Yvon Pierre Lambert (born May 20, 1950) 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 ...
forward.
Lambert was born in
Drummondville,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. Although drafted in 1970 by the
Detroit Red Wings, Lambert started his
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) career 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 1973. He spent nine years in Montreal before being traded to 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 ...
. Lambert is best known for scoring the winning goal in overtime of game seven of the 1979 Stanley Cup Semi-Finals against the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
, the culmination of an exciting game most memorable for a career-damaging coaching error by
Don Cherry
Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...
with two minutes left in regulation. Lambert won four consecutive
Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1976 to 1979. Lambert played his final two seasons with the
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...
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 ...
(AHL), winning the 1982-83
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...
. He retired after the Americans lost to the
Maine Mariners in Game 5 of the 1983-84 Calder Cup Finals.
After being traded to Montreal, a year after being drafted by the Red Wings, Lambert thought he would never make it to the NHL since the Canadiens had a young and talented squad. It was his desire to get back to Detroit, which had an aging squad at the time, including
Gordie Howe
Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...
and
Alex Delvecchio
Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing caree ...
, that made him push himself to perform well with the
Port Huron Flags
The Port Huron Flags were a minor league professional ice hockey team located in Port Huron, Michigan. The Flags competed in the International Hockey League between 1962 and 1981. For three of those seasons from 1971 to 1974, Port Huron was a fa ...
since every young player at time knew they would probably have a chance to replace these players.
After a great season with Port Huron,
Ned Harkness
Nevin Donald Harkness (September 19, 1919 – September 19, 2008) was an NCAA head coach of ice hockey and lacrosse at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Cornell University and of ice hockey at Union College. Harkness was also head coach ...
, the Red Wings coach, told Lambert that if he stayed in form he would have a good chance to be given another chance with the Red Wings the following season. In August 1972, Lambert was surprised by reading in the newspaper that his services were being kept by the Canadiens. He stated in French, "During the first day at the camp, at the
forum of Montreal, there was 80 players and I find myself next to
Henri Richard
Joseph Henri Richard (February 29, 1936 – March 6, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played centre with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1955 to 1975. He was nicknamed "Pocket Rocket" aft ...
,
Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Serge Cournoyer (born November 22, 1943) is a Canadian former professional hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1979. In 1972, Cournoyer scored the tying goal in the deciding ...
,
Serge Savard
Serge Aubrey Savard, OC, CQ (born January 22, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the Senior Vice President, Hockey Operations with t ...
,
Jacques Lemaire
Jacques Gerard Lemaire (born September 7, 1945) is a Canadian former ice hockey forward and head coach who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. He spent his entire twelve-year National Hockey League (NHL) playing career with the Mo ...
, and
Larry Robinson
Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach, executive and player. His coaching career includes head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils (which he held on two occasions), as well as the Los Angeles Ki ...
. Whew! I felt so small".
Career statistics
Fan base
Before a playoff game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, on May 6, 2014, Lambert met with thousands of fans in front of the
Bell Centre
Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...
in Montreal to encourage them.
Lambert also encourages and helps "Hockey Garage Leagues" to organize games internationally. He has helped with this hockey international company over 28,000 players to play internationally. He has also helped teams by coaching them.
References
External links
*
1950 births
Living people
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Detroit Red Wings draft picks
Drummondville Rangers players
French Quebecers
Sportspeople from Drummondville
Montreal Canadiens players
Nova Scotia Voyageurs players
Port Huron Flags (IHL) players
Rochester Americans players
Stanley Cup champions
Ice hockey people from Quebec
{{canada-icehockey-winger-1950s-stub