Billy Coutu
| Billy Coutu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
March 1, 1892 North Bay, ON, CAN |
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| Died | February 25, 1977 (aged 84) Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CAN |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Hamilton Tigers Boston Bruins |
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| Playing career | 1916–1933 | ||
Wilfrid Arthur "Billy" "Wild Beaver" Coutu (March 1, 1892 – February 25, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, the Hamilton Tigers, and the Boston Bruins. He was the only player banned from the NHL for life, as a result of his attack on a referee in 1927.
While a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Coutu was one of the players hospitalized during the cancelled 1919 Stanley Cup series, won the Stanley Cup in the 1923–24 NHL season, and was captain of the team in the 1925–26 NHL season. After his eviction from the NHL, Coutu played a total of four years in the Canadian-American Hockey League (C-AHL) and American Hockey Association (AHA), then coached the C-AHL's Providence Reds.
Billy Coutu's last name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "Couture", an error which appears in many NHL history books and, for a time, even showed up on the Montreal Canadiens website. Several hockey history books, including The Hockey News "Habs Heroes" by Ken Campbell incorrectly attribute his name to a photograph of teammate Louis Berlinguette. He and his family pronounced their name "Koochee", which was sometimes confused with "Couture".
Coutu's wife Gertrude was the sister of Ms. Aird Stuart, the mother of Mary Morenz, wife of Hockey Hall of Fame member Howie Morenz and grandmother to their daughter Marlene Geoffrion, wife of Bernie Geoffrion, another Hall of Famer. Howie Morenz played with Coutu on the Canadiens.
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