Montreal Canadiens: Looking Back at the Greatest Forwards #10
Taking a look back at some of the greatest forwards to ever play for the Montreal Canadiens starting with Bernie Geoffrion.
There have been many nicknames given to players in the NHL over the years. One of the greatest had to have been “Boom Boom” which was given to Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens. A name fitting for having a booming slap shot in the NHL.
Geoffrion was born in Montreal and started playing for the Canadiens during the 1950-1951 season. That first stint only lasted 18 games however where he put up eight goals and six assists. It wasn’t until the next season where Geoffrion would make his mark on the team.
In a Calder Trophy winning season, the then 20-year-old beat Maurice Richard for the team led in goals by putting in 30. His scoring would continue throughout his career. In particular, the 1955 and 1961 seasons.
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Geoffrion won the Art Ross Trophy in both of those years after a 75 and 95 point season. His first Art Ross win came with some controversy from Habs fans. He beat Richard for the league lead by one point while he was serving a suspension from the league. It would’ve been Richard’s first scoring championship, and the city of Montreal wasn’t pleased to see that it wouldn’t happen.
Boom Boom became the second NHL player to score 50 goals the year he finished with 95 points. The only other player to do that at that time was his teammate Richard back in the 1944-1945 season. You could say the two players were pretty tied to each other competitively.
He retired from the NHL twice. The first time was after the 1963-1964 season. For two years he was head coach of the Quebec Aces of the AHL. Unfortunately, the team were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs each year. Geoffrion decided to take a victory lap in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers.
After winning six Stanley Cups by the end of his career, Geoffrion was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class 1972. His recognition as an all-time Canadiens great continued in 2006 after his number was retired. It was a nice sight to see number five being raised to the rafters after an amazing career donning the Canadiens’ sweater.
Do you have any favourite Boom Boom moments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Player stats from Hockey-Reference.com