Leonard Gerald "Leo The Lion" Labine (July 22, 1931 – February 25, 2005) was a Canadian 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 h ...

player. A native of Haileybury,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Labine played for teams in the

NHL 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 ...

, WHL, EPHL, and the AHL. At 5'10", and 178 lbs, Labine had a long and varied career.

Biography

Leo Labine began his career as a featured member of the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

winning

Barrie Flyers The Barrie Flyers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1945 to 1960, from Barrie, Ontario. The Flyers played home games at the Barrie Arena from 1945 to 1960. History The Barrie Flyers junior team was founded ...

, the Boston Bruins OHA affiliate. After a brief spell with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

, Labine joined the Bruins near the conclusion of the 1951–52 season and with his rugged, spectacular style, he quickly established himself as a regular. In 1955 Labine won the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy, given to the Boston Bruins player voted most outstanding during home games. Labine also led the Bruins in scoring for the 1954–55 season. His best campaigns in Boston were spent on Boston's top power unit with his long-time partner Real Chevrefils and smooth, crafty centre Don McKenney. His fiery, aggressive style fit in well with the Boston Bruins of the 1950s. Labine was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1961. Labine, who retired from hockey in 1967, was also a member of the WHL All-Star Team in 1964, and participated in the NHL All-Star Games of 1955 and 1956. Labine played in a total of 643 NHL games, had 128 goals, and 321 points. Labine died of cancer at the

North Bay General Hospital North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

, on February 25, 2005, at the age of seventy-three. He is buried in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in North Bay.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1931 births 2005 deaths Barrie Flyers players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Deaths from cancer in Ontario Detroit Red Wings players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Ontario Los Angeles Blades (WHL) players Sportspeople from Temiskaming Shores Sudbury Wolves (EPHL) players Toronto St. Michael's Majors players {{Canada-icehockey-winger-1930s-stub