Quite possibly the fastest right wing to ever don the Montreal Canadiens jersey, Yvan Cournoyer is the third all-time goal-scorer to play in that position.
Nicknamed “The Roadrunner… due to his blazing speed on the right flanks, Cournoyer has left an everlasting legacy on the most storied franchise in the National Hockey League. Similarly to “Boom Boom… Geoffrion, the Roadrunner’s 5’7… stature certainly did not stop him from achieving the kind of success that players dream of. He would be a part of ten Stanley Cup conquests between 1965-1979, including four in a row between 1976-1979.
In 968 career regular season games, Cournoyer posted 428 goals and 863 points. He was destined for greatness as his four goals in a five-game tryout in 1963 immediately caught everyone’s attention and earned him a permanent spot on the Habs’ roster. After scoring 7 goals in 55 games in 1964-1965, his scoring prowess would shine through with 18 the next year and no less than 24 in the following seasons. He netted 40 goals four times in his career, including a 43- and 47-tally season. On top of lighting the red lamp at a seemingly endless rate, he left the Bleu Blanc et Rouge with 435 assists to his name.
He fared quite well during the postseason, with 127 points in 147 games. In 1973, he posted an astonishing 15 goals and 25 points in 17 games, earning himself the Conn Smythe Trophy.
A 4-time All-Star, Cournoyer was featured in the infamous Summit Series where he scored a total of three times and assisted on the series-clinching Paul Henderson goal.
Once he was eligible to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982, he was immediately selected. As the record books stand, the Roadrunner’s 64 playoff goals are third all-time behind Maurice Richard and Jean Believeau and his 428 regular season goals have him in fourth overall.
In 2005, his number 12 jersey was raised to the rafters.