Yvan Cournoyer

Yvan Serge Cournoyer (born November 22, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens for 16 seasons, between 1963 to 1978, winning the Stanley Cup 10 times. In 1972, Cournoyer scored the tying goal in the deciding eighth game of the Canada-USSR series with seven minutes remaining. Canada went on to win the game and the series on Paul Henderson's dramatic goal with 34 seconds left in the game.

Born in Drummondville, Quebec, he was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he credited to longer blades on his skates. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.

Playing career

In 1961, Cournoyer started his junior ice hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association. By the time he was 18 years old, his legs had become so muscular that he required specially tailored pants.

Cournoyer made his NHL debut in 1963 with the Montreal Canadiens and earned a full-time spot with the club in 1964 after just seven games with the American Hockey League's Quebec Aces. Mark Mulvoy of Sports Illustrated was credited with giving Cournoyer the nickname, Roadrunner, with "Cournoyer joking at the time that now he had to live up to the label".

Cournoyer was initially regarded by Canadiens head coach Toe Blake as a defensive liability and undeserving of a regular shift, though he was still frequently used on the power play.

Post-playing career Cournoyer coached the Montreal Roadrunners, an inline hockey team, during the 1994–95 Roller Hockey International season and was later an assistant coach to the Montreal Canadiens during the .

In 2026, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1960–61 Lachine Maroons MMJHL 42 37 31 68 — — — — — 1961–62 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 32 15 16 31 8 6 4 4 8 0 1962–63 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 36 37 27 64 24 10 3 4 7 6 1963–64 Montreal Junior Canadiens OHA 53 63 48 111 30 17 19 8 27 15 1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 4 0 4 0 — — — — — 1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 55 7 10 17 10 12 3 1 4 0 1964–65 Quebec Aces AHL 7 2 1 3 0 — — — — — 1965–66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 18 11 29 8 10 2 3 5 2 1966–67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 25 15 40 14 10 2 3 5 6 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 28 32 60 23 13 6 8 14 4 1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 43 44 87 31 14 4 7 11 5 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 27 36 63 23 — — — — — 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 37 36 73 21 20 10 12 22 6 1971–72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 47 36 83 15 6 2 1 3 2 1972–73 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 40 39 79 18 17 15 10 25 2 1973–74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 40 33 73 18 6 5 2 7 2 1974–75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 29 45 74 32 11 5 6 11 4 1975–76 Montreal Canadiens NHL 71 32 36 68 20 13 3 6 9 4 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 25 28 53 8 — — — — — 1977–78 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 24 29 53 12 15 7 4 11 10 1978–79 Montreal Canadiens NHL 15 2 5 7 2 — — — — — NHL totals 968 428 435 863 255 147 64 63 127 47

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1972 Canada SS 8 3 2 5 2 Senior totals 8 3 2 5 2