Joseph Fernand Léon Rochefort (born May 4, 1939) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 h ...
centreman who spent 15 seasons 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 ...
playing for seven clubs in a career that lasted from 1959 to 1976. A hard-working journeyman, he won the
Stanley Cup with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in 1966 and 1971.
Playing career
Rochefort was born in
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
Cap-de-la-Madeleine is a former city in Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River and the St. Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into the City of Trois-Rivières in 2002. Population (2006 census) 33,022.
History
Cap-de-la-M ...
. He came up through the junior system of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, playing for the
Guelph Biltmores
The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and ...
alongside future
Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 — August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing o ...
and
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in ...
. He turned pro in 1959, and made his NHL debut in
1960–61 appearing in a single game for the Rangers. In
1962–63, he appeared in 23 games for the Rangers, recording 5 goals and 9 points.
Prior to the
1963–64 campaign, Rochefort was dealt to the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in a seven-player trade involving star goaltenders
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (; January 17, 1929 – February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947 to 1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played ...
and
Gump Worsley
Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like comic-strip character Andy Gump.
...
. He would find it difficult to crack the powerful Montreal roster, spending most of the next three years with the
Quebec Aces 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 ...
and appearing in just 11 games in Montreal over that span. However, he was called up to the team for the 1966 playoffs and appeared in 4 games, recording a goal and an assist, as Montreal won the
Stanley Cup. He would build on that success the following year, spending most of the
1966–67 season in Montreal, notching 9 goals and 7 assists in 27 games.
Rochefort was claimed 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 Well ...
in the
1967 NHL Expansion Draft, and in Philadelphia was finally able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. He would have his finest NHL season in
1967–68, leading the Flyers with 21 goals and finishing 3rd in overall scoring with 42 points. He would have another solid year in
1968–69, finishing 5th on Philadelphia with 35 points, but was dealt to the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
at the conclusion of the season in a deal for enforcer
Reggie Fleming
Reginald Stephen "Reggie, The Ruffian" Fleming (April 21, 1936 – July 11, 2009) was a professional hockey player in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers ...
. He spent a single season in Los Angeles, and led the team in assists although the team struggled to a last-place finish.
For the
1970–71 season, Rochefort was re-acquired by the Canadiens. He finished the year with just 5 goals and was briefly dispatched to the AHL, but appeared in 10 playoff games as Montreal again won the Stanley Cup. Following the season, he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, where he had a bounce-back year to finish with 17 goals and 28 points. Early in the
1972–73 season, he was dealt again, this time to the expansion
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...
where he would be a stabilizing influence in the team's first two NHL seasons.
Prior to the
1974–75 season, Rochefort was sold to the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
, who would be his seventh NHL team. At the age of 35, he turned in one of the best seasons of his career, notching 18 goals - good for 5th on the team - and 29 points, and was a valuable veteran influence on a Canuck team which would win their division for the first time in their history. However, he was sent to the minors after a sluggish start to the following year, and he retired from the sport in 1976.
Rochefort finished his career with totals of 121 goals and 147 assists for 268 points in 617 NHL games, along with just 93 penalty minutes.
Rochefort is the uncle of
Normand Rochefort, who spent 13 seasons as an NHL defender between 1980 and 1994.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards
* 1966 and 1971
Stanley Cup Champion (
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
)
* Led Philadelphia Flyers in goals during their inaugural season (1967–68)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochefort, Leon
1939 births
Living people
Atlanta Flames players
Baltimore Clippers players
Canadian ice hockey centres
Detroit Red Wings players
Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters players
Ice hockey people from Quebec
Kitchener Beavers (EPHL) players
Los Angeles Kings players
Montreal Canadiens players
Montreal Voyageurs players
National Hockey League All-Stars
New York Rangers players
Philadelphia Flyers players
Quebec Aces (AHL) players
Sportspeople from Trois-Rivières
Stanley Cup champions
Trois-Rivières Lions (EPHL) players
Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players
Vancouver Canucks players