Bob Fillion

MONTREAL — Bob Fillion, who won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 and 1946, has died. He was 94.

The team’s alumni association said Thursday that Fillion attended most home games in recent years until becoming ill near the end of last season.

“He always came to the building and took notes,” said Rejean Houle, head of the association. “He followed the team very closely.”

Fillion became the oldest surviving Canadien when his former teammate Elmer Lach died at 97 in April. Gerry Plamondon, 91, who played between 1945 and 1951, is now believed to be the oldest surviving Canadien.

Fillion played seven years in the NHL. The mainly defensive left winger often played on a line with Ken Mosdell and Murph Chamberlain. He finished with 42 goals and 61 assists in 327 games, all for the Canadiens. He added seven goals and four assists in 33 playoff games.

His most productive season was his rookie year in 1943-44, when he had seven goals and 30 points. He had a career-high 10 goals in 1945-46, and then shone in the postseason with seven points in nine games to help Montreal win the Stanley Cup.

He played for the Canadiens until 1949-50 and retired after a season in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1950-51.

Fillion came from a family of seven hockey-playing brothers. One brother, Marcel, made it to the NHL, playing one game for the Boston Bruins in 1944-45. The others played in senior and minor pro leagues.

After his hockey career, Bob Fillion worked as a manager at a mine in his hometown of Thetford Mines, Quebec. In recent years, he lived in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec.


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