Boivin dies at 90, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman
Played 19 seasons in NHL, made hip check his specialty
He was not on the list.
Leo Boivin, one of the hardest-hitting defensemen in the NHL throughout the 1950s and '60s, and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90.
Boivin, born Aug. 2, 1931, in Prescott, Ontario, saw his first NHL action when he played two games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1951-52. He became a regular with Toronto in 1952-53 but was traded to the Boston Bruins on Nov. 9, 1954.
He spent the next 12 seasons with the Bruins, earning the reputation as a stay-at-home defenseman who delivered hard checks despite a lack of size (5-foot-8, 183 pounds). His specialty was the hip check, a move he used to send more than a few opponents flying.
"I learned the hip check in my junior days," he said in June 1986. "It was something I was good at and kept working on. It's mainly timing, and I got to really enjoy it. Besides, it was a good way to stay in the National Hockey League."
Boivin was captain of the Bruins from 1963-66, and was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 16, 1966. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, was traded to the Minnesota North Stars midway through the 1968-69 season, and retired following the 1969-70 season. Boivin finished his NHL career with 322 points (72 goals, 250 assists) in 1,150 games through 19 seasons and 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 54 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He remained active in hockey for many years after his retirement as a player, mostly as a scout, although he twice coached the St. Louis Blues for brief stints. He spent a decade with the Blues, then moved on to the Hartford Whalers before retiring in 1993.
Boivin's proficiency with the hip check helped him earn induction to the Hall of Fame in 1986.
Boivin started the 1951–52 season playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League (AHL), before being promoted to the Leafs. The franchise had lost hard-hitting blue-liner Bill Barilko in the summer of 1951 when he disappeared on a fishing trip, and the Toronto brass felt that Boivin's physical style could help fill that void. Boivin made his NHL debut for the Leafs on March 8, 1952. He only played in one other game that season, but featured regularly for the Leafs the following year. Early in the 1954–55 season, Boivin was traded back to the Bruins in exchange for Joe Klukay.
Back in Boston, Boivin enjoyed his best years as a feared member of the Boston Bruins blue line and helped lead them to two Stanley Cup finals in the late 1950s. Boivin starred with other Boston defensive stalwarts Allan Stanley, Fern Flaman, Doug Mohns and Bob Armstrong.[5] He remained the anchor of a youthful Bruins defensive corps during the difficult reconstructive period of the early 1960s. Boivin became captain of the Boston Bruins in 1963. In February 1966, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in a five-player trade. He recounted: "I had been in Boston for a long time and they were struggling. (General Manager) Hap Emms asked me if I would go to Detroit. It was near the (trade) deadline. (Doug) Barkley lost his eye that year and Sid Abel wanted me to go there. I said, 'Sure, I'll go to Detroit.' It was quite a feeling to go in there because they had guys like (Gordie) Howe and (Alex) Delvecchio that I had hit hard through the years. But they welcomed me with open arms. I really enjoyed playing there." That spring, Boivin helped the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
After one more season with Detroit, Boivin's career was winding down but age 35, he was given a chance to extend his career when the league doubled in size by adding six new franchises for the 1967–68 campaign. Boivin found a new home when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He recalled how "after sixteen years in the six-team league, expansion added on to my career. At that time, there were a lot of players playing in the American Hockey League that were great players who just didn't get a chance." He spent a season and a half with the Penguins before moving on for a final time when he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars, another expansion club. After the North Stars were defeated in the quarterfinals of the 1970 playoffs, Boivin retired. He declined the opportunity to extend his career with the newly-established Buffalo Sabres.
Career statistics
Sources:
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1948–49 Inkerman Rockets OVJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1948–49 Inkerman Rockets M-Cup — — — — — 4 2 0 2 0
1949–50 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 18 4 4 8 32 5 0 3 3 10
1949–50 Port Arthur Bruins M-Cup — — — — — 16 6 4 10 12
1950–51 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 20 16 11 27 37 13 3 6 9 28
1950–51 Port Arthur Bruins M-Cup — — — — — 7 1 3 4 16
1951–52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1951–52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 30 2 3 5 32 10 0 1 1 16
1952–53 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 2 13 15 97 — — — — —
1953–54 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 1 6 7 81 5 0 0 0 2
1954–55 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 7 0 0 0 8 — — — — —
1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 59 6 11 17 105 5 0 1 1 4
1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 68 4 16 20 80 — — — — —
1956–57 Boston Bruins NHL 55 2 8 10 55 10 2 3 5 12
1957–58 Boston Bruins NHL 33 0 4 4 54 12 0 3 3 21
1958–59 Boston Bruins NHL 70 5 16 21 94 7 1 2 3 4
1959–60 Boston Bruins NHL 70 4 21 25 66 — — — — —
1960–61 Boston Bruins NHL 57 6 17 23 50 — — — — —
1961–62 Boston Bruins NHL 65 5 18 23 70 — — — — —
1962–63 Boston Bruins NHL 62 2 24 26 48 — — — — —
1963–64 Boston Bruins NHL 65 10 14 24 42 — — — — —
1964–65 Boston Bruins NHL 67 3 10 13 68 — — — — —
1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 46 0 5 5 34 — — — — —
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 16 0 5 5 16 12 0 1 1 16
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 4 17 21 78 — — — — —
1967–68 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 73 9 13 22 74 — — — — —
1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 41 5 13 18 26 — — — — —
1968–69 Minnesota North Stars NHL 28 1 6 7 16 — — — — —
1969–70 Minnesota North Stars NHL 69 3 12 15 30 3 0 0 0 0
NHL Totals 1150 72 250 322 1192 54 3 10 13 59
Coaching record
Source:
Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
St. Louis Blues 1975–76 43 17 17 9 (43) 3rd in Smythe Lost in Preliminary Rd
St. Louis Blues 1977–78 54 11 36 7 (29) 4th in Smythe (fired)
Total 97 28 53 16
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