Elmer Lach

Elmer James Lach ( , January 22, 1918 – April 4, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 14 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). A centre, he was a member of the Punch line, along with Maurice Richard and Toe Blake. Lach led the NHL in scoring twice and was awarded the Hart Trophy in 1945 as the league's most valuable player.

He won three Stanley Cups with Montreal. When Lach retired in 1954, he was the league's all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame twelve years later. His number 16 was retired on December 4, 2009, during the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. In 2017 Lach was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Early life Lach was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan, a small town north of Regina. Elmer was the youngest of two boys and four girls born to William and Mary-Ann Lach, who arrived in Canada from Eastern Europe in 1910. Lach's father was at first a farmer, then took a job as the head of public works for Nokomis, population 550. According to Lach, Conn Smythe, manager of the Leafs, saw Lach and Bentley and said "They were sending me big guys from the West, but instead they’ve sent me peanuts." Lach led the league in assists for the last time in the 1951–52 season, with 50.

In the 1952–53 season, Lach won his third and final Stanley Cup in a memorable finish. In the 1953 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, Lach scored the cup-winning goal at 1:22 of overtime in the fifth game of the series. In the on-ice celebration immediately after the goal, Maurice Richard accidentally broke Lach's nose with his stick.

Later life

Lach retired after the 1953–54 NHL season as the league's all-time leading scorer, having played 664 regular season games, scoring 215 goals and 408 assists for 623 points, as well as 76 playoff games, in which he scored 19 goals and 45 assists for 64 points. He retired to accept an offer to coach the Montreal Junior Canadiens. He also coached the Montreal Royals for two seasons, before pursuing business interests. He worked for Maislin Transport for 30 years in sales and public relations,

Lach was married to Kay until she died in 1985. Lise Lach died October 13, 2014, at age 87 from leukemia.

Golf was a favourite pastime of Lach's. He played it into his 90s and for a while could match his age in his score.

On March 28, 2015, Lach suffered a stroke at a long-term care facility in Beaconsfield, Quebec, where he had moved after Lise's death. Lach's final public appearance was at the funeral of Jean Béliveau on December 10, 2014. SIHR.

Awards Art Ross Trophy (1948; also led the league in scoring in 1945). Hart Trophy (1945) NHL First All-Star Team centre (1945, 1948, 1952) NHL Second All-Star Team centre (1944, 1946) Hockey Hall of Fame (1966) Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1967) In January 2017, Lach was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.