Alfred Joseph Francis "Gentleman Joe" Primeau (January 29, 1906 – May 14, 1989), was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player.

Playing career

Born in

Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 22,367 people ( 2021 census) on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough. It is located in the City of Kawartha Lakes, and is the hub for ...

, and raised in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Primeau moved to Toronto at an early age and began his professional career in 1927 with the Toronto Ravinas, an affiliate of the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. He became a full-time member of the Maple Leafs in the 1929–30 season. Primeau played on the Leafs' Kid Line with Charlie Conacher and Busher Jackson. He won his only

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

as a player in 1931–32 and won the

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, formerly known as the Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard ...

that same season. He retired in 1936 at age 30. Over his NHL career, Primeau scored 66 goals and 177 assists in 310 games. Primeau was inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

in 1963. He died in Toronto, Ontario at the age of 83. He was interred in the Assumption Catholic Cemetery, Mississauga, Peel Regional Municipality. In 1989, Primeau was ranked number 92 on ''The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Coaching career

Primeau won the Stanley Cup in his first year as

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the Maple Leafs in 1950–51. He also remains the only coach to ever lead teams to both the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. It was most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

and Stanley Cup championships.

Miscellany

Following the Canada-Sweden game at the 1976 Canada Cup tournament, Primeau presented the award to the top Canadian player of the game: Bob Gainey.

Awards and achievements

Player

* 1931–32 – Stanley Cup Champion – Toronto Maple Leafs * 1931–32 – Lady Byng Memorial Trophy * 1933–34 – Second Team All-Star – Centre * 1963 – Honoured member – Hockey Hall of Fame

Coach

* 1946–47 – Memorial Cup Champion – Toronto St. Michael's Majors * 1949–50 – Allan Cup Champion – Toronto Marlboros * 1950–51 – Stanley Cup Champion – Toronto Maple Leafs

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Primeau, Joe 1906 births 1989 deaths Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey centres Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners London Panthers players Ice hockey people from Kawartha Lakes Stanley Cup champions Stanley Cup championship–winning head coaches Toronto Falcons (CPHL) players Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Toronto Ravinas players Toronto St. Michael's Majors players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen