André Joseph Lacroix (born June 5, 1945) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

and the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, and is the WHA's all-time leading career scorer.

Playing career

A centre notable for his playmaking, penalty-killing, and faceoff skill, Lacroix played junior hockey for the

Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league. ...

, leading the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

in assists in both the 1964–65 and 1965–66 seasons and in points the latter season. He then played two seasons for the minor-league

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

of the AHL, playing brilliantly in the 1968 season before being recalled by 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. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

of the NHL in the spring of

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

. Paired on a forward line with fellow ex-Quebec wingers Jean-Guy Gendron and

Simon Nolet Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, he was an immediate star, leading the Flyers in scoring in both

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

and

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

. After the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

season, Lacroix was traded to the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and was dismayed at the change of scenery, playing poorly the next year. However, in the fall of 1972, the upstart

began play, and he wasted no time returning to Philadelphia and signing with the league's

Philadelphia Blazers The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the 1972–73 WHA season based in Philadelphia. The team's home ice was the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center. The franchise was origina ...

franchise. Despite the team going through much tumult and controversy, Lacroix was an immediate star for the squad, leading the WHA in points that season with a 50–74–124 mark. However, in the offseason, the franchise was transferred to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, and Lacroix refused to move with the team. Thus, he was traded to an even shakier team, the

New York Golden Blades The New York Raiders were an ice hockey team in New York City, and founding member of the World Hockey Association. Intended to be the WHA's flagship franchise, the team was unable to compete with the National Hockey League's established New Yo ...

for the

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

season. Again, despite payrolls being missed, ownership folding, and the league moving the team to New Jersey on November 21, as the Jersey Knights, he was a standout, leading the WHA in assists with 80. That fall, Lacroix was named to Team Canada for the

1974 Summit Series The 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players, following the same format as the 1972 Summit Series, with four games across Canada and four in Moscow. The Soviet team won the ...

against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, scoring one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games to be the team's fourth-leading scorer. His lone goal was the game-winner in Canada's only win of the series, Game 2 at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

. The New York-New Jersey team moved yet again for the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

to California to become the

San Diego Mariners The San Diego Mariners were an ice hockey team based in San Diego that played in the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977 at the San Diego Sports Arena. Previous to being in San Diego, the team was known as the New York Raiders, New York ...

, and Lacroix continued his success. In that first season in San Diego, he achieved his second league scoring title and racked up 106 assists, the professional record at the time and the only player other than

Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...

(who scored 102 assists in 1970 - 71) who had ever reached 100 assists in a single season of professional hockey. This professional record would stand until Wayne Gretzky scored 109 assists in 1980 - 81. As of 2013, only Orr, Lacroix,

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

, and

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...

have accumulated 100 assists in a season. Lacroix scored over 100 points the next two seasons with the Mariners as well, before the franchise folded. It was during this time that Lacroix began to be referred to in broadcasts of the games, as "The Magician". This was in reference to his ability to make the puck disappear --- and then reappear, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. The opposing goalie would lose track of the puck, only to have it reappear in his net. He continued to star in two more seasons before the end of the WHA, for the Houston Aeros in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and the

New England Whalers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. His skills diminishing at last, Lacroix played briefly and respectably for the Whalers after their move to the NHL in the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

season (with Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull) before retiring.

Retirement

Lacroix has been involved with hockey since retiring, creating the André Lacroix Power Hockey Academy, and he was the Director of hockey programs at the Oakland Ice Centre until 2005. He provided color commentary for the official Hartford Whalers radio broadcasts for several seasons. Lacroix currently owns and operates The Pond ice rink in Bainbridge/Auburn Township, Ohio. The Pond is notable for deriving part of its electrical power from wind turbines located at the rink. On May 28, 2014, Lacroix was named the head coach of the

University School University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through eighth ...

varsity hockey team.

Career records and achievements

* 79 goals and 119 assists for 198 points in 325 games in the NHL. * 251 goals and 547 assists for 798 points in 551 games in the WHA. * Named to the WHA's First All-Star Team in 1973, 1974 and 1975. * Won the

Bill Hunter Trophy The Bill Hunter Trophy was presented to the World Hockey Association's scoring leader in the regular season. It was named in honour of Bill Hunter, who founded the Alberta Oilers hockey club (which later became the Edmonton Oilers). Winners *1 ...

as the WHA's leading scorer in 1973 and 1975. * Scored one hundred points or more in six consecutive seasons, a mark achieved by only six other major professional players. * The WHA's all-time leader in games played, assists (by nearly two hundred) and points (by over a hundred). * Fourth all-time in WHA history in goals scored.

Awards

Red Tilson Trophy *In 1965 and 1966 with the Peterborough Petes (OHL) Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (MVP): *In 1966 with the Peterborough Petes (OHL) W.D. (Bill) Hunter Trophy: *In 1973 with the Philadelphia Blazers (WHA) *In 1975 with the San Diego Mariners (WHA) In 2010, he was elected as an inaugural inductee into the

World Hockey Association Hall of Fame The World Hockey Association Hall of Fame is an independent organization dedicated to honoring the World Hockey Association (WHA) which operated from 1972 to 1979 as a major professional ice hockey league. Officially partnered with the United Stat ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Flyers Heroes of the Past: Andre Lacroix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacroix, Andre 1945 births Canadian ice hockey centres Chicago Blackhawks players Hartford Whalers announcers Hartford Whalers players Houston Aeros (WHA) players Ice hockey people from Quebec Living people Montreal Junior Canadiens players New England Whalers players Jersey Knights players New York Golden Blades players People from Lévis, Quebec Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players Philadelphia Blazers players Philadelphia Flyers players San Diego Mariners players