J.C. Tremblay

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J. C. Tremblay
Tremblay with the Montreal Canadiens, c. 1963
Born (1939-01-22)January 22, 1939
Bagotville, Quebec, Canada
Died December 7, 1994(1994-12-07) (aged 55)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Quebec Nordiques
National team  Canada
Playing career 1958–1979

Joseph Henri Jean-Claude Tremblay (trawm-BLAY; January 22, 1939 – December 7, 1994)[1] was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association (WHA), notable for playmaking and defensive skills.

Playing career

Tremblay with the Quebec Nordiques, c. 1975.

After an amateur and minor professional career that saw him move from playing as left winger to defenceman and win the league most valuable player title in 1960, Tremblay began play for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1959–60 season and became a regular player for Montreal in the 1961–62 season, playing for five Stanley Cup-winning teams. He became one of the NHL's preeminent stars on defence for both his offense and defensive work, playing in seven NHL All-Star Games and setting the franchise record for points by a defenceman, and was recognized as a first team All-Star in 1970–71 and a second team All-Star in 1967–68 seasons.

For the 1972–73 season, Tremblay jumped to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Quebec Nordiques, which had negotiated with the Los Angeles Sharks for his rights. By doing this, he lost his spot on team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, although he would later be named to the Team Canada roster for the 1974 Summit Series against the Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team. He later considered the first season in the WHA the greatest thrill in his career.[2] He was the Nordiques franchise's first great star, as well as the league's first great defenceman, winning the league honours for best defenceman in 1972–73 and 1974–75 seasons and being named to the WHA's Team Canada in 1973–74, leading that club in defensive scoring. He led the league in assists in 1973 and 1976. Tremblay also led his team to the 1977 AVCO World Trophy championship. He was the only player to play for the Nordiques' all seven seasons in the WHA and retired after the 1978–79 season. He played in 454 games and scored 66 goals and 358 assists for 424 points. His number 3 jersey was retired by the Nordiques after that season just before the franchise's move into the NHL, thus gaining Tremblay the distinction of being one of only three players to have a number retired by an NHL team without ever actually playing for it (the other two being Johnny McKenzie by the Hartford Whalers and Frank Finnigan by the modern-day Ottawa Senators). He later scouted in Europe for the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1979, he donated a kidney to his daughter. Tremblay died of kidney cancer on December 7, 1994, at the age of 55.[3]

Honours and achievements

Legacy

At the time of leaving the Montreal Canadiens, he was 45th all-time for assists in the National Hockey League.[4] For players listed in his position, he was 12th in points.[5] He finished second in WHA history in assists, 14th in points, and 16th in games played. In Quebec, Tremblay had a street named after him in Vaudreuil-Dorion and an arena in La Baie (now part of the City of Saguenay). He was elected as an inaugural member to the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2010.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens OHA-Jr. 24712198 —————
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EOHL 345172216 —————
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens M-Cup ————— 1325710
1958–59 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EOHL 264131722 10119
1958–59 Buffalo Bisons AHL 30000 —————
1958–59 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens M-Cup ————— 945912
1959–60 Montreal Canadiens NHL 110110 —————
1959–60 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 5525315655 71452
1960–61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3013418 50002
1960–61 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 377334028 —————
1961–62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 703172018 60222
1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 691171810 50000
1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 705162124 72139
1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 683172022 13191018
1965–66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 606293510 1029112
1966–67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 608263414 102462
1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 734263018 133692
1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 757323918 131456
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 58219217 —————
1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 7611526323 203141715
1971–72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 766515724 60220
1972–73 Quebec Nordiques WHA 7514758932 —————
1973–74 Quebec Nordiques WHA 689445310 —————
1974–75 Quebec Nordiques WHA 6816567218 11010102
1975–76 Quebec Nordiques WHA 8012778916 50330
1976–77 Quebec Nordiques WHA 534313516 1729112
1977–78 Quebec Nordiques WHA 545374226 10110
1978–79 Quebec Nordiques WHA 56638448 —————
NHL totals 79657306363206 10814516558
WHA totals 45466358424126 34223254

References

  1. Timothy Gassen, ed. (2018). 1972-1979 WHA Guides. PCMP Press. p. 703. ISBN 978-0-9797337-5-8.
  2. "Winnipeg Free Press Archives, May 27, 1977, p. 60". Winnipeg Free Press. May 27, 1977. p. 60.
  3. "J. C. Tremblay; Hockey Player, 55". New York Times. December 9, 1994. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  4. "For combined seasons, up to 1971-72, playing skater, in the regular season, sorted by descending Assists". Stathead. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  5. "For combined seasons, up to 1971-72, playing defenseman, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points". Stathead. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  6. "WHA Hall of Fame Members". whahof.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2013.

Notes

  1. At the time, the All-Star Game pitted the Stanley Cup champion against a select group of All-Stars just before the start of a season, and Tremblay played in the game as part of the defending Stanley Cup champion team