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Jean-Guy Talbot (July 11, 1932 – February 22, 2024) 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 ...
defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
and coach who played 17 seasons in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). Talbot made his NHL debut with the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
during the 1954–55 season. In thirteen seasons with the Canadiens he was a six-time NHL All-Star and part of a dynasty that won seven
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 ...
Championships. He left the Canadiens after the 1966–67 season, and in 1967-68 he played briefly for the Minnesota North Stars and the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
before being acquired by the St. Louis Blues, with whom he remained until 1970. He spent his final season as a player with the
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
. He began his coaching career with the Denver Spurs of the
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
, winning the Lester Patrick Cup in 1972. He then served as head coach for the St. Louis Blues from 1972 to 1974. In 1975, he served as head coach for the Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics of the
World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...
until the team folded in early 1976. He held his final head coaching position for the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
during the 1977–1978 season.


Early life

Talbot was born in
Cap-de-la-Madeleine Cap-de-la-Madeleine () is a former city in Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River and the St. Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into the City of Trois-Rivières in 2002. Population (2006 census) 33,022. History Cap- ...
on July 11, 1932. His father, Willie, worked as a steamfitter at a paper mill. Talbot initially played as goaltender until he conceded 22 goals in a game for his elementary school. While playing junior hockey, Talbot slashed
Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach. He holds the record for most wins in National Hockey League (NHL) history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup ...
in the head with his stick, causing a fractured skull and ending Bowman's playing career. Talbot consequently received a one-year suspension from the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association. Although this was eventually reduced to nine months, he exceeded the age limit to play junior hockey upon his return. He played for the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League from 1952 to 1954, then joined the Shawinigan-Falls Cataracts for one season.


Professional career

Talbot made his
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) debut for the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
on February 13, 1955, against the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. He only played in two other games and spent the rest of that season in the minors, but made the Canadiens' roster the following year. He played the full schedule for three consecutive seasons from 1960 to 1963. Talbot played in the NHL from 1955 to 1971, for the Minnesota North Stars,
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
, St. Louis Blues,
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
and
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
. With the Canadiens, he won seven
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 ...
championships. Talbot was well known for being a sound passer. He was also known for having a clean but rather physical style of play which ultimately helped Montreal win Stanley Cups. Talbot wore jersey #17 during his time with Montreal. Talbot played 1,056 games, scoring 43 goals and adding 242 assists for 285 points. He was also assessed 1,006 penalty minutes. He was voted a First-Team All-Star in 1961–62 and was selected for six all-star games (1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1965 and 1967). He finished third in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1961–62. At the time of his death, he won the second-most championships without having been 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 ...
, behind his former teammate Claude Provost's nine.


Coaching career

Talbot became head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 1972, replacing Al Arbour, who had been fired from the position. He resigned the position in February 1974. He signed on as head coach for the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
in 1977, taking over from John Ferguson, with whom he had played during his time with the Canadiens. While with the Rangers, Talbot wore a warm-up suit behind the bench during games, rather than a business suit as most coaches wore.


Personal life

Talbot was married to Pierrette Cormier for 72 years until his death. They had three children and resided in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Both his sons were awarded hockey scholarships from the
University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
and State University of New York at Plattsburgh, respectively. However, Talbot dissuaded them from pursuing the sport unless they could reach the NHL. Talbot died in Trois-Rivières on February 22, 2024, at the age of 91. He was the second-last surviving player out of the twelve that played for all five Canadiens teams that captured an NHL record five straight Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960. The last survivor, Donnie Marshall, died on October 8, 2024.


Coaching record


National Hockey League

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World Hockey Association

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Western Hockey League

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Central Hockey League

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Awards and accomplishments

* Stanley Cup champion (1956–60, 1965–66) (all with Montreal) * 1961–62 NHL All-Star team (1st) * Played in 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1965 and 1967 NHL All-Star game.


Career statistics


See also

* List of NHL players with 1000 games played


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Jean-Guy 1932 births 2024 deaths Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Minnesota North Stars players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Montreal Canadiens players New York Rangers coaches St. Louis Blues coaches St. Louis Blues players Ice hockey people from Trois-Rivières Stanley Cup champions Canadian ice hockey coaches