Greatest Habs One-Hit Wonders: Pierre Larouche

However that didn’t stop him from having his magical season the next year when he got to centre superstar forward Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt after the retirement of Lafleur’s long-term centreman Jacques Lemaire the year prior. Playing with Lafleur, Larouche got to live a brief superstardom and become one of only six players in Habs history to score 50 goals in a single season. During the 1979-80 season, Larouche put up 50 goals and 91 points in 73 games. It seemed like the Canadiens had found their next top line centre for the next couple of years but it wouldn’t be long before he would fall out of favor with the Habs yet again. 

The following season, Larouche fell back to 25 goals and 52 points in 61 games, which are good numbers but far from the player he had shown to be the year before. It was clear that Larouche was a talented offensive player, but his game just never fit with the Canadiens over a long-term period. The very next season, he was traded to the Hartford Whalers, along with a 1st Round pick in 1984 (Sylvain Cote) and a 3rd Round pick in 1985, for a 1st Round pick in 1984 (Petr Svoboda), 2nd Round pick in 1984 and a 3rd Rounder in 1985. At the time of the trade, Larouche was nearly performing at a point per game pace with 9 goals and 21 points in 22 games. 

For the return the Habs got for him, it was very underwhelming considering the trade was essentially just two pick swaps and Larouche for a 2nd Round pick. That type of offensive talent should have garnered more than it did, which means there was clear tension within the team.

Before being a Hab, Larouche also had a 50-goal season with the Penguins, and was looking like a star with an up-and-coming Penguins team but he couldn’t bring that star level once he returned to his home province. If we think about it, Larouche was one of the first examples of players from Quebec cracking under the pressure of playing in Montreal. 

He had good offensive performances, obviously, but there seemed to be some issues between him and the team that will make his 50-goal season seem more like a one-hit wonder rather than just a star player who was able to take his game to the next level for one season. Nonetheless, Larouche’s 1979-80 season will always be one to remember in Habs history.