Pierre Lacroix (August 3, 1948 – December 13, 2020) was a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

executive. He was the president and general manager of the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

from 1994 to 2006. After the Nordiques moved to Colorado in 1995, he built teams that won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

twice, in 1996 and 2001. He was posthumously inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

in 2023 as a builder.

Executive and management career

Lacroix became president and general manager of the

in 1994, and followed the team to Denver a year later. He was known for his astute trades, such as his acquisition of

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...

during the

1995–96 NHL season The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. As part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed after the 1994–95 NHL lockout, each team began playing 82 games per season. The Queb ...

that led to a Cup that season and his trades for star defensemen

Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial ...

during the

1999–2000 NHL season The 1999–2000 NHL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Atlanta Thrashers, 28 teams each played 82 games. This was the first season played in which teams were awarded a point for ...

and Rob Blake during the

2000–01 NHL season The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, 30 teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalan ...

that also led to a Stanley Cup in 2001. On March 8, 2006, a day before the NHL trade deadline, Pierre Lacroix traded goalie David Aebischer for

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Hart and Vezina trophy winner José Théodore. This trade was criticized in the local media at the time because Théodore was having a very bad season and was injured at the time of the trade. This criticism from media and fans continued at varying degrees throughout Théodore's short tenure with the Avalanche. On May 12, 2006, Lacroix announced that he would be giving up his general manager duties and focusing solely on a new role as team president. On May 10, 2013, Lacroix announced that he was stepping down as president and would serve in an advisory role for the club. On April 8, 2008, Lacroix was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to the Colorado Avalanche organization.

Personal life and death

Lacroix was the father of two sons, including former NHL player Eric Lacroix. He died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, on December 13, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacroix, Pierre 1948 births 2020 deaths Colorado Avalanche executives Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada Ice hockey people from Montreal Laval National coaches National Hockey League executives Quebec Nordiques executives Stanley Cup champions

Executive and management career

Personal life and death

See also

References