Norm Beaudin

Norm Beaudin
Born	(1941-11-28) November 28, 1941 (age 83) Montmartre, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	St. Louis Blues Minnesota North Stars Winnipeg Jets SC Langnau HC Sierre
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1962–1979

Norman Joseph Andrew Beaudin (born November 28, 1941) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Between 1962 and 1979, he played two short stints in the National Hockey League and spent most of his major league career in the World Hockey Association with the Winnipeg Jets. He spent the rest of his career in the minor leagues and the Swiss Nationalliga A. He owned two hockey stores in Florida.

Minor leagues

In four years in the junior leagues, Beaudin played twice for the Memorial Cup: in 1961 with the Regina Pats of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and in 1962 with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 1962, Beaudin signed with the Montreal Canadiens and played with their farm team in Hull-Ottawa. It is there that he accomplished the rare feat of scoring a goal in the same game that he served as an emergency goaltender. ^[1] In 1963 he was claimed in the waiver draft by the Detroit Red Wings and played the next four seasons with their farm clubs, the Pittsburgh Hornets and the Memphis Wings. In 1967, he was claimed by the St. Louis Blues in the expansion draft, and made his NHL debut that year; ^[2] he spent most of the season with the Blues' Kansas City affiliate. He was loaned to the American Hockey League Buffalo Bisons in 1968, and then played three seasons for the Cleveland Barons of the AHL. At that time, his rights were traded to the Minnesota North Stars, for whom he played 12 games in 1970-71.

WHA career

Beaudin was the first player signed by the Winnipeg Jets of the newly established World Hockey Association, ^[3] and he played on a line nicknamed the Luxury Line with superstar left winger Bobby Hull and centre Christian Bordeleau in the Jets' inaugural season. ^[4] He had his best pro season by far, scoring 38 goals and 65 assists for 103 points, and was named to play in the WHA's first All-Star Game in 1973. He led the WHA playoffs in scoring that year with 13 goals and 15 assists, including seven points in one game against the Minnesota Fighting Saints.

Beaudin's production dropped sharply the next season, and in 1974 he and Bordeleau were replaced as Hull's linemates by Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. After the Jets won the AVCO World Trophy in 1976, Beaudin signed with Swiss team SC Langnau, with whom he played for two seasons before retiring.

Biography

A biography of his career, The Original: Living Life Through Hockey, was published in 2022. ^[5]

Career statistics

^[6]

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1959–60	Regina Pats	SJHL		58	25	32	57	18		13	7	2	9	4
1960–61	Regina Pats	SJHL		60	39	40	79	23		16	12	6	18	6
1960–61	Regina Pats	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		6	3	0	3	0
1961–62	Regina Pats	SJHL		54	58	30	88	22		16	14	6	20	2
1961–62	Spokane Comets	WHL		—	—	—	—	—		4	1	3	4	0
1961–62	Edmonton Oil Kings	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	3	2	5	4
1962–63	Hull-Ottawa Canadiens	EPHL		72	19	22	41	16		3	1	0	1	2
1963–64	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		13	4	2	6	2		5	1	3	4	4
1964–65	Memphis Wings	CHL		53	42	24	66	28		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		13	4	2	6	2		2	1	0	1	0
1965–66	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		70	29	29	58	35		3	1	1	2	0
1966–67	Memphis Wings	CHL		65	39	37	76	32		7	4	3	7	0
1967–68	St. Louis Blues	NHL		13	1	1	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Kansas City Blues	CHL		59	22	23	45	26		7	5	7	12	5
1968–69	Buffalo Bisons	AHL		74	32	39	71	10		6	1	3	4	7
1969–70	Cleveland Barons	AHL		70	34	44	81	10		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		12	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Cleveland Barons	AHL		59	27	48	75	39		8	2	2	4	4
1971–72	Cleveland Barons	AHL		75	33	33	66	16		5	2	1	3	4
1972–73	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		78	38	65	103	15		14	13	15	28	2
1973–74	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		74	27	28	55	8		4	3	1	4	2
1974–75	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		79	16	31	47	8		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		80	16	31	47	38		13	2	3	5	10
1976–77	SC Langnau	NLA		27	27	11	38	—		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	SC Langnau	NLA		28	20	11	31	—		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	HC Sierre	NLA		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
WHA totals				311	97	155	252	69		31	18	19	37	14
NHL totals				25	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—

References

1. 'Fires Goal, Plays Goal in E.C.H.L.', The Windsor Star, November 3, 1962.
2. https://www.iihf.com/en/news/13430/a-happy-original-blue
3. https://brileybaxterbooks.com/2021/11/25/new-memoir-profiles-ice-hockey-legend-norm-beaudin/
4. Skating through life, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 21, 2007.
5. https://brileybaxterbooks.com/author-kim-passante-norm-beaudin
6. Internet Hockey Database

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database