Original Philadelphia Flyer and all-time WHA great André Lacroix passed away, the team shared today. He was 81.
The center was a beloved figure for the club across their first four NHL seasons from 1967-1971.
A prospect of the Peterborough Petes, Lacroix led the team with 120 points in just 48 games during the 1965-66 season. He was teammates of the late Danny Grant, a star across his time with the North Stars and Red Wings, as well as treasured Detroit color commentator and former player Mickey Redmond.
The trio lit it up, combining for over 300 points as the three highest ranking point-getters.
Hailing from Lauzon, Quebec, Lacroix led the Flyers in scoring in both their 1969 and 1970 campaigns, peaking with 58 points in 74 games. He was traded to Chicago after 245 games with the orange and black, unable to continue his scoring pace in the new environment as Chicago notched 46 wins as a high flying #1 ranked team.
Teammates of Hall of Famers Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, Lacroix offered 11 points in 51 games as his NHL stint came to an end at the end of the season, with the Blackhawks being dispatched in the semi-finals.
Although his NHL tenure ended at the time only aged 27, Lacroix’s best professional playing days were still ahead of him. The forward joined the WHA, at the time a new league designed to push the NHL and bring hockey to unconventional markets.
Returning to the City of Brotherly Love with the Philadelphia Blazers in 1972-73, Lacroix lit it up with 50 goals and 124 points, the most goals he’d put away in any of his professional seasons. Continuing to be a 100+ point player into the 1970s across stops in New York, San Diego, Houston, and New England, his best effort came with 147 points in 78 games in 1973-74 out west with the Mariners.
A dynamic playmaking pivot at just 5’8″, Lacroix never won a WHA title in his storied career. He’s certainly still remembered, standing as the league’s all time-leading scorer with his 798 points in 551 games.
The WHA folded in 1979 with an NHL merger, and Lacroix took his talents back to the NHL for 29 games with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80. Showcasing his ability at age 34 with 17 points in 29 games, Lacroix skated alongside the 52-year-old Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe in his unforgettable NHL return to play with his Hall of Fame son Mark, as well as a reunion with Hull, who was 41 at the time.
Going down as largely considered the best WHA player of all time, also making his mark in Philadelphia as well as a well-known team in Hartford, Lacroix hung up his skates in December 1979. He stayed involved with youth hockey for decades to come, also serving as a radio broadcaster for Whalers games.
All told, he suited up for 325 NHL contests and 876 combined with his WHA tenure, coming up only four points shy of 1,000 as a pro. We at Pro Hockey Rumors extend our condolences to Lacroix’s family, friends, and his former teammates.