Marcel Pronovost
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Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930April 26, 2015) was a
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professional
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and coach. He played in 1,206 games over 20
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) seasons for 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 ...
and
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 ...
between 1950 and 1970. A top defenceman, Pronovost was named to four post-season
NHL All-Star team The National Hockey League All-Star teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position. Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the all-st ...
s and played in 11 All-Star Games. He was a member of four
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 ...
championship teams with the Red Wings, the first in
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, and won a fifth title with the Maple Leafs in
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
. Pronovost 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 ...
as a player in 1978. Pronovost began coaching in 1969 and spent several seasons behind the bench of the junior Hull Olympiques and Windsor Spitfires. He was head coach of the Chicago Cougars in 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 ...
's inaugural season in 1972–73, coached 104 games in the NHL for 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 ...
between 1977 and 1978 and was briefly an associate coach of the Red Wings. Pronovost worked for the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...
for five years until 1990, when he was hired as a
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for the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
, with whom he was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, with the last coming in
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. The 53-year span between his first championship and his last is a Stanley Cup record.


Early life

Pronovost was born June 15, 1930, in the community of Lac-à-la-Tortue, Quebec. He was the third of 12 children, nine boys and three girls, of Leo and Juliette Pronovost. Leo was a construction worker who worked with
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
and occasionally moved around; the family settled in the nearby town of Shawinigan Falls by the time Marcel was five years old.
Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
was Pronovost's first sport, but he quickly developed a passion for hockey. He began skating at the age of three years and was playing competitive hockey by age five. Pronovost played and studied at College Immaculate Conception Superior School (CIC) in Shawinigan Falls where he played
centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
and left wing. His team won the Quebec provincial midget hockey championship in 1944–45. It was with CIC that Pronovost was discovered by
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)
scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
. 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 ...
sent scout Marcel Côté to sign Larry and John Wilson at a Quebec tournament. Larry suggested that Côté observe Pronovost. As a result, he was also signed to the Red Wings. Hockey was a significant part of life for the Pronovosts, and two of Marcel's brothers followed him to the NHL: Claude was a goaltender who played three games and
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played nearly 1,000 at forward. In his autobiography, ''A Life in Hockey'', Marcel argued that the NHL having only six teams until 1967 prevented some of his other brothers from reaching the league.


Playing career

The Red Wings placed Pronovost with the Windsor Spitfires, one of their junior teams in the
Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...
(OHA), beginning in 1947–48. The Spitfires were a dominant team that season; Windsor finished with the best record in the OHA but lost the championship series to the Barrie Flyers after Detroit was forced to recall Windsor's goaltender, Terry Sawchuk, to one of their minor league teams. Pronovost believed that the Spitfires would have won the league title and gone on to play for 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 ...
if they hadn't lost Sawchuk. At the same time, Pronovost also played for the Detroit Auto Club team in the International Hockey League (IHL). At the time an amateur league, the IHL based most of its teams in Detroit or Windsor and the majority of players were affiliated with the Red Wings. Playing in the two leagues prepared Pronovost for the rigors of an NHL schedule. He played 52 games that season, and 51 in 1948–49. Pronovost permanently moved to defence during his tenure with the Spitfires. Upon starting his professional career in 1949–50, the Red Wings assigned Pronovost to the
Omaha Knights Omaha Knights may refer to: * Omaha Knights (AHA) an ice hockey team that played from (1939–1942) in the American Hockey Association and from (1945–1951) in the United States Hockey League * Omaha Knights (IHL) an ice hockey team that played ...
of the
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...
(USHL). He appeared in 69 games for the Knights and scored 13 goals and 52
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. Pronovost set a scoring record by a defenceman and was named the USHL's rookie of the year. He was also named to the first All-Star team. At 19 years of age, Pronovost was compared to legendary defenceman
Eddie Shore Edward William Shore (November 25, 1902 – March 16, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hocke ...
and Detroit coach Jack Adams described him as being "one of those guys who comes around once every 20 years".


Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings brought Pronovost to Detroit at the conclusion of his USHL season. Gordie Howe had suffered a serious injury early in Detroit's 1950 Stanley Cup Playoff series against 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 ...
forcing the team to move Red Kelly to forward and insert Pronovost into the lineup at defence. He made his NHL debut on April 6, 1950, in the fifth game of the series. Pronovost appeared in nine playoff games as Detroit eliminated the Maple Leafs then came back from a 3–2 series deficit in the final and defeated 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 the final two games of the series to win the
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 ...
. The
NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...
format of the time had the defending champion face a team of the all-stars formed from the remaining teams. The 1950 All-Star Game was played prior to the start of the 1950–51 season and Pronovost played in the contest, a 7–1 victory by Detroit. It was the first of 11 All-Star Games which he would ultimately play. The Red Wings had been promoting Pronovost as their next great defenceman, but he suffered a broken cheekbone and a cracked bone in his ankle in separate incidents during the pre-season. Not wanting to let the team down, he tried to play through the injuries but his performance suffered and by December 1950, the Red Wings demoted him to their
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Indianapolis Capitals The Indianapolis Capitals were an American Hockey League professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1939 to 1952. The Capitals were a farm team for the Detroit Red Wings. Indianapolis won the Calder Cup in 1942 and 1950. T ...
. Pronovost scored 32 points in 34 games with Indianapolis before the Red Wings recalled him back to the NHL. Though he played only a half season with the Capitals, he was named an AHL Second Team All-Star on defence. He finished with seven points in 37 games with Detroit and scored his first NHL goal on February 19, 1951, on goaltender Jack Gelineau. It was a last-minute goal that salvaged a 2–2 tie against the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
. The Red Wings again won the Stanley Cup in 1951–52, defeating 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 ...
in the final. It was Pronovost's first full season in the NHL; he appeared in 69 regular season games and eight more in the playoffs. The Red Wings set a record that post-season by winning all eight games played – four by
shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...
– and the series spawned the Legend of the Octopus. When an octopus was thrown onto the ice near the end of the clinching game (the eight tentacles meant to represent the eight wins required to win the Stanley Cup at that time), Pronovost was the only player willing to pick it up and remove it. He won his third and fourth Stanley Cup championships in 1953–54 and 1954–55 and played his second and third All-Star Games after each victory. Pronovost's 34 points in 1954–55 were the most of his NHL career. He also played in an ill-fated game in Montreal on March 17, 1955, in which fan anger over the NHL's suspension of
Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...
precipitated the
Richard Riot The Richard Riot was a riot on March 17, 1955 (Saint Patrick's Day), in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The riot was named after Maurice Richard, the star ice hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Following a v ...
. Awarded a forfeit victory in that game, Pronovost and the Red Wings won their final game of the season, also against Montreal, to clinch top spot in the NHL standings for a record seventh consecutive season. By the 1956–57 season, Pronovost had gained recognition as being one of the NHL's top defencemen. The Red Wings named him an alternate captain of the team, a position he held until 1965. He was named to represent the NHL All-Stars at the 1957 All-Star Game, the first of five consecutive appearances, and was named to the post-season Second All-Star team in both 1958 and 1959. Pronovost scored a career high 11 goals in 1958–59 and was named to the first All-Star team in both 1959–60 and 1960–61. The Canadiens even fêted him by holding "Marcel Pronovost Night" on March 5, 1960, in which he received gifts and was cheered by the opposing Montreal crowd. It was reported as being the first time in NHL history that a team honoured an opposing player. The Red Wings were unable to duplicate the championship success Pronovost enjoyed in his first six seasons. In 1959, Detroit missed the post-season entirely and Pronovost worked those playoffs as an analyst for ''
Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...
''. The team reached, and lost, the Stanley Cup Finals to Chicago in 1961. Pronovost suffered a broken bone in his ankle that caused him to miss two games of the series and play the remainder in significant pain. Toronto owner
Harold Ballard Harold Edwin Ballard (born Edwin Harold Ballard, July 30, 1903 – April 11, 1990) was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple ...
argued that Detroit would have won the series if Pronovost had been healthy. Detroit also lost in the 1963 and 1964 finals, which marked eight appearances in the final for Pronovost. He is also one of four players in NHL history to play in four game 7's in the Stanley Cup Finals.


