Normand Leveille
| Normand Léveillé | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 10, 1963 Montreal, QC, CAN |
||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins | ||
| NHL Draft | 14th overall, 1981 Boston Bruins |
||
| Playing career | 1981–1982 | ||
Normand "Norm" Léveillé (born January 10, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec) is a retired Canadian professional hockey left winger. He played two seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, before his career was cut short at age 19 by a brain aneurysm suffered during a game at the Pacific Coliseum, which left him unable to walk. After he recovered, Léveillé devoted his energies to therapy for others suffering from disabling conditions. He is the founder and president of the Centre Normand-Léveillé at Drummondville in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec. His story is told in Un arrêt en plein vol by Thérèse Desjardins (2005)
Leveille was drafted in the first round, 14th overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of the QMJHL after a 101-point season in his last year with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. In his rookie year with the Boston Bruins, he scored 33 points in 60 games.
On October 23, 1982, after the first period in a game against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia during his second season with the Bruins, Leveille complained of feeling dizzy and having pains in his shoulder. As the trainers began tending to him, he lost consciousness. He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain aneurysm. Leveille was rushed into emergency surgery in an effort to save his life. After surgery, he was comatose for three weeks and remained hospitalized for an additional three weeks. He eventually recovered enough to walk again, but at the age of 19, his promising career as an NHL player was over. Doctors confirmed that his aneurysm was caused by a congenital condition and was not triggered by an on-ice incident.
...
Wikipedia