 23 11 6 52 1st in CAHL Won league semi-finals (5-2 vs. BNX)
Won Fontaine Cup (3-0 vs. BOS)
CAHL totals 80 41 25 14 96 7-2-2 (0.727 - 1 Fontaine Cup)

Canadian Professional Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
Niagara Falls Cataracts 1928-29 42 12 28 2 26 8th in CPHL Did not qualify
CPHL totals 42 12 28 2 26 0-0 (0.000)

Awards and achievements

Ice hockey

  • Stanley Cup – 1916 (Montreal Canadiens)
  • NHL scoring champion – 1918–19 & 1920–21

Lacrosse

  • Minto Cup – 1911 (Vancouver Lacrosse Club), 1918 (Vancouver Greenshirts) & 1920 (Vancouver Terminals)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sun's Sport Rays" Lytle, Andy. Vancouver Sun. Nov. 14, 1929 (pg. 20).
  2. ^ NosOrigines with information from Chris Lalonde and Eric Lalonde, 2002, Genealogy of Quebec and French America. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Stewart-Candy, Dave "Edouard Lalonde", Old School Lacrosse, Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "Hall of Famer 'Newsy' Lalonde dies". The Montreal Gazette. November 23, 1970. p. 16. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  5. ^ NosOrigines Genealogy of Quebec and French America. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  6. ^ The Newsy Lalonde Arena – It has a Great Ring to It, SB Nation, January 12, 2010 Archived August 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Lalonde champion goal-getter of East" Daily Province. March 22, 1910 (pg. 14).
  8. ^ "Canadiens Beat Out Portland 2 to 1 and Annex Stanley Cup" Winnipeg Tribune. March 31, 1916 (pg. 14).
  9. ^ Weinreb, Michael (March 18, 2020). "When the Stanley Cup Final Was Canceled Because of a Pandemic". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Hockey Notes". Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta. November 2, 1922. p. 2.Free access icon
  11. ^ "Want Lalonde In East and He May Not Come West". Brandon Daily Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. October 7, 1922. p. 3.Free access icon
  12. ^ "Lalonde Safe In the Fold of Crescents". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. November 4, 1922. p. 29.Free access icon
  13. ^ "Fighting for Newsy – National Lacrosse Club Out to Fight "Con" Jones" "Ottawa Citizen". April 12, 1913 (pg. 8).
  14. ^ "Lalonde Through? "Should Say Not" Declare Coast Fans" Daily Province. March 4, 1922 (pg. 15).
  15. ^ "Westminster loses at home; Minto Cup for Vancouver" Daily Province. August 7, 1911 (pg. 10)
  16. ^ Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (clhof.org). Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  17. ^ "Lacrosse Hall of Fame Men Named" Vancouver Sun. Jan 22, 1966 (pg. 17).
  18. ^ a b c d "Tommy Philips Greatest Shot in Hockey Season". Harbor Grace Standard. October 19, 1912. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  19. ^ "Was Habs' Great Newsy Lalonde Hockey's First 500 Goal Scorer?".
  20. ^ L, Robert (August 13, 2010). "Was Habs' Great Newsy Lalonde Hockey's First 500 Goal Scorer?". Eyes On The Prize. SB Nation. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "MacKay Nearest Approach To Perfect Hockey Player – Lalonde Is Slow" Jan. 8, 1921 (pg. 10).
  22. ^ a b ""Bad Man" Joe Hall will have to keep the peace tonight with Newsy Lalonde" Ottawa Journal. Jan. 14, 1914 (pg. 4).
  23. ^ "Elite Prospects - NHL Stats All-time totals".

External links