 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
| Billy Coutu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
March 1, 1892 North Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
February 25, 1977 (aged 84) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Hamilton Tigers Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 1911–1933 | ||
Wilfrid Arthur "Billy" Coutu (March 1, 1892 – February 25, 1977), nicknamed "Wild Beaver",[1][2] was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, the Hamilton Tigers, and the Boston Bruins. Known for his fiery temper, Coutu was once given 42 penalty minutes in a 1923 playoff game against the Ottawa Senators, still a record to this day. He is the only player ever to have been banned from the NHL for life, as a result of his attack on a referee in 1927.[3][4]
While a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Coutu was one of the players hospitalized during the cancelled 1919 Stanley Cup series, won the Stanley Cup in the 1923–24 NHL season, and was captain of the team in the 1925–26 NHL season.[5] After his eviction from the NHL, Coutu played a total of four years in the Canadian-American Hockey League (C-AHL) and American Hockey Association (AHA), then coached the C-AHL's Providence Reds.
- ^ Connor, Floyd (2002). "Goons". Hockey's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Wicked Slapshots, Bruising Goons and Ice Oddities. Potomac Books. p. 219. ISBN 157488364X.
- ^ "Surprise, Simon! Coutu's ban NHL's longest". Calgary Herald. Dec 23, 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ "Billy Coutu". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Prewitt, Alex (February 24, 2017). "NHL 100: Billy Coutu's lifetime ban remains the league's longest levied suspension". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ Stubbs, Dave (December 24, 2007). "Suspensions are steeped in hockey history". Regina Leader-Post. CanWest News Service. Retrieved February 26, 2017.