By Brian Kopycinski
In the early years of the franchise, the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins faced stiff competition in the league’s West Division, most notably from the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. While the Pens did eventually make the playoffs, this success was short-lived, as the team fell early in the postseason in both 1970 and 1972. Back then, center Jean Pronovost was their best player and leader on the ice. To truly compete with the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Flyers for a Stanley Cup, the Penguins needed greater firepower in their lineup. In 1974, with the 8th overall pick, Pittsburgh selected Pierre Larouche, “Lucky” Pierre.
The Amos, Quebec pond skater grew up playing backyard hockey about 350 miles north of Montreal. Early into his hockey career, Larouche showed signs of greatness. With the Sorel Éperviers of the QMJHL, he recorded a whopping 251 points for the 1973-74 season. As the league’s top scorer with 94 goals and 157 assists, he was awarded the Jean Béliveau Trophy. This impressive record stood until Le Magnifique himself, Mario Lemieux, broke it playing for the Laval Voisins with 282 points in 1983-84. Larouche was also drafted by the Houston Aeros of the WHA in 1974 but opted for the direct transition to the National Hockey League with the Penguins.
Larouche, a finesse goal-scoring forward, joined an up-and-coming Penguins team that now featured winger Rick Kehoe, acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pittsburgh had moved to the Norris Division of the Prince of Wales Conference, the same season the expansion Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts joined the league. Larouche’s rookie year was simply phenomenal. At just 19, he scored 31 goals and added 37 assists for 68 total points. Larouche finished second in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting to the Atlanta Flames’ Eric Vail, though it’s up for debate who really deserved the honor.
That year, the Pens returned to the postseason, sweeping the St. Louis Blues in the Preliminary Round 2-0, with Larouche scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1. Pittsburgh lost in the next round to the New York Islanders in seven games. Next season, head coach Marc Boileau was fired after the Penguins got off to a poor start. The team played much better under Ken Schinkel, who had recently retired as a player after six seasons with Pittsburgh. While the Pens lost in the Preliminary Round to the Maple Leafs, the 1975-76 season was still one to remember. Larouche had the finest year of his career, breaking the 100-point threshold, scoring 53 goals with 58 assists. He became the youngest Penguin to score 50 goals, and youngest to hit 100 points with 50 goals, a record that stood until “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky came around.
Larouche and Pronovost were among the best players in the game. The duo was named to the NHL All Star game, ranking 3rd and 4th in league goal scoring, respectively. By now, Larouche had become known for his brash and outspoken personality. He had another good season with the Pens in 1976-77, as Pittsburgh fell again in the opening round to Toronto. To some, Larouche had outworn his welcome. An infamous quote has been attributed to him, saying to teammates, “…if they want me to play defense, they can pay me another $150,000.” Frustration had grown on both sides, and Larouche was traded during the 1977-78 season to his hometown Canadiens. Idolizing Guy Lafleur, he changed his jersey number from 10 to 28 out of respect for “The Flower”.
This change of scenery quickly paid dividends. The Habs were in the midst of their dynasty, with Larouche eventually playing on the same line as his hero Lafleur. For the 1979-80 season, Larouche once again hit the 50-goal mark, also notching 41 assists. Still, despite helping the Canadiens win two Cups, Larouche had been criticized for his personality and unbalanced play. Deemed expendable, he was dealt to the hapless Hartford Whalers partway through the 1981-82 season. The Whalers back then were just awful, and while Larouche had a few good years in Hartford, it was hardly enough to turn the depleted franchise’s hopes around.
Larouche had one more stop in his NHL career, the New York Rangers, where he returned to form. For 1983-84, he was an All-Star for the second and final time, scoring 48 goals in the regular season. Larouche enjoyed a nice stretch with the Rangers on competitive teams. New York reached the Conference Finals in 1986 but lost to the Canadiens. Larouche’s career ended in 1987 just after the start of the season, suffering a serious back injury in the first month of play. To that point, he had 12 points in 10 games, clearly still a threat on the ice. By then, the game had become more physical. Larouche has said that he always related more to the goal scorers like Gretzky and Mike Bossy.
Had Larouche remained in Pittsburgh for his career, the Pens still likely wouldn’t have won a Cup. While they certainly could have made deeper playoff runs, defeating the Canadiens or the Islanders at the height of their dominance would have been near impossible. You could argue that Larouche’s 1975-76 season was the best from a Penguins player before the emergence of Lemieux. For his career, Larouche scored 395 goals with 427 assists, for 822 points. “Lucky” Pierre Larouche remains one of the greatest Pens of his era. His remarkable presence, both on and off the ice, won’t be forgotten any time soon.