François Lacombe

François Lacombe (born February 24, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1968 and 1980. He spent parts of three seasons in the NHL with the Oakland Seals and Buffalo Sabres before moving to the WHA and playing for the Quebec Nordiques and Calgary Cowboys, playing briefly for the Nordiques again when they joined the NHL.

Professional hockey career In 1970 Lacombe was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with California's first draft pick in 1971 (the Canadiens chose Guy Lafleur) for Ernie Hicke and Montreal's first round pick. The trade is considered one of the worst of all time.

After short stints in the NHL with the Oakland Seals and Buffalo Sabres, Lacombe spent the majority of his career, in the WHA, with the Quebec Nordiques, plus a single season with the Calgary Cowboys. He played 3 games for Quebec in the NHL following the NHL–WHA merger.

Lacombe played a total of 78 regular-season NHL games, scoring two goals and adding 17 assists. He also appeared in 3 playoff games with Oakland in the 1969 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring one goal. Meanwhile, Lacombe played in 440 WHA games, scoring 38 goals and adding 139 assists. He appeared in 54 Avco Cup playoff games in the WHA, scoring five goals and tallying ten assists. So desperate was Lacombe to win a championship that he was quoted after Game 4 of the 1977 Avco Cup Final as willing to "give my life and my wife to win this series." His only goal scored in the series was in Game 4 when he tied it in the second period of a game the Nordiques later won, but he also provided three assists in the series, which included two in the 8-2 victory in Game 7.

Minor hockey Lacombe is now coaching in Châteauguay with the Châteauguay Midget AAA Patriotes. He was arrested on March 12, 2008, after allegedly throwing a garbage can at a player on an opposing team sparking a bench clearing brawl. The charges were later dropped.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1965–66 Lachine Maroons QJHL 40 2 14 16 70 — — — — — 1966–67 Lachine Maroons QJHL — — — — — — — — — — 1967–68 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 51 1 10 11 59 11 0 3 3 4 1968–69 Oakland Seals NHL 72 2 16 18 50 3 1 0 1 0 1969–70 Oakland Seals NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1969–70 Providence Reds AHL 70 9 16 25 64 — — — — — 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 1970–71 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 70 11 39 50 89 — — — — — 1971–72 Cincinnati Swords AHL 35 4 10 14 26 10 1 6 7 20 1971–72 Fort Worth Wings CHL 19 3 5 8 26 — — — — — 1971–72 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 11 2 3 5 22 — — — — — 1972–73 Quebec Nordiques WHA 62 10 18 28 123 — — — — — 1973–74 Quebec Nordiques WHA 71 9 26 35 41 — — — — — 1974–75 Quebec Nordiques WHA 55 7 17 24 54 15 0 2 2 14 1974–75 Maine Nordiques NAHL 4 0 3 3 12 — — — — — 1975–76 Calgary Cowboys WHA 71 3 28 31 62 8 0 0 0 2 1976–77 Quebec Nordiques WHA 81 5 22 27 86 17 4 3 7 16 1977–78 Quebec Nordiques WHA 22 1 7 8 12 10 1 4 5 2 1978–79 Quebec Nordiques WHA 78 3 21 24 44 4 0 1 1 7 1979–80 Quebec Nordiques NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1979–80 Syracuse Firebirds AHL 50 3 26 29 34 1 0 0 0 0 WHA totals 440 38 139 177 422 54 5 10 15 41 NHL totals 78 2 17 19 54 3 1 0 1 0