Yvan Serge Cournoyer (born November 22, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens for 16 seasons, between 1963 to 1978, winning the Stanley Cup 10 times. In 1972, Cournoyer scored the tying goal in the deciding eighth game of the Canada-USSR series with seven minutes remaining. Canada went on to win the game and the series on Paul Henderson's dramatic goal with 34 seconds left in the game.

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 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.

Playing career

In 1961, Cournoyer started his junior ice hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association. By the time he was 18 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. Mark Mulvoy of Sports Illustrated was credited with giving Cournoyer the nickname, Roadrunner, with "Cournoyer joking at the time that now he had to live up to the label".

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 Canadiens' Stanley Cup Championship, when incoming coach Claude Ruel granted Cournoyer a full-time shift. Cournoyer went on to have his first 40-goal season in and was named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.

Cournoyer scored a career-high 47 goals in the . In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he had his best playoffs ever, scoring 15 goals and tallying 10 assists in 17 games, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy following the Canadiens' defeat of the Chicago Black Hawks in the Finals.

Cournoyer was named captain of the Canadiens in 1975 following the retirement of Henri Richard, pushing him to play harder in his new leadership role. Cournoyer would become one of the Habs' two captains to win the Stanley Cup each year during his entire (2+ year) tenure as captain, the other one being Maurice Richard, Henri's older brother. However, while Maurice Richard captained the team on ice for each of these Cup wins, Cournoyer missed the entirety of two of the four postseasons of his teams' Cup wins, although Cournoyer still qualified to have his name engraved on the Cup during these instances.

The speedy Cournoyer's ability to stay true to his form in his older age was a favourite topic of discussion of the Montreal fans and hockey media, however, and he did slow down due to a disc in his back that was pressing on a nerve and causing him great pain. Cournoyer eventually had to have surgery on his back and missed the entire 1977 playoffs.

Cournoyer returned for the and played in 68 games, scoring 24 goals and collecting 29 assists to match his previous season's total of 53 points, though it was evident his back still bothered him. He managed to perform in the playoffs again, managing seven goals and four assists in 15 games en route to Montreal's third consecutive Cup. However, he played in just fifteen regular season games and missed the entire playoffs during the 1978–79 season, although the Habs did win their fourth straight Cup.

When he retired, he only trailed Maurice Richard, and Jean Beliveau on the Canadiens' all-time scoring list. Cournoyer won the Stanley Cup ten times as a player (tied with Beliveau), second to Henri Richard's 11. The Cournoyer legacy includes many Top 10 Canadien records - seventh in total games played (968), fourth in goals scored (428), seventh in assists (435) and sixth in total points scored (863).

Team Canada

Cournoyer played for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series and is part of the famous picture wherein Paul Henderson jumps into his arms after scoring the game (and series) winner. Cournoyer scored three goals during the series. Late in the third period of game eight, his goal tied the score, making a win by Canada possible.

Post-playing career

Cournoyer coached the Montreal Roadrunners, an inline hockey team, during the 1994–95 Roller Hockey International season and was later an assistant coach to the Montreal Canadiens during the . He serves as an official ambassador for the Montreal Canadiens. On November 12, 2005, Cournoyer and Dickie Moore had their #12 jersey retired by Montreal prior to a home game at the Bell Centre.

In 2026, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

See also

• List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game

• List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise

References

External links