Don Marcotte

Donald Michel Marcotte (born April 15, 1947) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who served his entire National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins and was noted as a premier defensive forward, while being versatile enough to play any forward position.

Don Marcotte
Born	(1947-04-15) April 15, 1947 (age 77) Arthabaska, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins
Playing career	1967–1982

Early life

Marcotte was born in Arthabaska, Quebec. He played junior league hockey for the Niagara Falls Flyers in 1965, 1966 and 1967.

Career

Marcotte turned professional in the 1968 season with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. After three starring seasons for the Bears, Marcotte was recalled in the 1970 season just in time to be a defensive mainstay on Boston's checking line with Derek Sanderson and Ed Westfall for the Bruins' 1970 Stanley Cup Finals where they ended their 29 year drought to win the championship.

Marcotte scored his first NHL goal in a 3–1 Boston loss to the Montreal Canadiens on February 15, 1969 at the Montreal Forum.

Marcotte would play twelve more seasons in Boston, winning a second Stanley Cup in 1972, and helping Boston to three more finals in 1974, 1977, and 1978, but Boston did not win the cup. Marcotte was honored by being selected one of the NHL All-Stars for the 1979 Challenge Cup.

Marcotte became noteworthy for his defense and penalty-killing—he led the NHL in shorthanded goals in 1971 with six—while scoring twenty or more goals seven times and thirty goals in 1975. Marcotte was assigned to shadow superstar wingers like the Chicago Black Hawks' Bobby Hull (the "Golden Jet") and Montreal Canadiens' Guy Lafleur (the "Flower"); Lafleur in turn "considered Marcotte the toughest checker he ever faced" after the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs.^[1] Described by teammate Terry O'Reilly, Marcotte was said to have "tremendous concentration. He never takes his eyes off of his winger and he never stops skating. What he lacks in speed and finesse he compensates for with hustle and disciplined play. He is a hard body checker who believes in playing the man before the puck, yet as the small number of minutes he spends in the penalty box indicate, he is not a dirty player".^[2]

In his later years as a Bruin, Marcotte mentored Steve Kasper into a premier defensive forward.^[2] After being released in training camp by the Bruins in the fall of 1982, Marcotte retired from hockey. He had played in 868 games, scoring 230 goals and 254 assists for 484 points, and adding 317 penalty minutes. Marcotte's 21 shorthanded goals in the regular season ranks him fourth in Bruins' history behind only Brad Marchand, Rick Middleton and Derek Sanderson.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1963–64	Victoriaville Bruins	QJHL		—	—	—	—	—		9	14	2	16	33
1964–65	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.		56	28	23	51	94		11	7	5	12	30
1964–65	Niagara Falls Flyers	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		13	9	6	15	22
1965–66	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.		45	28	22	50	76		6	3	3	6	11
1965–66	Boston Bruins	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	Oklahoma City Blazers	CPHL		2	1	0	1	2		5	2	0	2	0
1966–67	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.		35	21	21	42	38		13	8	8	16	28
1967–68	Hershey Bears	AHL		72	31	22	53	35		5	0	1	1	16
1968–69	Boston Bruins	NHL		7	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Hershey Bears	AHL		67	35	21	56	65		11	7	2	9	25
1969–70	Boston Bruins	NHL		35	9	3	12	14		14	2	0	2	11
1969–70	Hershey Bears	AHL		35	28	15	43	23		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	15	13	28	30		4	0	0	0	0
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL		47	6	4	10	12		14	3	0	3	6
1971–72	Boston Braves	AHL		8	4	7	11	2		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	24	31	55	49		5	1	1	2	0
1973–74	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	24	26	50	18		16	4	2	6	8
1974–75	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	31	33	64	76		3	1	0	1	0
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL		58	16	20	36	24		12	4	2	6	8
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	27	18	45	20		14	5	6	11	10
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		77	20	34	54	16		15	5	4	9	8
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		79	20	27	47	10		11	5	3	8	10
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		32	4	11	15	0		10	2	3	5	4
1980–81	Boston Bruins	NHL		72	20	13	33	32		3	2	2	4	6
1981–82	Boston Bruins	NHL		69	13	21	34	14		11	0	4	4	10
NHL totals				868	230	254	484	317		132	34	27	61	81

References

1. "Three Little Words: Too Many Men". Sports Illustrated Longform.
2. "Defensive standout Don Marcotte proves two-way hockey still pays off". Christian Science Monitor. 22 March 1982.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database