Bernie Geoffrion, the Montreal Canadiens' Hall of Fame wing who popularized the slap shot, a weapon that changed the face of hockey and brought him the enduring nickname Boom Boom, died Saturday in Atlanta. He was 75.
The cause was stomach cancer, said the Canadiens, who retired Geoffrion's number at the Bell Center in Montreal on Saturday night in a previously scheduled ceremony. Geoffrion's wife, Marlene, who flew from Atlanta for the ceremony, joined with their three children in hoisting a banner bearing his No. 5. It flies alongside the retired No. 7 of Marlene Geoffrion's father, the Hall of Famer Howie Morenz.
Geoffrion starred on six Stanley Cup championship teams in his 14 seasons with the Canadiens, then played two seasons with the Rangers. He scored 393 regular-season goals and won the National Hockey League scoring title twice. He later coached the Rangers, the Atlanta Flames and the Canadiens. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
Geoffrion became known as Boom Boom while playing junior hockey, a tribute to the sound of his slap shot when it left his stick, unleashed from a windup, and caromed off the boards. "When I slapped it, I thought it was the greatest thing ever," he told the New York Times in 1988.
Emile Francis, the Rangers' coach and general manager when Geoffrion played for them, recalled in that article how the high-velocity slap shot "was an enormous addition to the player's arsenal." The slap shot was seldom used before Geoffrion's arrival and was previously overshadowed by the wrist shot.
"Without a doubt it turned some 20-goal scorers into 50-goal scorers," Francis said.
At Saturday's tribute, Dollard St. Laurent, a longtime defenseman and teammate of Geoffrion's, told the Montreal Gazette: "He changed the game with the slap shot. Goalies were afraid to face him. He's the reason why goalies started wearing masks."
Geoffrion played on the Canadiens teams that captivated fans at the old Forum. Those teams included Maurice and Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau and Dickie Moore at forward; Doug Harvey and Tom Johnson on defense; and Jacques Plante in goal. All are in the Hall of Fame. They won the Stanley Cup in 1953, then captured a record five in a row, from 1956 to 1960.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and