Marcel Bonin was a National Hockey League veteran who was on four Stanley Cup-winning teams, one with the Detroit Red Wings and three with the Montreal Canadiens.
- Died: January 19, 2025 (Who else died on January 19?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 93.
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Marcel Bonin’s legacy
Bonin won four Stanley Cups over the course of his nine-season NHL career. The left wing forward made his NHL debut at age 20 with the Detroit Red Wings in 1952 and stepped up to full-time play in the 1954-55 season, just in time to win a Stanley Cup with the team. A massive trade moved him to the Boston Bruins the following year, and then to Montreal the year after that, where he played his last five years on the ice.
With Montreal, Bonin landed on a perennial winner. He and the Canadiens won three Stanley Cups in his five seasons playing there, highlighted by him scoring the Cup-winning goal in 1959. That year, he had 10 goals in 11 postseason games, the best in the league.
Bonin’s career was cut short in 1962 after a serious back injury he’d suffered years prior took its toll when he collided with an opponent during a game. He retired with 272 points in 454 games, and 97 goals in total.
Bonin was known as an eccentric player even before his NHL debut, claiming to have once wrestled a circus bear in an effort to win a $1,000 prize. The bear won, but Bonin went on to become a popular figure in hockey.
Tributes to Marcel Bonin
Full obituary: NHL.com
