| Aurèle Joliat | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1947 | |||
 | |||
| Born | (1901-08-29)August 29, 1901 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died | June 2, 1986(1986-06-02) (aged 84) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 136 lb (62 kg; 9 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 1922–1938 | ||
Aurèle Émile "Mighty Atom, Little Giant"Joliat[1] (August 29, 1901 – June 2, 1986) was a Canadian professionalice hockeyleft winger who played 16 seasons in theNational Hockey League for theMontreal Canadiens.
Joliat was born and raised inOttawa. He began his organized hockey career in 1916, playing for several Canadian amateur teams inOttawa andIroquois Falls, Ontario.[2]
Joliat had signed a contract to play for theSaskatoon Crescents of theWestern Canada Hockey League for the 1922–23 season, but his contract rights were traded to theMontreal Canadiens when Crescents' managerFrederick E. Betts sought to sign aging superstarNewsy Lalonde as aplayer-coach.[3][4]
At first, the deal of an unknown for the greatest player in the game was wildly unpopular with Habs fans, but the "Little Giant" proved an immediate success on the ice. Thefollowing season, Joliat helped the Canadiens to theStanley Cup in 1924 over the WCHL'sCalgary Tigers. He helped the Canadiens win two more cups in 1930 and 1931.[citation needed]
Joliat proved noteworthy as a two-way forward, particularly for the ability to counterattack after a breakup. Despite his lack of size—at 5′7″ and 136 lbs, Joliat was one of the smallest players in the game—he was also notable for a refusal to back off from on-ice confrontations.[citation needed]
His breakout season was1925, when teamed withHowie Morenz andBilly Boucher, Joliat scored 29 goals to lead the NHL, and his 41 points would be a career high. He would remain an impact scorer for the Habs through the1938 season, and retired the following year, reportedly devastated by Morenz's recent death.[citation needed]
Joliat finished his career with 270 goals and 460 points in 655 games. At the time of his retirement, Joliat was the NHL career leader in games played, a mark he held until surpassed byHooley Smith in1940.[citation needed]
He was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1947.[citation needed]
In a 1985 Montreal Canadiens Old-Timers game, Joliat skated around the Montreal Forum to a huge ovation as a "special treat" for the fans. Despite falling twice over TV cables on the ice, he quickly stood up and finished his skate, the trademark black cap he wore back in his playing days held in his hand.[citation needed]
Joliat continued to skate along Ottawa'sRideau Canal well into his 80s, and died at the age of 84 in 1986 after seeing his beloved Canadiens win their 23rd Stanley Cup earlier that year. He was buried inNotre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario.[citation needed]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(May 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Source:[6]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1916–17 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | OCHL | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Aberdeens | OCHL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1918–19 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | OCHL | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | OCHL | 7 | 12 | 0 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1920–21 | Iroquois Falls Papermakers | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1921–22 | Iroquois Falls Flyers | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 24 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 1923–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 24 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1923–24 | Montreal Canadiens | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1924–25 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 25 | 30 | 11 | 41 | 85 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 21 | ||
| 1924–25 | Montreal Canadiens | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1925–26 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 35 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 43 | 14 | 4 | 18 | 79 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1927–28 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 28 | 11 | 39 | 105 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1928–29 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 59 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1929–30 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 42 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 40 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1930–31 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 43 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 73 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 1931–32 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1932–33 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 53 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1933–34 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 22 | 15 | 37 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1934–35 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1935–36 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 47 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1937–38 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 655 | 270 | 190 | 460 | 771 | 54 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 88 | ||||
| St-Cup totals | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 22 | ||||
| Preceded by | Winner of theHart Trophy 1934 | Succeeded by |