Yvon Labre

Yvon Labre
Date of birth	November 29, 1949
place of birth	Sudbury , Ontario , Canada
size	180 cm
Weight	86 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1969 , 4th lap, 38th position Pittsburgh Penguins
Career stations
1966-1967	Markham Waxers
1967-1969	Toronto Marlboros
1969-1970	Baltimore Clippers
1970-1974	Pittsburgh Penguins
1971-1978	Hershey Bears
1974-1981	Washington Capitals

Yvon Jules Labre (born November 29, 1949 in Sudbury , Ontario ) is a former Canadian ice hockey player and coach who played in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals from 1966 to 1981 .

Career

Yvon Labre began his career as a hockey player in the Canadian Junior League Ontario Hockey Association , first as a junior B for the Markham Waxers and later at the age of 18 for the Toronto Marlboros . Even then, it was the passion and dedication that his teammates and coaches valued in him, because his running and playing opportunities were limited.

After a year with the Baltimore Clippers in the American Hockey League , he made his debut in the 1970/71 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins , who had signed him in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft . In the following years he played mostly with the Hershey Bears in the AHL and had only come to a few missions in the 1973/74 season .

In the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft , the Washington Capitals brought him into their squad. He scored two goals for the Penguins in the NHL. The first of twelve that followed for the Capitals attracted particular attention. It was the first home goal in the history of the new team from Washington when they beat Rogatien Vachon in the Los Angeles Kings goal . But it wasn't his goals that brought him to the hearts of Capitals fans, but the way he lived ice hockey in a place that is not known for its ice hockey tradition. The fact that he was playing for one of the weakest teams in the NHL never discouraged him. He was plagued by injuries after the 1975/76 season . In his last four seasons he was only able to play in one more than 25 games. At the age of 32, his knee forced him to end his playing career. The Capitals honored him shortly thereafter by hanging a banner with his number 7 in their stadium and never giving that number again. Labre is the only player who ever played for the Capitals with the number 7.

After his active career, he stayed with the caps. He was an assistant coach and also took on other tasks in the staff of the franchise .

Achievements and Awards

• 1974 Calder Cup win with the Hershey Bears

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	9	371	14th	87	101	788
Playoffs	-	-	-	-	-	-

Web links

• Yvon Labre at hockeydb.com (English)
• Yvon Labre at legendsofhockey.net (English)