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Bernie Geoffrion
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1972
Bernard Geoffrion Chex.jpg
Geoffrion with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1960s
Born (1931-02-16)February 16, 1931
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died March 11, 2006(2006-03-11) (aged 75)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 166 lb (75 kg; 11 st 12 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Playing career 1950–1968

Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion (born February 14, 1931 – died March 11, 2006) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He was known by his nickname, "Boom Boom". Many people think he helped invent the powerful slapshot in hockey.

After playing for 16 years with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL), he was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972. In 2017, Geoffrion was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' ever.

Playing Career: "Boom Boom" on the Ice

Geoffrion was born in Montreal, Quebec. He started playing in the NHL in 1951. He got his famous nickname "Boom Boom" because of his really strong slapshot. He even said he invented this shot when he was young! A sportswriter named Charlie Boire gave him the nickname in the late 1940s. This was when Geoffrion played junior hockey for the Laval Nationale.

He was only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season. His teammate, Maurice Richard, was the first. Geoffrion often played left-wing with other great players like Richard and Jean Béliveau. Together, they helped the Canadiens win six Stanley Cup championships. Sometimes, he played right wing on the second line.

Even though Geoffrion was very talented, he felt that other stars like Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hull, and Gordie Howe sometimes got more attention. In 1955, Geoffrion won the Art Ross Trophy for scoring the most points in the league. But he was only chosen for the NHL Second All-Star Team, while Richard made the First All-Star Team.

Geoffrion sometimes had a quick temper when he was playing. He was a very tough player. He broke his nose six times and needed over 400 stitches during his career! In 1958, he had a serious training accident. Doctors saved his life with emergency surgery. Even though doctors told him to rest, Geoffrion was back on the ice just six weeks later. He played in the 1958 Stanley Cup Final. This shows how dedicated he was to the game.

Geoffrion first stopped playing in 1964. He became the head coach for les AS de Québec in the American Hockey League (AHL). But he came back to play for the New York Rangers two seasons later. He had hoped to become team captain for the Canadiens. When Jean Béliveau was chosen instead, Geoffrion was very disappointed. He felt he had proven his leadership by playing through many injuries.

Coaching Career: Leading the Team

In 1968, Geoffrion finally stopped playing hockey for good. He became the coach of the New York Rangers. But he had to quit after only 43 games because of stomach problems.

In 1972, he became the very first coach for the Atlanta Flames. He coached them for two and a half seasons. He even led them to their first playoff game in 1974. But again, he had to leave his job because of his health.

Later, Geoffrion got to coach his favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens, in 1979. This was a dream come true for him. However, his stomach problems returned, and he had to step down during the season.

Family: A Hockey Legacy

Bernard Geoffrion came from a family with a long history in Montreal. His parents were Jean-Baptiste and Florina Geoffrion.

His wife, Marlene, also came from a famous hockey family. Her father was Howie Morenz, who is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Many of Geoffrion's family members played hockey too:

  • His son, Dan Geoffrion, played professional hockey for five seasons. He even played for the Canadiens when his father was coaching.
  • His grandson, Blake Geoffrion, played for the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.
  • Dan's younger sons, Sebastian and Brice, played college hockey.
  • His son-in-law, Hartland Monahan, played in the NHL in the 1970s.
  • His grandson, Shane Monahan, played Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners.

Retired Number: A Special Honor

On October 15, 2005, the Canadiens announced that Geoffrion's jersey number, 5, would be retired. This means no other player on the team would ever wear that number again. The ceremony was planned for March 11, 2006.

Sadly, just three days before the ceremony, Geoffrion was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Doctors tried to remove the tumor, but the cancer had spread. Bernard Geoffrion passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 11, 2006. This was the very day his jersey number was supposed to be retired.

During the ceremony, Geoffrion's son, Bob, shared a touching story. He said his father had once told his mother, Marlene, that his number would one day hang in the rafters next to her father's, Howie Morenz. To honor this wish and the special family connection, both numbers were raised together. Morenz's banner was lowered halfway and then raised back up with Geoffrion's banner.

In 2012, his grandson, Blake Geoffrion, chose to wear number 57 when he played for the Montreal Canadiens. This honored both his grandfather, Bernard Geoffrion (number 5), and his great-grandfather, Howie Morenz (number 7).

Awards and Achievements

Bernard Geoffrion won many awards during his amazing career:

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1946–47 Montreal Concordia Civics QJHL 26 7 8 15 6 — — — — —
1947–48 Laval Nationale QJHL 29 20 15 35 49 11 7 5 12 11
1947–48 Laval Nationale M-Cup — — — — — 8 3 2 5 11
1948–49 Laval Nationale QJHL 42 41 35 76 49 9 3 6 9 22
1949–50 Laval Nationale QJHL 34 52 34 86 77 3 6 0 6 8
1949–50 Montreal Royals QSHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1950–51 Montreal Nationale QJHL 36 54 44 98 80 — — — — —
1950–51 Montreal Canadiens NHL 18 8 6 14 9 11 1 1 2 6
1951–52 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 30 24 54 66 11 3 1 4 6
1952–53* Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 22 17 39 37 12 6 4 10 12
1953–54 Montreal Canadiens NHL 54 29 25 54 87 11 6 5 11 18
1954–55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 38 37 75 57 12 8 5 13 8
1955–56* Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 29 33 62 66 10 5 9 14 6
1956–57* Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 19 21 40 18 10 11 7 18 2
1957–58* Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 27 23 50 51 10 6 5 11 2
1958–59* Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 22 44 66 30 11 5 8 13 10
1959–60* Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 30 41 71 36 8 2 10 12 4
1960–61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 50 45 95 29 4 2 1 3 0
1961–62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 62 23 36 59 36 5 0 1 1 6
1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 51 23 18 41 73 5 0 1 1 4
1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 55 21 18 39 41 7 1 1 2 4
1966–67 New York Rangers NHL 58 17 25 42 42 4 2 0 2 0
1967–68 New York Rangers NHL 59 5 16 21 11 1 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 883 393 429 822 689 132 58 60 118 88

* Stanley Cup Champion.

Coaching Record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish
NYR 1968–69 43 22 18 3 (47) 3rd in East Resigned due to health problems
ATL 1972–73 78 25 38 15 65 7th in West Missed playoffs
ATL 1973–74 78 30 34 14 74 4th in West Lost in quarter-finals
ATL 1974–75 52 20 22 10 (54) 4th in West Fired midseason
MTL 1979–80 30 15 9 6 (36) 1st in Norris Resigned due to health problems
Total 281 114 119 48

See also

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