Yvan Cournoyer
| Yvan Cournoyer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1982 | |||
Cournoyer at the 2008 Legends Classic game.
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| Born |
November 22, 1943 Drummondville, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens | ||
| National team |
 Canada
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| Playing career | 1963–1979 | ||
Yvan Serge Cournoyer (born November 22, 1943) is a retired Canadian hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1979. Cournoyer was born in Drummondville, Quebec. He was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he credited to longer blades on his skates. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. On January 27, 2017, in a ceremony during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Cournoyer became part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Cournoyer's professional hockey career began in 1961 with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association. By the time he was eighteen years old, his legs had become so muscular that he required specially tailored pants. Cournoyer made his NHL debut in 1963 with the Montreal Canadiens and earned a full-time spot with the club in 1964 after just seven games with the American Hockey League's Quebec Aces.
Cournoyer was initially regarded by Canadiens head coach Toe Blake as a defensive liability and undeserving of a regular shift, though he was still frequently used on the power play. That changed after Blake's departure following the 1968 Stanley Cup Championship, when incoming coach Claude Ruel granted Cournoyer a full-time shift. Cournoyer went on to have his first forty-goal season in 1968–69 and was named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.
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