Geoffrion continues great hockey dynasty
Published on March 8, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
One of the greatest hockey players of all time, Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion - a six- time Stanley Cup champions and the second NHL player to score 50 goals in a season -- is having his sweater Number 5 retired this weekend by the Montreal Canadiens, the team for which he starred in the 1950s and 1960s.
And the Geoffrion name continues in hockey today in the person of his grandson, Blake Geoffrion, who plays junior hockey in the North American Hockey League for the United States National Team Development Program and is the latest in a long line of great hockey talent.
Blake, who turned 18 in February, is a 6-foot-1, 190 pound left-handed shooting left winger originally from Brentwood, Tennessee. His USNTDP club plays a regular schedule in the NAHL and also plays against outside competition, including U.S. collegiate Division I programs and international junior teams. He was projected by NHL Central Scouting as the 45th overall prospect among North American skaters in the mid-term rankings of players eligible for the NHL Entry Draft this summer. Blake will attend the University of Wisconsin and play for the Badgers next season.
Blake continues a long family tradition of historic hockey excellence, which goes back four generations. He is the son of Daniel and Kelly Geoffrion. Dan, the Boomer's son, played in the World Hockey Association with the Quebec Nordiques and the National Hockey League with the Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets. He also was a star scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Cornwall Royals, scoring 182 goals and 425 points in 268 QMJHL games in the 1970s, including 68 goals and 143 points in 71 games during the 1977-78 season. The Canadiens drafted Dan in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.
Blake's great grandfather was Hockey Hall of Famer Howie Mornez, the NHL's most electric offensive player of the 1920s and 1930s. Morenz was a three-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL most valuable player, and two-time leading scorer. He played on three Stanley Cup championship team with the Canadiens. His explosive speed and fearless play, in which he routinely hurtled through opposing defensemen with the puck to get to the opposition net, made him one of the most recognizable stars in the NHL's early years.
Morenz died in 1937 of complications from a broken leg suffered while playing for the Canadiens. His funeral was held at the Montreal Forum and his sweater number 7 was retired by the Canadiens.
Morenz's daughter, Marlene married Bernie Geoffrion in May 1952, just after the Boomer had finished his rookie season as member of the Canadiens and was awarded the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1952. Boom Boom would also win the Hart Trophy and was a two-time top scorer.
The Boomer is generally recognized as the player who popularized the slapshot and his blasts from the point on Montreal's power play led to a significant rule change: Montreal was so successful with the man advantage, scoring two or three goals per two minute penalty, the NHL began permitting penalized players to exit the penalty box after the team on the power play scored one goal.
Like his father-in-law, Bernard is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He also helped pioneer hockey's move into the U.S South with the Atlanta Flames in the 1970s, first as coach and later as a broadcaster, where he became the public face of the team.
Last season, playing for the NTDP's Under-17 team, Blake Geoffrion played in 37 NAHL games, scoring seven goals and 22 points with 62 penalty minutes. Including his non-NAHL games, he played in 58 contests, scoring 11 goals and 34 points with 108 penalty minutes.
This year, for the NTDP's Under-18 team, he has thus far played in 11 NAHL games, scoring five goals and 12 points with 24 penalty minutes. His overall stats are 14 goals and 29 points in 42 games with 40 penalty minutes.
Geoffrion's Under-18 team has two NAHL games remaining on their schedule this season. They play in Traverse City, Michigan, against the Traverse City North Stars on March 17, and they host the Cleveland Junior Barons at their home rink in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on March 20.
In April, the Under-18 team will represent the United States at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Halmstad, Sweden.
Now in its 30th season, the North American Hockey League is the oldest and largest Junior A hockey league in the United States.
The NAHL's primary goal is to enhance the development of its players in conjunction with a commitment to academic support. The League's schedule and playoff schedule is designed to minimize school conflicts.
NAHL competition helps players make the transition from midget and high school hockey to college hockey by creating an environment that is highly competitive, encourages skill development and provides time for physical growth and maturity.
Over its 30 year history, the NAHL has developed more college and professional players than any other junior hockey league in the country.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2006
- Geoffrion continues great hockey dynasty - NAHL
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