CLAUDE PROVOST SHOULD BE IN HALL OF FAME

I met Don Cherry and Ron MacLean one time, and mentioned that my favourite hockey player had been Montreal-born Claude Provost. “Oh yes, great defensive player” they responded. And that he was. Older fans will remember his epic battles against Bobby Hull and others, and all fans will recognize that the words “great defensive player” mean “selfless, dedicated team player of great talent”. But “great defensive player” also minimizes Provost’s talent, and I have always been sorry that I didn’t defend Provost better to Cherry and MacLean. “But he was also a great offensive player when that was what the Canadiens needed,” I could have said. “He finished second in NHL goal scoring in 196162.” Hull had 50 goals that season, and Provost tied with Gordie Howe and Frank Mahovlich for second with 33. Provost did not make the all-star team that year, since the first-team right-winger was Andy Bathgate, who won the scoring title, and the second-team rightwinger was Howe. But Provost was again asked to supply some scoring punch in 1964-65, and he once again led the Canadiens with 27 goals, ranking fifth in the league. That year he made the first all-star team, ahead of Howe, who was on the second team. It is a great shame that Provost is the answer to the following trivia question: All players and executives who have won at least eight Stanley Cups are in the Hockey Hall of Fame except one. Who is he? Provost played in 1,005 games over 14 seasons. He won nine Stanley Cups.