Toronto Maple Leafs

Pronovost's tenure with the Red Wings came to an end on May 20, 1965, as he was involved in an eight-player trade. He was dealt to the Maple Leafs, along with Aut Erickson, Larry Jeffrey, Eddie Joyal and Lowell MacDonald in exchange for
Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...
, Billy Harris and Gary Jarrett. Pronovost, who heard about the trade on the radio before being contacted by either team, was shocked at being dealt away from an organization he played with for 18 years. He adjusted quickly and reached a career milestone early in the 1965–66 season. Pronovost became the seventh player in NHL history to play 1,000 regular season games in a November 28, 1965, contest against the Rangers. He also missed 16 games after suffering strained knee ligaments after colliding with Earl Ingarfield. It was the first of several knee problems that would affect the remainder of Pronovost's career; he also missed games early in the 1966–67 season due to strained knee ligaments. The 1966–67 Maple Leafs had the oldest roster in the NHL and became known as the "Over the Hill Gang". The team lost ten games in a row at one point, but qualified for the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs in third place. The Maple Leafs were considered underdogs against both the
Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in the semi-final and the Canadiens in the
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. So much so that organizers at
Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...
in Montreal built a presentation space for the Stanley Cup in anticipation of victory before the series began. ''
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'' writer Pete Axthelm called Pronovost the best defenceman of the finals; he and defensive partner Larry Hillman were on the ice for only one goal against at even strength during the entire post-season. Pronovost also scored a key shorthanded goal in a 4–1 win in the fifth game of the series, and Toronto clinched the Stanley Cup with a 3–1 win at home in game six. It was also his 134th, and ultimately final, playoff game. At the time, only Red Kelly (164) and Gordie Howe (150) had appeared in more. Pronovost appeared in 70 games for the Maple Leafs in 1967–68 and recorded 20 points, but he was held to only 34 games the following season. He missed the majority of the season to injury, and it was at that time that Maple Leafs president Conn Stafford Smythe suggested Pronovost should be installed as a player-coach of one of Toronto's minor league affiliates. He was offered a position with the Tulsa Oilers of the
Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
(CHL), and though initially reluctant to go, the Oilers organization was able to convince Pronovost and his wife to move to the
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city. He played and coached for much of the year in Tulsa, but was briefly recalled back to Toronto part way through the 1969–70 NHL season. He recorded one assist in seven games with Toronto, the last of his NHL career.


Coaching career

Supported by Tulsa's general manager Ray Miron, who helped him behind the bench, Pronovost appeared in 53 games for the Oilers in 1969–70 and coached the team to a record. He ended his playing career after appearing in 17 games for Tulsa in 1970–71, and coached two additional seasons for the Oilers before taking his first major league job. The Chicago Cougars of the newly founded
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 ...
(WHA) announced Pronovost had signed a two-year contract to become the franchise's first head coach on July 6, 1972. He lasted only one season in Chicago before being fired as the Cougars posted a 26–50–2 record in 1972–73. Pronovost returned to coaching in 1975 as he was hired mid-season to take over the Hull Festivals of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...
(QMJHL). He remained with Hull, who were renamed the Olympiques, for two seasons before he hired to coach 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 ...
for the
1977–78 NHL season The 1977–78 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, 61st Season (sports), season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the 1978 Stanley Cup F ...
. Pronovost was reluctant to take the job, and did so only following the encouragement of Hull general manager Norm Baril. Among the highlights for Pronovost and the Sabres in his first season was Buffalo's first regular season victory in franchise history against the
Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1977. Buffalo had 15 losses and two ties in its previous 17 visits (not counting the
1975 Stanley Cup Finals The 1975 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1974–75 season, and the culmination of the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Buffalo Sabres and the defending champion Philad ...
, in which the Sabres won two and lost four). The Sabres finished with a 44–17–19 record and finished second in the
Adams Division The National Hockey League's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins. It is th ...
. They defeated the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by Philadelphia. However, after the Sabres recorded only eight wins in their first 24 games in 1978–79, the organization fired Pronovost along with general manager
Punch Imlach George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and t ...
. Pronovost returned to Hull almost immediately, but left the team again in 1979 to become an assistant to head coach Bobby Kromm in Detroit. When Kromm was fired late in the 1979–80 season, general manager
Ted Lindsay Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay (July 29, 1925 – March 4, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lindsay scored over 800 ...
and Pronovost took over as the team's coaches. Lindsay was the official coach of the team for the final nine games of the season, but Pronovost worked behind the bench as the Red Wings won only two contests and lost seven. Pronovost remained with Detroit as Lindsay's assistant to begin the 1980–81 season, but both were dismissed after Detroit began with a 3–14–3 record. Returning again to junior hockey, Pronovost was hired as the coach of the
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
's Windsor Spitfires. The team went 22–44–4 in 1981–82, while Pronovost described the following season as being a "disaster". He was given a ten-game suspension for verbally harassing the
officials An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...
and continuing to coach from the stands after being ejected from a game and was dismissed as Windsor's coach after the team won only two of its first 15 games. Pronovost's final season as a coach came in 1984–85 when he led the junior C Belle River Canadiens to the franchise's first league title and a Clarence Schmalz Cup win as Ontario provincial champions.


