| Billy Coutu | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1, 1892 North Bay, ON, CAN |
| Died | February 25, 1977 (aged 84) Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) |
| Position | Defenceman |
| Shot | Left |
| Playing career | 1916–1933 |
Wilfrid Arthur Coutu (March 1, 1892 – February 25, 1977) was a professional Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, the Hamilton Tigers, and the Boston Bruins. He was the only player banned from the NHL for life, as a result of his attack on a referee in 1927.
A former captain of the Montreal Canadiens (1925–26), Coutu also played for the Boston Bruins and Hamilton Tigers and coached the Providence Reds. His name appears on the 1923–24 Stanley Cup ring.
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Billy Coutu's last name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "Couture", an error which appears in many NHL history books and, for a time, even showed up on the Montreal Canadiens website. Several hockey history books, including The Hockey News "Habs Heroes" by Ken Campbell incorrectly attribute his name to a photograph of teammate Louis Berlinguette. He and his family pronounced their name "Koochee", which was sometimes confused with "Couture".
Ms. Aird Stuart, the sister of Coutu's wife, Gertrude Aird, was the mother of Mary Morenz and grandmother of Marlene Geoffrion, daughter of Howie Morenz and widow of Bernie Geoffrion. Howie Morenz played with Coutu on the Canadiens.
Coutu turned professional with the Canadiens in 1916–17, the last season of the NHA. He stayed with the Canadiens when the new NHL formed for 1917–18. During the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1919, Coutu and four other teammates contracted influenza and were hospitalized. The 1919 Stanley Cup series was cancelled.
After playing the 1920–21 NHL season with the Hamilton Tigers, Coutu was traded back to Montreal prior to the start of the 1921–22 NHL season, along with Sprague Cleghorn, in exchange for Harry Mummery, Amos Arbour, and Cully Wilson, in the NHL's first multiple-player trade.
After the 1925–26 NHL season, Coutu was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Amby Moran. During his first practice with the Bruins, Coutu body-slammed Eddie Shore. Coutu's forehead hit Shore's skull, severing Shore's ear. Shore visited several doctors who wanted to amputate the ear, but finally found one who sewed it back on. After refusing anaesthetic, Shore used a mirror to watch the doctor sew the ear back on. Shore claimed Coutu used his hockey stick to cut off the ear, and Coutu was fined $50; Shore later recanted and Coutu's money was refunded.
At the end of Game 4 of the 1927 Stanley Cup, Coutu started a bench-clearing brawl, apparently at the request of coach Art Ross, by assaulting referee Jerry Laflamme and tackling referee Billy Bell. As a result, he was expelled from the NHL for life; as of January 2011, this punishment has not been used again. On October 8, 1929, the suspension was lifted so that Coutu could play in the minor leagues. He never played in the NHL again, although he was reinstated in 1932–33 at the insistence of Leo Dandurand.
Source: Hockey Database
Full amateur and professional statistics
| Preceded by Sprague Cleghorn |
Montreal Canadiens captain 1925–26 |
Succeeded by Sylvio Mantha |