Noel Picard may not be a name you recognize, but anyone who is a hockey fan has seen him. This post is intended as something of an introduction to him, and the important moments and events he was associated with. He was 26 when he played his first game in the NHL - in 1964-65 - with the Montreal Canadiens. He played 16 games during the regular season, and four more in the playoffs. That postseason play earned him a Stanley Cup Ring.
Picard returned to the NHL in 1967-68 - thanks to the Expansion Draft. In the fourth round, the St. Louis Blues chose him from the Habs. He played 66 regular season games for the Blues that season, and 13 of the 18 playoff games. One particular playoff game was and is significant. Game five of the first round - against the first place Philadelphia Flyers - saw the Flyers leading 4 – 0 by the middle of the third period, and the Blues were not taking it well. A scrum broke out – involving everyone on the ice – and in the midst of the melee Noel Picard sucker-punched the Flyers' Claude Laforge. Joe Watson – a defenseman with the Flyers at that time – provided this recollection:
“We played St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs that first season in Philly. It went seven games and the Blues had a really tough team and they beat us. They had the Plager brothers who were really tough customers. They ran us and took liberties. Too many. The worst of it was in the fourth game of that series (it was the fifth game). The Blues had Noel Picard who was a big tough defenceman, really mean. In Game 4, Picard suckered Claude Laforge, a guy who was five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than him. Just sucker-punched him. Claude didn't see it coming. Picard wound up breaking Claude's jaw in 13 places. It was awful to see him carried off the ice.”
This is a link to the source of the quote above, and the one directly below:
Ed Snider helped drive Flyers success through loyalty - Sportsnet.ca
That particular incident - and that particular series generally - led to the creation of the Broad Street Bullies. Watson said:
“Mr. Snider felt personally responsible for what happened to Claude and said that was never going to happen again,” Watson says. “His players were going to be protected out there.”
Red Berenson's six-goal game may be well known, but little known is the role Noel Picard played that night. Bob Plager provided this recollection:
“(Picard) was a strong, tough hockey player. He'd say, 'I will take care of you. I have your back.' A lot of the success I had, and a lot of players had, was because of Noel. He let us go out and play our game. Red Berenson scored six goals in one game and if you listen to the recordings, he went around (Ed) Van Impe all night. Van Impe was one of the meanest, toughest hockey players and Noel told him, 'If you get near Red Berenson, I'll take care of you.' He gave Red Berenson a lot of room.”
This is a link to the source of the quote above:
Original Blue Picard remembered as great teammate
Noel Picard provided the lift-off necessary for what would be the most iconic image in the history of the NHL: Bobby Orr in mid-air after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1970. Picard provided this recollection of that goal:
"I played right defense. I couldn't go to (Orr) right away or else I'd lose my man. He had so much speed, by the time he was in front, the puck was in. When I lifted him up, “Whoosh!” And the puck came out of the net and he went flying.
Those things happen so quickly. My god, (Orr) went six feet in the air. At the time, you think only that he's scored a goal. He scored on the short side, right by the goal. Then you see pictures and you admire the play."
This is a link to the source of the quote above:
Original Blues defenseman Picard remembered as loyal friend, teammate
Picard returned to the NHL in 1967-68 - thanks to the Expansion Draft. In the fourth round, the St. Louis Blues chose him from the Habs. He played 66 regular season games for the Blues that season, and 13 of the 18 playoff games. One particular playoff game was and is significant. Game five of the first round - against the first place Philadelphia Flyers - saw the Flyers leading 4 – 0 by the middle of the third period, and the Blues were not taking it well. A scrum broke out – involving everyone on the ice – and in the midst of the melee Noel Picard sucker-punched the Flyers' Claude Laforge. Joe Watson – a defenseman with the Flyers at that time – provided this recollection:
“We played St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs that first season in Philly. It went seven games and the Blues had a really tough team and they beat us. They had the Plager brothers who were really tough customers. They ran us and took liberties. Too many. The worst of it was in the fourth game of that series (it was the fifth game). The Blues had Noel Picard who was a big tough defenceman, really mean. In Game 4, Picard suckered Claude Laforge, a guy who was five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than him. Just sucker-punched him. Claude didn't see it coming. Picard wound up breaking Claude's jaw in 13 places. It was awful to see him carried off the ice.”
This is a link to the source of the quote above, and the one directly below:
Ed Snider helped drive Flyers success through loyalty - Sportsnet.ca
That particular incident - and that particular series generally - led to the creation of the Broad Street Bullies. Watson said:
“Mr. Snider felt personally responsible for what happened to Claude and said that was never going to happen again,” Watson says. “His players were going to be protected out there.”
Red Berenson's six-goal game may be well known, but little known is the role Noel Picard played that night. Bob Plager provided this recollection:
“(Picard) was a strong, tough hockey player. He'd say, 'I will take care of you. I have your back.' A lot of the success I had, and a lot of players had, was because of Noel. He let us go out and play our game. Red Berenson scored six goals in one game and if you listen to the recordings, he went around (Ed) Van Impe all night. Van Impe was one of the meanest, toughest hockey players and Noel told him, 'If you get near Red Berenson, I'll take care of you.' He gave Red Berenson a lot of room.”
This is a link to the source of the quote above:
Original Blue Picard remembered as great teammate
Noel Picard provided the lift-off necessary for what would be the most iconic image in the history of the NHL: Bobby Orr in mid-air after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1970. Picard provided this recollection of that goal:
"I played right defense. I couldn't go to (Orr) right away or else I'd lose my man. He had so much speed, by the time he was in front, the puck was in. When I lifted him up, “Whoosh!” And the puck came out of the net and he went flying.
Those things happen so quickly. My god, (Orr) went six feet in the air. At the time, you think only that he's scored a goal. He scored on the short side, right by the goal. Then you see pictures and you admire the play."
This is a link to the source of the quote above:
Original Blues defenseman Picard remembered as loyal friend, teammate