Scouting career

Pronovost turned to scouting in 1985 when he joined the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...
. He already had some experience with the role as one of his duties as coach in Tulsa included searching for talent to improve his team. Pronovost spent five years traveling across North America for the Scouting Bureau. In 1990, he joined the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
as one of the team's scouts. The
2013–14 NHL season The 2013–14 NHL season was the 97th season of operation (96th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season features a realignment of the league's 30 teams from a six to a four division format. The regular season began Octob ...
was his 24th with the franchise, during which Pronovost has been a member of three Stanley Cup champions, in
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,
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and
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
. New Jersey's goaltender for all three championships was
Martin Brodeur Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian–American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...
, whom Pronovost helped convince the Devils to select with their first pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.


Legacy

Known as an offensive defenceman at the outset of his NHL career, Pronovost played an aggressive rushing style that led Red Wings fans to call him "Detroit's own Flying Frenchman". He also established a reputation as a physical player who rarely missed time to serious injury. He overcame numerous injuries, including a cracked vertebra suffered in 1954. Among his other injuries, he suffered a broken jaw, broke his wrist twice, separated his shoulder and broke his nose 14 times. By age 32, he had required over 200 stitches to close various cuts and lacerations. Pronovost viewed the injuries as part of the game: "My game is a contact sport. It's a game of men. I expected to get bounced and get my lumps. I also expected to play in every single game." 2012 marked Pronovost's 65th year in professional hockey, tying King Clancy for the longest such tenure by anyone in NHL history., a mark since surpassed by John Bucyk. His name has been inscribed on the Stanley Cup eight times; five as a player and three as a scout. The 53-year span between his first victory in 1950 and most recent in 2003 is a record for the trophy. He published an autobiography in 2012 titled ''A Life in Hockey'' that documents his career in the sport. In 1978, Pronovost 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 ...
. He has also been inducted into the Windsor and Essex County Sports Hall of Fame (1995), had his uniform number 4 honoured by the Windsor Spitfires in 2005 and in 2012 was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. The Detroit Red Wings recognized Pronovost's contribution to their organization in 2009 by presenting him with a championship ring from their 2009 title season.


Personal life

Pronovost adopted Windsor as his home having played or worked close to the city for most of his career. He earned a degree in electrical engineering, and during hockey off-seasons drove a truck and did sales for
Molson The Molson Brewery is a Canada-based brewery based in Montreal and was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Canadian operati ...
. He met his first wife, Cindy, while playing with her brother on a softball team in Shawinigan. They were married in 1951 and have three children: Michel (Marie), Brigitte and Leo, deceased (Tina). Also three grandchildren, Tannis, Melissa and Ryan. Cindy died of cancer in 1993. Pronovost married his second wife, Eva, in 1994, and he fought his own battle with bladder cancer in 2012. Pronovost died on April 26, 2015, after a brief illness.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


Coaching


Awards and honours

* Stanley cup champion as a scout.


See also

*
List of family relations in the NHL This is a list of family relations in the National Hockey League. Since the creation of the National Hockey League in 1917–18 NHL season, 1917, family members have been involved in all aspects of the league. Although most connections are among ...


References


Footnotes


General

*''Playing statistics'': *''Coaching statistics'': * * * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pronovost, Marcel 1930 births 2015 deaths Buffalo Sabres coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Hull Festivals coaches Hull Olympiques coaches Ice hockey people from Shawinigan New Jersey Devils scouts Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Windsor Spitfires coaches Windsor Spitfires players Deaths from cancer in Ontario Deaths from bladder cancer in Canada Canadian ice hockey coaches 20th-century Canadian sportsmen