The Canadiens announced word of Lach’s death on Saturday. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lach was on three Habs teams that won the Stanley Cup.
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Elmer Lach in 2009 (Getty Images)
His line was among the most renowned in NHL history. Lach centered fellow Hall of Fame wingers Maurice Richard and Toe Blake.
Lach was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan, on Jan. 22, 1918. He played 14 seasons.
“They used to call him Elegant Elmer but he wasn’t very elegant,” broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr. told CBC Sports. Dick Irvin Sr. was Lach’s only coach through his career from 1940 to 1954. “He was a tough little guy.
“But he was a wonderful playmaker. He knew what to do with the puck.”
Lach had a stroke a week earlier, according to The Montreal Gazette.
In remembering Lach, The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs wrote:
The Canadiens retired Lach’s No. 16 sweater in December 2009.
They could well have raised his X-rays as well. Called Lach the Unlucky, he was frequently out of the lineup with injuries, and more often in the lineup playing through them.
The Gazette offered a list of Lach’s injuries.
Lach had 215 goals in 664 NHL games, but missed 150 games.
Card issued for Lach’s sweater retirement. See more at justabitoffside.blogspot.com.
With the death of Lach, the oldest living member of the Hockey Hall of Fame is “Terrible” Ted Lindsey, 89.
Lach’s first wife Kay died in 1985 and his second wife Lise Desjardins died in 2014, according to The Canadian Press. He had two daughters.
