Alphonse Lacroix

Alphonse Lacroix
Born (1897-10-21)October 21, 1897
Newton, MA, USA
Died April 12, 1973(1973-04-12) (aged 75)
Lewiston, ME, USA
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 136 lb (62 kg; 9 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
National team  United States
Playing career 19211931
Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
1924 Chamonix Team Competition

Alphonse Albert "Al, Frenchy" Lacroix (October 21, 1897 – April 12, 1973) was an American ice hockey goaltender who is best known as a member of the silver medal-winning American ice hockey team at the 1924 Winter Olympics, and as the emergency goaltender who replaced Georges Vezina when he collapsed in a game in 1925.

Career

Lacroix was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and began his hockey career playing for the high school team in 1914. By 1917 he began playing in the Boston city senior amateur league. He joined the Boston Athletic Association in 1919 and played for their hockey team in the city senior league and later the United States Amateur Hockey Association. He was selected to the United States Olympic team at the 1924 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal.

In 1925 he was retained by the National Hockey League as an emergency goaltender, on hand to replace any of the clubs' goalies should they suffer serious injury.[1] His only experience at the top professional level came in 1925, when he replaced the Montreal Canadiens' Georges Vezina.

Vezina was unknowingly suffering from tuberculosis. Running a fever of 102 °F and coughing up blood on the ice, Lacroix relieved Vezina at the start of the second period of the opening game of the 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 28. By December 15 the Canadiens had signed Herb Rheaume as Vezina's permanent replacement. Lacroix would stay on with the Canadiens as a spare goaltender until 1927, but never played another game in the NHL.

Lacroix continued his career in the Can-Am League and the semi-pro North East Hockey League. He retired from hockey in 1931.

He died in Lewiston, Maine.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA GP W L MIN GA SO GAA
1914-15 Newton High School high school 75112941502.04 11040101.00
1915-16 Newton High School high school 7520280921.29 -------.--
1916-17 Newton High School high school 87013201041.25 -------.--
1917-18 Boston Navy Yard Boston seniors 117404552231.93 -------.--
1918-19 Boston Navy Yard Boston seniors
1919-20 Boston A.A. Unicorns Boston seniors 3210135802.67 -------.--
1920-21 Boston A.A. Unicorns USAHA
1921-22 Boston A.A. Unicorns USAHA 110045202.00 -------.--
1922-23 Boston A.A. Unicorns USAHA 99004051041.11 431180411.00
1923-24 Boston A.A. Unicorns USAHA 63302701011.67 312180802.67
United States Olympics 5410225641.20 -------.--
1924-25 Boston A.A. Unicorns USAHA 2115609554041.88 4131501013.00
1925-26 Montreal Canadiens NHL 51402801603.43 -------.--
1926-27 Montreal Canadiens NHL 00000000.00 -------.--
1927-28 Providence Reds Can-Am 41302501202.88 -------.--
Lewiston St. Doms NEHL 22812213504251.87 5 3051603.15
1928-29 Lewiston St. Doms NEHL 4310240902.25 321240812.67
1929-30 Providence Reds Cam-Am 110060202.00 -------.--
1930-31 Boston Tigers Cam-Am 41302401303.25 -------.--

References

  1. "Canadiens seeking Rheaume as goalie". The Montreal Gazette. December 14, 1925. p. 19. Lacroix, the former U.S. Olympic goalkeeper, has been carrying the net duty for Canadiens since Vezina's retirement, but this former Boston amateur is the league relief goalkeeper, held by the circuit for emergency purposes in case of severe accident to any of the goaltenders of the league teams,...

External links

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