Pilote, Pierre P.
Hockey
b. Dec. 11, 1931, Kenogami, Quebec
A rough, tough defenseman, Pilote grew up in a French-speaking town and claimed that the first English words he learned were "Do you want to fight?"
After starring as an amateur with the St. Catharines TeePees, he became a professional in 1951. He had a trial with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1955-56 and joined the team as a regular the following season. He stayed with Chicago through 1967-68, then spent a final season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring.
Pilote captained the 1960-61 Chicago team that won the Stanley Cup. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman three years in a row, 1964-66, and was a first- or second-team all-star eight times. His 59 points in 1964-65 was a record for defensemen at the time.
In 890 regular season games, Pilote scored 80 goals and had 418 assists. He had 8 goals and 53 assists in 86 playoff games.
During one stretch of more than five seasons, Pilote played 376 consecutive games. The streak ended when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in 1961-62.
