Gilles Lupien

Joseph Leonard Gilles Lupien (April 20, 1954 – May 18, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Hartford Whalers from 1977 to 1982. After retiring, he became a sports agent, businessman, and was an owner of the Longueuil Chevaliers and the Victoriaville Tigres.

Lupien played three seasons of junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1974 and played for their minor league affiliate until 1977, when he made his NHL debut. After spending three seasons with the organization and being part of their Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1978 and 1979, he was traded to Pittsburgh Penguins before the 1980–81 season. He was then dealt to the Hartford Whalers, before serving as player–assistant of the Binghamton Whalers and retiring at the end of the 1981–82 season.

Early life Lupien was born on April 20, 1954, in Brownsburg-Chatham, near Lachute, Quebec. He played for the Quebec Remparts, Sherbrooke Castors, and Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 1971 to 1974. He was subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 26, 1980, for their third round selection of the 1983 NHL entry draft. He was also the agent of Steve Bernier, Corey Crawford, and Sean Couturier. Lupien was the agent for an unnamed player from the Drummondville Voltigeurs who contacted him regarding sexual advances by the team's coach Jean Bégin. Lupien later reported the incidents to the QMJHL, but the matter was disregarded as the league said there was no proof of misconduct. Bégin was later convicted.

As an agent, Lupien was a vocal proponent of improving the working conditions of players in junior ice hockey. He advocated the unionization of the Canadian Hockey League, and was of the opinion that it could assist in diminishing fighting at the amateur level and result in better treatment of players by their teams. In supporting the elimination of violence in hockey on all levels, he recommended that coaches be sanctioned for any fights their players are involved in. Lupien also called for decreasing the number of games in a season and cutting down travel time, believing that the taxing schedule was responsible for the mounting drug usage among junior players. He alleged in December 2003 that approximately half of the players in the QMJHL used drugs, either for recreational purposes, to enhance their performance, or to sleep on long bus journeys.

Lupien also worked as a businessman in the fast-food industry, initially purchasing a Humpty Dumpty Snack Foods before acquiring a Boston Pizza franchise in West Island. The hockey arena in his hometown of Brownsburg-Chatham was named the Gilles Lupien Arena in his honour in 1985.

Personal life Lupien had three children: Jennifer, Catherine, and Erik.

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 36 0 5 5 54 15 0 3 3 17 1972–73 Sherbrooke Castors QMJHL 26 0 5 5 71 — — — — — 1972–73 Montreal Red White and Blue QMJHL 26 4 4 8 66 4 0 0 0 0 1973–74 Montreal Red White and Blue QMJHL 44 3 29 32 268 9 0 3 3 28 1974–75 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 73 6 9 15 316 6 0 0 0 61 1975–76 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 56 2 6 8 134 9 0 4 4 29 1976–77 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 69 6 16 22 215 12 0 2 2 35 1977–78 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 7 1 2 3 10 — — — — — 1977–78 Montreal Canadiens NHL 46 1 3 4 108 8 0 0 0 17 1978–79 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 1 9 10 124 13 0 0 0 2 1979–80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 1 7 8 109 4 0 0 0 2 1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 31 0 1 1 34 — — — — — 1980–81 Binghamton Whalers AHL 11 1 4 5 71 — — — — — 1980–81 Hartford Whalers NHL 20 2 4 6 39 — — — — — 1981–82 Binghamton Whalers AHL 53 8 12 20 280 13 2 5 7 58 1981–82 Hartford Whalers NHL 1 0 1 1 2 — — — — — AHL totals 269 24 49 73 1026 40 2 11 13 183 NHL totals 226 5 25 30 416 25 0 0 0 21