Jean Gauthier

Jean Gauthier died February 20th, 2013. He was 75 years old.

Gauthier played 166 NHL games in the 1960s. He played with Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia, as well as with the New York Raiders of the WHA.

Gauthier was a rough and tumble defenseman who was no stranger to the penalty box. He won a Memorial Cup as a junior star with the Flin Flon Bombers and after apprenticing in the minor leagues, the Habs moved veteran Bob Turner to make room for Gauthier.

The move turned out to be a bit of a bust. After playing the 1962-63 season in Montreal, Gauthier was destined to play the rest of the Original Six days in the minor leagues with a few big league call-ups. At least he got called up during the 1965 playoffs and played a couple of games. That was good enough to get his name on the Stanley Cup!

Once the NHL expanded Gauthier, like so many career minor leaguers, found regular work with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1967-68. But he could not stick in the league beyond that season, returning to the minors while also making brief appearances in Boston and again in Montreal.

In 166 NHL games Jean Gauthier scored 6 goals and 29 assists.

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Robert Fillion

This is 2 time Stanley Cup champion Robert Fillion. His name is inscribed on the Stanley Cup in 1944 as Bob as he was known as "Bobby" when he first broke into the National Hockey League. In 1946 it is inscribed as Robert.

Fillion played 327 games in the 1940s with Rocket Richard's Montreal Canadiens. He scored 42 career goals and 103 points, adding another 7 goals and 11 points in 33 playoff games.

The 5'10" 170lbs left winger out of Thetford Mines, Quebec was a junior teammate of Rocket Richard. But in the NHL he was turned into "a fine checker." In his best season he scored 30 points (1943-44 as a rookie). Two years later he posted a career best 10 goals.

"I had been a high scorer in junior but the Canadiens made me into a defensive forward, just like they did with Guy Carbonneau," he described many years later.

He may not have been a Picasso on the ice but Fillion was very much interested in artists of a different sort. He often visited artist studios while on road trips and took up painting himself! It may have been a bigger passion for him than hockey!

Bob, the brother of Marcel Fillion who played 1 game in the NHL, worked in public relations for years after retiring from hockey.

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Patrick Lebeau

The parallels between the careers of brothers Patrick and Stephan Lebeau are pretty remarkable.

Both were undersized scoring sensations in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, putting up eye-popping numbers. Despite that they were never considered to be top prospects. Stephan was never drafted, and Patrick only in the late rounds, likely because by then Stephan established himself as a pro player. Both brothers would go onto amazing rookie seasons in the American Hockey League, both winning the Dudley Garrett Award as top rookie.

Heck, even when Patrick was recalled for his first NHL games in the 1990-91 season he was united with Stephan for two games. Patrick even scored his first NHL goal and his first NHL assist.

Unfortunately that is where the parallels more or less end. Stephane went on to play several seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and helped them win a Stanley Cup in 1993. Patrick would never play for the Canadiens again, and only would play in a handful of NHL games spread over several years. His lengthy career was spent jumping around minor leagues and Europe.

Lebeau's introduction to the international game actually began back in 1992 when he joined the Canadian Olympic team during the season. He joined the likes of Eric Lindros, Joey Juneau and Sean Burke in helping the Canadian team to a silver medal. 

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Stephan Lebeau

An undersized centre from St-Jerome, Quebec, #47 Stephane Lebeau was junior scoring dynamo. Blessed with quickness and an amazingly accurate shot. In four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes he scored 281 goals and 580 points in 270 career games. In his last season of junior his scored a ridiculous 94 goals and 188 points.

You know what is even more ridiculous? Even with those gaudy offensive numbers, Lebeau was never drafted by a NHL team.

Sure, he was small and slow and did not pay much attention to the defensive side of the game. But with numbers like that, how could every NHL team not take at least a late round flyer on him?

The Montreal Canadiens invited him to camp and were smart enough to sign him to a pro deal. Perhaps the Habs were look to prop up their farm team in Sherbrooke. The Habs were hoping to inject some offensive life into their AHL team.

It obviously worked. As a rookie Lebeau scored 70 goals and 134 points in 78 games. He and Benoit Brunet formed a dynamic duo that, despite their lack of size, would not be denied their NHL chance.

But the Habs insisted Lebeau learn to play without the puck first. Lebeau was not the first offensive star out of the QMJHL to be expected to become a well rounded and defensively conscientious player. In fact Guy Carbonneau became perhaps the greatest defensive forward of all time.

Lebeau would join the Canadiens in 1989-90 and was utilized as a power play specialist while learning defense for 3 seasons. In 1992-93 the Canadiens needed an infusion of offense and new coach Jacques Demers. He capitalized on his teammates speed. He would headman the puck and trail in on the play. He exploded for a 31 goal and 80 point season, 4th best on the team. More importantly, he helped the Canadiens capture a surprised Stanley Cup in the spring of 93.

The writing was on the wall however. He only played in 13 of Montreal's playoff games, and contributed just 3 goals and 6 points.The next season he was traded to Anaheim and after another season he was out of the NHL altogether.

Lebeau extended his career by playing several seasons in Switzerland. Nowadays Lebeau is living in the Eastern Townships in Sherbrooke and runs the hockey program at private English school Bishop College in Lennoxville. He also has done some French media work concerning the Montreal Canadiens.

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