Lach Less

Or

Punch Out

Elmer Lach, the José Carreras of the Punch Line, has died of a stroke at the age of 97. With Toe Blake on one side and Henri Richard on the other, Lach was the feisty anchor on one of the greatest lines in NHL history – so named for its offensive firepower – all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. In 14 years, all with the Canadiens, Lach somehow managed to only win 3 Stanley Cups, one of the least productive periods in team history. Lach’s OT goal in Game 5 gave the Canadiens the 1953 Stanley Cup, though his celebration with Richard left him with a broken nose. One of the more enjoyable of his many injuries. It has been said that a pictorial history of the NHL of the 1940s would have to include Lach’s X-rays – his sophomore season was ended when he shattered an elbow, broke a wrist and dislocated a shoulder, his nose was broken 7 times, he suffered a fractured skull, and his jaw was broken 3 times, the last time so badly it was held together for the rest of his life with a platinum wire. Of course being a hockey player, he usually skated through the pain – he didn’t mention one of the jaw fractures to his coach so he wasn’t pulled from the game, on another occasion, he stayed in a game despite two veins in his foot being severed by a skate blade until a teammate noticed the blood. Despite weighing just 165 pounds, he gave as good as he got, and was known for exploding under a player’s arms as he skated with the puck, hoisting him off his skates. Lach was a 5-time All-Star, won the league’s MVP in 1945, and earned 2 scoring titles, retiring as the league’s all-time leading scorer. He served as a mentor for Jean Béliveau, who replaced Lach in the lineup and would emerge as one of the greatest players in league history.