Wilfrid Paiement, Jr. (; born October 16, 1955) is a Canadian former
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
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 ...
right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
who played 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 ...
(NHL) from
1974 through
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, for seven different NHL teams. He is the younger brother of former NHL hockey player
Rosaire Paiement
Joseph Rosaire Wilfrid Paiement (born August 12, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He is the older brother of Wilf Paiement.
Paiement started his National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. He al ...
.
Playing career
Wilf Paiement was selected in the first round (2nd overall) of the
1974 NHL amateur draft by the
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, the Rockies relocated to New Jersey where ...
. He played two seasons in Kansas City before the team moved to Colorado and became the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
.
Paiement was a member of the Canadian team that returned to the
World Championship in Austria in 1977 after seven years of absence. During the tournament, frustrated by the lack of success, many members of Team Canada, including Paiement, resorted to violence. Paiement attacked Swedish player Lars-Erik Ericsson (who received a stick in the eye), as well as Russian players Shadrin, Yakushev and Babinov (who were all knocked unconscious).
On October 25, 1978, Paiement attacked Detroit Red Wings centre
Dennis Polonich
Dennis Daniel "Polo" Polonich (born December 4, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. He was selected in the eighth round, 118th overall, by ...
with his stick. The diminutive five-foot-six-inch Polonich was
trash-talk
Trash talk is a form of insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. It is often used to intimidate the opposition and/or make them less confident in their abilities as to win ...
ing with Paiement, when Paiement struck Polonich's across the face with a two-handed slash, which resulted in severe facial lacerations, a smashed nose that required extensive reconstructive surgery, and a severe concussion. Along with a match penalty, Paiement was given the second longest (at the time) suspension in NHL history - 15 games. Polonich sued, and was rewarded with a settlement of $850,000 in 1982; he has suffered with breathing problems from then on.
Paiement was traded from the Rockies to the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
along with
Pat Hickey for
Lanny McDonald
Lanny King McDonald (born February 16, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year c ...
and
Joel Quenneville
Joel Norman Quenneville (born September 15, 1958) is a Canadian–American ice hockey coach and former player in the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Coach Q", he is second in NHL coaching wins at 969 behind Scotty Bowman. Quenneville ac ...
on December 29, 1979.
Paiement played in Toronto for the next three seasons before again being traded to the
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...
for
Miroslav Frycer Miroslav may refer to:
* Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name
* ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade
* Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic
S ...
and a 7th round pick in the
1982 NHL Entry Draft (
Jeff Triano
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Music
* DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes
* ...
). After five seasons in Quebec, he was traded to 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 ...
for
Steve Patrick
Stephen Gary Patrick (born February 4, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Patrick played 250 games in the National Hockey L ...
where he only played eight regular season games and 16 playoff games.
The
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
claimed Paiement off waivers on October 6, 1986. He only played one season in Buffalo before rounding out his career with the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
and finally, the
Muskegon Lumberjacks
The Muskegon Lumberjacks are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. They play in Muskegon, Michigan, at Mercy Health Arena. The Lumberjacks replaced the International Hockey League franchi ...
of the
International Hockey League (IHL) in
1987–88. At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player who had played for the Kansas City Scouts.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Achievements
Wilf Paiement was the first player drafted by the
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, the Rockies relocated to New Jersey where ...
/
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
/
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
organization. He played in both the first games of the Scouts and the Rockies. Upon his retirement from the NHL, Paiement was the last active player to have played for the Scouts.
While Paiement was playing for the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
he wore the number 99 for the 187 games he spent in Toronto, and was the last player other than
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 ...
to wear that number, last wearing it on March 6, 1982 against 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 ...
.
Referencing his time using the number 99, Paiement appeared in a commercial for the Canadian furniture store
Leon's
Leon's Furniture Ltd. () (Meubles Léon Limité in Quebec) is a Canadian furniture retailer which first opened its store in 1909 in Welland, Ontario. The controlling interest in the company is owned by the Leon family, while some shares are tra ...
in 2008, in honour of their 99th anniversary. The commercial teased the appearance of Gretzky before revealing Paiement, who then said "What, you're expecting someone else?"
Awards
*OMJHL First All-Star Team – 1974
*WEC–A Best Forward – 1979 (Tied with Sergei Makarov)
*NHL All–Star Team –
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
,
1977,
1978
Transactions
*July 15, 1976 – Transferred to Colorado after Kansas City franchise relocated.
*December 29, 1979 – Traded to Toronto by Colorado with Pat Hickey for Lanny McDonald and Joel Quenneville.
*March 9, 1982 – Traded to Quebec by Toronto for Miroslav Frycer and Quebec's 7th round choice (Jeff Triano) in 1982 Entry Draft.
*February 6, 1986 – Traded to NY Rangers by Quebec for Steve Patrick.
*October 6, 1986 – Claimed by Buffalo from NY Rangers in Waiver Draft.
*September 10, 1987 – Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh.
References
External links
*
Wilf's Bio on Hockey Draft Central.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paiement, Wilf
1955 births
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Colorado Rockies (NHL) players
Franco-Ontarian people
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Kansas City Scouts draft picks
Kansas City Scouts players
Living people
Muskegon Lumberjacks players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New York Rangers players
Niagara Falls Flyers players
People from Timiskaming District
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Quebec Nordiques players
St. Catharines Black Hawks players
Toronto Maple Leafs players