Rogie Vachon

Rogatien Rosaire "Rogie" Vachon (born September 8, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League between 1967 and 1982.

He and Worsley shared the Vezina Trophy, with a combined 2.26 GAA, the lowest since 1958-59.

Vachon entered the National Hockey League in 1966-67 with the Montreal Canadiens, as a backup goaltender to Gump Worsley.

He played only 19 games during the season, but played most of the games in the playoffs and led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Finals.

They lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Vachon now had a permanent spot on the Canadiens roster.

Punch Imlach, the coach of the Leafs, referred to Vachon as a junior B goaltender in an attempt to rattle him during the Stanley Cup finals.

Vachon played 39 games in the 1967–68 season and won 23 of them.

Montreal won the Stanley Cup that season and in 1968–69 as well.

During the 1969–70 season, Worsley was traded to the Minnesota North Stars and Vachon got the starting job, but the Canadiens missed the playoffs.

After losing the Canadiens' starting job to rookie Ken Dryden early in 1971–72, Vachon requested a trade to a team that needed a starter, which happened on November 4, 1971 when he was sent to the Los Angeles Kings for Denis DeJordy, Dale Hoganson, Noel Price and Doug Robinson.

It was with the Kings that Vachon had the finest moments of his NHL career.

He was named the team MVP four times between 1973 and 1977.

He was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1974–75, and he was named to the NHL second All-Star team in 1974-75 and 1976-77.

In one game in 1976–77, it appeared he was due credit for scoring a goal when the New York Islanders scored on themselves during a delayed penalty; however, after video review, the goal was credited to Vic Venasky after it was determined that Vachon was the second-to-last Kings player to touch the puck before it went in the net.

Vachon also set many goaltending records in Kings history that still stand.

In 1976, Vachon was chosen to play for Canada, along with fellow goaltenders Gerry Cheevers and Glenn Resch.

He was given the top spot and played in every game of the tournament.

He recorded six wins and one loss, two shutouts and a 1.39 goals against average.

Canada won the tournament, and Vachon was selected for the All-Star team and named team MVP.

Vachon became a restricted free agent following the 1977–78 season and signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

The five-year deal paid Vachon $1.9 million and made him the league's highest paid goaltender.

Vachon struggled from the beginning in Detroit.

In his first game, he managed just nine saves against 14 shots in a game Detroit lost 5-4.

As the year wore on, things did not improve for Vachon.

Red Wings coach Bobby Kromm told Sports Illustrated: "When we signed Vachon, we thought we'd improved our club and give ourselves as good a 1-2 goaltending punch as there was in hockey. But it hasn't worked out that way."

Further complicating things was the distraction that Vachon's signing created for the hockey club.

Because he was a restricted free agent, the Red Wings were required to give compensation to the Los Angeles Kings, Vachon's former club.

An arbitrator ruled that young centre Dale McCourt, whom the Red Wings had selected first overall in the 1977 NHL amateur draft, would go to the Kings.

McCourt, who had led the Red Wings in scoring as a rookie in the 1977-78 season, refused to report to Los Angeles and sued the league.

In his first season with the Wings, Vachon allowed a goal more per game than he had the previous season, and in his second season he continued to struggle, posting numbers below his career averages.

To his credit, he gained the distinction of recording the Red Wings' first victory in their new home, the Joe Louis Arena.

After two disappointing seasons in Detroit, the Red Wings traded Vachon to the Boston Bruins in the summer of 1980 for fellow netminder Gilles Gilbert.

In Boston, Vachon served as a mentor to rookie goalies Marco Baron and Jim Craig, who had starred for the US National Team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Vachon played 53 games for the Bruins and improved his numbers marginally from his time in Detroit; he also won more games than he lost for his first time since leaving Los Angeles.

However, in the playoffs, things went poorly as the Bruins were swept in three games by the Minnesota North Stars and surrendered twenty goals in the process.

Vachon allowed five goals in the first game, then gave up six in game two before getting pulled.

He gave up five more goals in game three and ended the playoffs with a 5.85 goals against average.

In the 1981-82 season, Baron took over the starting job from Vachon, who played 38 games as the back-up.

His number 30 was the first number retired by the Kings, in a ceremony on February 14, 1985.

He has since served in a variety of executive positions with the Kings organization.