Billy Coutu

Billy Coutu
Date of birth	March 1, 1892
place of birth	North Bay , Ontario , Canada
date of death	February 28, 1978
Place of death	Sault Ste. Marie Ontario , Canada
size	180 cm
Weight	86 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Career stations
1915-1916	Michigan Soo Indians
1916-1920	Montréal Canadiens
1920-1921	Hamilton Tigers
1921-1926	Montréal Canadiens
1926-1927	Boston Bruins
1927-1928	New Haven Eagles
1928-1929	Newark Bulldogs
1929-1931	Minneapolis Millers
1932-1933	Providence Reds

Wilfrid Arthur "Billy" Coutu (born March 1, 1892 in North Bay , Ontario ; † February 28, 1978 in Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario) was a professional Canadian ice hockey player and coach who, in his playing days from 1915 to 1933, under has played for the Montréal Canadiens , Hamilton Tigers and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League .

Career

Billy Coutu began his career as a hockey player in the amateur team of the Michigan Soo Indians, for which he was active in the 1915/16 season. He subsequently received a contract with the Montreal Canadiens for whom he made his debut in professional hockey in season 1916-17, when he for Canadians in the National Hockey Association played, for he 1917-1926 their successor league, the National Hockey League , with which he won the prestigious Stanley Cup for the first and only time in his career in the 1923/24 season. Only during the 1920/21 season he ran on loan for their league rivals Hamilton Tigers . On October 22, 1926, the defender of the Montréal Canadiens was given in exchange for Amby Moran to the Boston Bruins . During his first training session with the Bruins, his teammate Eddie Shore severely injured one of his ears in a duel. He then stated that Coutu had deliberately attacked him with his hockey stick. Coutu was fined $ 50, but this was withdrawn after Shore retracted his testimony.

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Coutu beat referee Jerry LaFlamme in one game, after which he received a life suspension for the National Hockey League. This was the first and so far only lifetime suspension that was ever imposed in the NHL. The left-handed shooter then moved to the Canadian-American Hockey League , in which he initially ran for the New Haven Eagles and Newark Bulldogs from 1927 to 1929 . After two years with the Minneapolis Millers from the American Hockey Association , the Canadian ended his career as a player in the 1932/33 season with his ex-club Providence Reds in the Canpro. From 1933 to 1935 Coutu was the head coach of the Providence Reds in the Canpro, whose championship he won with his team in the 1933/34 season.

Achievements and Awards

• 1924 Stanley Cup win with the Montréal Canadiens
• 1934 Master Canpro with the Providence Reds (as coach)

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	10	244	33	21st	54	478
Playoffs	6th	19th	1	1	2	39

Web links

• Billy Coutu at hockeydb.com (English)
• Billy Coutu at legendsofhockey.net (English)