Normand Léveillé
| Normand Léveillé | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 10, 1963 Montreal, QC, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) |
| Position | Forward |
| Played for | Boston Bruins |
| NHL Draft | 14th overall, 1981 Boston Bruins |
| Playing career | 1981–1983 |
Normand Léveillé (born January 10, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec) is a retired Canadian professional hockey left winger who played 2 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, where he was sometimes called "Norm Leveille," but whose career was cut short at the age of 19 by a disabling aneurysm on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum which left him firstly in a coma, then initially unable to walk.[1] After having recovered he devoted his energies to therapy for others suffering light-to-moderate disabling conditions. He is the founder and president of the Centre Normand-Léveillé at Drummondville in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec.[2][3][4] His story is told in Un arrêt en plein vol by Thérèse Desjardins (2005)[5][6]
Playing career
Leveille was drafted in the 1st Round, 14 overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of the QMJHL after a 101 point season in his last year with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. He had a decent rookie campaign with the Boston Bruins, scoring 33 points in 60 games. However, personal tragedy struck Leveille in his sophomore season in the NHL.
After the first period in a game against the Vancouver Canucks that year, Leveille complained of feeling dizzy and having pains in his shoulder. As the trainers began tending to him he lost consciousness. He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where doctors confirmed he had suffered a very serious brain aneurysm.[7] Leveille was rushed into emergency surgery in an effort to save his life. After surgery he was comatose for 3 weeks. After regaining consciousness he remained hospitalized for an additional 3 weeks. He recovered enough to walk again but at the age of 19 his promising career as an NHLer was over. Doctors confirmed that his aneurysm was caused by a congenital condition and that it wasn't triggered by an on-ice incident.
In 1995 the Boston Bruins Hockey Club invited Leveille back to the closing ceremonies of the Boston Garden where he was allowed to skate on the Garden ice one last time. Bruin Captain Raymond Bourque helped escort Leveille around the ice surface during that memorable evening that closed the Garden.[8]
Career statistics
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1979-80 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 60 24 12 36 39 -- -- -- -- --
1980-81 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 72 55 46 101 46 -- -- -- -- --
1981-82 Boston Bruins NHL 66 14 19 33 49 -- -- -- -- --
1982-83 Boston Bruins NHL 9 3 6 9 0 -- -- -- -- --
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NHL Totals 75 17 25 42 49 -- -- -- -- --
References
- ↑ Normand Léveillé
- ↑ Centre Normand-Léveillé
- ↑ Canada. Parliament. House of Commons - House of Commons debates: 2005 Issues 78-90 "Now, the Centre Normand Léveillé is established on the SaintFrancois River in Drummondville. It welcomes individuals of all ages with a light to moderate disability, be it physical or intellectual. I encourage you to discover this man ..."
- ↑ Repère Volume 1 Services documentaires Multimedia, Bibliothèque nationale du Québec - 2005 "Centre Normand-Léveillé (Québec) - Jacqueline Simoneau Normand Léveillé: un homme de coeur et de courage. — Capital santé, 7, no 9. juil.-août 2005, p. 38-40. Portrait et parcours de cet ex-joueur de hockey professionnel ..."
- ↑ http://www.efb.net "1 mars 2005 – Un arrêt en plein vol raconte la vie de Normand Léveillé, ex-joueur des Bruins de Boston, foudroyé sur la patinoire du Pacific Coliseum à ..."
- ↑ Desjardins, Thérèse, Un arrêt en plein vol : Normand Léveillé l'ex-joueur de la LNH se ..." Léveillé, Normand, Centre Normand-Léveillé. Fondation - 2005
- ↑ "Leveille breathing unaided as life-support systems removed". Montreal Gazette. 1982-11-06. p. G2. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
- ↑ Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781550548600.
External links
| Preceded by Barry Pederson |
Boston Bruins first round draft pick 1981 |
Succeeded by Gord Kluzak |
|