HelpfromaHallofFamer

Steve Shutt knows what it’s like to shoot for the stars — and now he’s helping Chinese youngsters do the same.

Forty years ago, Shutt was the top sniper on the greatest team in NHL history — the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. At age 24, he lit the lamp 60 times in 80 games that season and led the league in both evenstrength goals (52) and gamewinners (9).

For most of his career, Shutt patrolled left wing on a line that featured fellow Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur on the right side. Regardless of who slotted in as their center — first Pete Mahovlich, later Jacques Lemaire and Pierre Larouche — the ShuttLafleur tandem emerged as the league’s most feared scoring threat.

En route to leading the Canadiens to four straight Stanley Cup titles from 1976-80, the duo combined for an astonishing 411 goals and 879 points in 320 regular-season games and added another 148 points in 41 playoff contests. They remain the only players in the Canadiens’ 113-year history to record 60-goal seasons.

After 14 NHL campaigns, Shutt retired in 1985 with 408 regular-season goals, another 50 in the playoffs … and his name engraved on the Stanley Cup five times. His stellar career was capped by induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

From Jan 9-15, Shutt and fellow Cup winners Gaston Gingras, Mathieu Dandenault and Patrice Brisebois will serve as coaches at a series of youth clinics in Beijing.

Organized by the Canadiens Alumni China Project and sponsored by Hong Kong-based CTC Group Ltd, the clinics are for players in the 6-10 age bracket.

“This is the first project for the Canadiens Alumni in Asia, and we expect combined participation at the clinics and other events to exceed 5,000,” said Juan Montoya of CTC Group Ltd, a Canadian-led provider of ice rinks and winter leisure facilities across the continent.

“The players will also visit schools to give demonstrations and speeches about teamwork and coaching.

“Other activities include a visit to the Canadian Embassy and an outdoor pond hockey tournament. With specialized instruction for goalies, defensemen and forwards, the clinics represent a great opportunity for Chinese youngsters to improve their skills.”

CTC Group Ltd worked for several months to make the project happen, Montoya said.

“Planning the clinics and other activities started last year and the timing is excellent, coming on the heels of Beijing’s winning bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.”