Height: 5-9
Weight: 170
Shoot: R
Born: 27 Apr 1938, Dolbeau PQ (d. 1986)
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | Quebec | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Quebec | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Quebec | |||||||||||
| Mich.-Balt. | ||||||||||||
| Totals (2 teams) | ||||||||||||
| Totals: |
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Caron: He Could Have Been a Goalkeeper • by Real Labbe • The Hockey Spectator • February 23, 1973
If Glenn Hall had been known as a sharpshooter, or Jacques Plante had dominated his league in scoring, the hockey world would never have known two of the best goaltenders of the modern era. Both made their mark in the National League, and both have a chance to end up in the World Hockey Association next season. Glenn Hall is already there with the Alberta Oilers, while the Quebec Nordiques are in very serious talks with the man who popularized the goalie mask. If Alain Caron had decided to remain a goaltender, he might not have made his mark as much as he eventually did. He was sick when he was young, and at age 11 doctors forbade the Dolbeau native from participating in violent sports. Alain loved hockey too much to follow the doctors' advice. He decided to become a goaltender. That way, he could play his favorite sport without tiring himself too much. The career of this athlete from the Saguenay & Lac-Saint-Jean region seemed completely oriented toward the role of goaltender. At age 17, he decided to trade the big goalie pads for the smaller ones of a forward, and the following season with the Dolbeau juniors he scored 45 goals in 45 games. A few years later, he set a record for goals scored in a single season with 77. That record has still not been broken by a professional player — not even Phil Esposito, the prolific Boston Bruins center, who came close with 76 goals two years ago. In 1962-63, with the St. Louis Braves, Alain Caron set a new record for all leagues with 61 goals, and the following season with the same team he raised his total to 77 goals, a record that still stands. Only one player has scored 76 goals in a season, but that was in the Eastern League, considered semi-professional. This season, Alain Caron moved closer to his hometown, where he also spends the summer, when he signed a contract with the Nordiques. Maurice Filion intended to use him mainly on power plays, but Boom Boom has seen more than his share of action since the start of the regular schedule. He is approaching another milestone that few professional players can claim. By the end of the season, if he doesn't get injured, he will pass the 500-goal mark in his career. A player many thought was "finished" has scored more than 20 goals so far this season, and he fully intends to score about ten more. Caron has seen many cities in North America over the course of his career, but he played very little in the National League. He only played 60 games in that league and scored 9 goals and recorded 13 assists. It is not always good to disobey your doctor, but if Alain Caron had followed his advice, he might not be wearing the Nordiques uniform today — and who knows if his name would appear in the record book? |
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