MONTREAL — Jean-Guy Talbot, one of 12 players on the Montreal Canadiens team that won five straight Stanley Cups from 1956 to 1960, has died.
He was 91 years old.
Talbot also served as the Rangers’ head coach during the 1977-78 season, compiling a 30-37-13 record.
The Canadians announced Talbot’s death Friday morning after multiple media outlets reported the news.
Born in Quebec on July 11, 1932, Talbot played 17 seasons for five NHL teams from 1954 to 1971.
Talbot also coached the St. Louis Blues from 1972 to 1974 and held a similar position with the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1976.
During his playing career, Talbot totaled 43 goals, 242 assists, and 1,014 penalty minutes in 1,066 games.
He had four goals, 26 assists and 142 penalty minutes in 151 playoff games.
He played in 801 games with the Canadiens from 1954 to 1967, recording 36 goals and 209 assists, and also won the Stanley Cup in 1965 and 1966.
He had his best individual season in 1961-62, scoring 5 goals and 42 assists in 70 games, and was the only player to be named to the NHL’s first team All-Star team.
That season, he finished third in Norris Trophy voting as the best defensive player behind the Rangers’ Doug Harvey and Chicago’s Pierre Pilotet.
After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1967 Stanley Cup Final, he was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL Expansion Draft, but played in just four games before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
After playing 32 games with the Red Wings, Talbot was claimed off waivers by the Blues.
In St. Louis, Talbot reunited with his former Canadiens teammates Harvey, Dickie Moore, and goaltender Jacques Plante. They all played important roles in the Montreal dynasty of the late 1950s.
Talbot helped the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final for three consecutive seasons. However, they were swept each time, losing twice to the Canadiens and once to the Boston Bruins.
Don Marshall, also 91, is the sole survivor of a Canadian dynasty dating back to the late 1950s.
