Didier Pitre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Didier Pitre |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963 | |||
 |
|||
| Born | September 1, 1883 Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada |
||
| Died | July 29, 1934 (aged 50) Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. |
||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing/Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Montreal Le National Michigan Soo Indians Montreal Shamrocks Edmonton Pros Renfrew Millionaires Vancouver Millionaires Montreal Canadiens |
||
| Playing career | 1908–1928 | ||
Didier Pitre (born September 1, 1883 – died July 29, 1934) was a famous Canadian ice hockey player. He was known as "Cannonball" because he had one of the strongest shots in hockey. Didier Pitre was one of the first players to join the Montreal Canadiens team.
He and his teammates were French-Canadian. This led to the team being called The Flying Frenchmen. Some of his well-known teammates were Jack Laviolette and Newsy Lalonde.
Didier Pitre played for many teams early in his career. He played in the International Professional Hockey League, which was the first professional hockey league. He also played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Pitre was a great scorer. He helped the Canadiens win their first Stanley Cup in 1916. In 1963, he was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Didier Pitre was the uncle of Vic Desjardins. Vic also became a famous hockey player. He is in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Didier Pitre had an exciting hockey career. He played for several teams. He was known for his powerful shots.
Early Professional Hockey
Didier Pitre started his major league career in the International Professional Hockey League (IPHL). This was the first league where players were paid. He played for the Michigan Soo Indians. Before that, Pitre and Jack Laviolette played together. They were on the Montreal Le National team. This team was part of the Federal Amateur Hockey League.
Pitre joined the Michigan Soo team in the 1904–05 season. By the 1905–06 season, he was the top scorer. He scored 41 goals in 22 games. Pitre was chosen for the IPHL First All-Star Team. This happened in both 1905–06 and 1906–07.
Even with Pitre and Laviolette, the Michigan Soo team did not win a championship. They finished 3rd, 2nd, and 4th in the league.
Moving to New Teams
The IPHL league stopped playing after the 1906–07 season. Pitre then joined the Montreal Shamrocks in 1907–08. This team was in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). Jack Laviolette joined him there again.
Pitre played only one year with the Shamrocks. Then he moved to Alberta to play. He joined the Edmonton Pros. With Edmonton, Pitre played three games. In December 1908, his team tried to win the Stanley Cup. They played against the Montreal Wanderers. Edmonton lost the challenge.
After this, Pitre went back to eastern Canada. He played for the Renfrew Creamery Kings. This was in the FAHL for the rest of the 1908–09 season.
Joining the Montreal Canadiens
Didier Pitre joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1910. This was the team's first season. They were part of the new National Hockey Association (NHA). He played with Jack Laviolette and Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde.
Pitre stayed with the Canadiens for four years. Then he moved west again. He played for the Vancouver Millionaires in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). This happened in 1913–14. The owner of the Millionaires, Frank Patrick, convinced him to join. In a trade, Newsy Lalonde went to the Canadiens.
Pitre came back to the Montreal Canadiens the next year. This was for the 1914–15 season. In 1916, Pitre was a top player in the NHA. He led the league in assists and points. He scored 24 goals and 15 assists. This gave him 39 points.
He also helped the Canadiens win their first Stanley Cup. They beat the Portland Rosebuds. The Canadiens won in five games. Pitre also scored the most goals in the playoffs that year.
In the 1919 Stanley Cup playoffs, Pitre led in points. However, these playoffs were stopped early. This was due to a widespread illness. By 1921, the Canadiens had many good forwards. They also needed a defence player. A great player named Joe Hall had passed away. So, they asked Pitre to play as a defenceman. This was not too hard for him. He had played as a rover before. He stayed with the Canadiens when the NHL was formed. He played until 1923.
Pitre played as a forward for most of his career. But he spent his last two seasons as a defenceman.
Didier Pitre's Playing Style
Didier Pitre was fast, strong, and had a powerful shot. This made him one of the best offensive players of his time. He was a forward who shot right-handed. Pitre mostly played as a right wing. He also sometimes played as a rover. The NHA removed the rover position in 1911–12. Later in his career, he played as a defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens.
Pitre's hard shot was often called a "bullet shot" by newspapers. He would shoot from far away. In an interview in 1913, Pitre explained his shot. He said he used the middle of his stick blade. This needed a lot of speed and strength. Most players used the heel of the stick. Pitre liked the middle because it helped him aim the puck better. His teammates gave him the "bullet shot" nickname. This was because his shots often hit the Montreal Wanderers goalie, Riley Hern, very hard.
Pitre was a big player. He could handle himself physically on the ice. Sometimes, this led to him getting many penalty minutes. Outside of hockey, Pitre also played lacrosse. He played for the Montreal Nationals.
Lester Patrick, a famous player and executive, praised Pitre. He said Pitre shot a "heavy puck." This means the puck felt very heavy when it hit you. Patrick also said Pitre was a "clear-headed thinker" on the ice. He believed this made Pitre a superstar player.
Legacy and Later Life
After his hockey career, Didier Pitre sold his business. He moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This was where he had started his professional hockey career. His nephew, Vic Desjardins, also became an NHL player. Vic played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers. He was later inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Didier Pitre passed away on July 29, 1934. He died in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, due to a sudden illness.
In 1963, Didier Pitre was honored. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Images for kids
-
Didier Pitre with the Montreal Canadiens.
