Normand Lacombe Explained

Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:205
Birth Date:October 18, 1964
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Career Start:1983
Career End:1991
Draft:10th overall
Draft Year:1983
Draft Team:Buffalo Sabres
Played For:Buffalo Sabres
Edmonton Oilers
Philadelphia Flyers

Normand Lacombe (born October 18, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right wing. He was drafted in the first round, 10th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Lacombe was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Pierrefonds, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 1977 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from North Shore.[1] After playing two seasons at the University of New Hampshire, Lacombe made his professional debut with Buffalo's American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, in the 1983–84 season. Lacombe made his National Hockey League debut with the Sabres during the 1984–85 season, playing in 30 games. He appeared in 64 more games with the Sabres over the next two seasons before being traded, along with Wayne Van Dorp, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Lee Fogolin and Mark Napier.

Lacombe was a member of the Oilers team which won the Stanley Cup in the 1987–88 season, and had the finest statistical season of his career in the 1988–89 season (17 goals, 11 assists). The Oilers traded Lacombe to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he would spend the final season-plus of his career, during the 1989–90 season.

In his NHL career, Lacombe appeared in 319 games. He scored 53 goals and added 62 assists. He also played in 26 playoff games, all with Edmonton, scoring five goals and tallying one assist.

Coaching career

Lacombe was the head coach of the AJHL St. Albert Steel at the start of the 2007–08 season, but was fired shortly into the year and replaced by General Manager Greg Parks. He became the head coach of the Whitecourt Wolverines of the North West Junior Hockey League in the middle of the 2011–12 season,[2] where he led the team to a league record fourth consecutive championship.[3] In the off-season, the team folded to make way for the successor Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League,[4] for which he is now the team's strength and conditioning coach.[5]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1979–80Lac St-Louis LionsQMAAA422033534054480
1980–81Lac St-Louis LionsQMAAA4736599548634716
1981–82University of New HampshireECAC3518163438
1982–83University of New HampshireECAC3518254348
1983–84Rochester AmericansAHL4410162645
1984–85Buffalo SabresNHL3024625
1984–85Rochester AmericansAHL331316293353144
1985–86Buffalo SabresNHL25671313
1985–86Rochester AmericansAHL3210132356
1986–87Buffalo SabresNHL3947118
1986–87Rochester AmericansAHL1365114
1986–87Edmonton OilersNHL10002
1986–87Nova Scotia OilersAHL10358451126
1987–88Edmonton OilersNHL538917361930328
1988–89Edmonton OilersNHL6417112857721321
1989–90Edmonton OilersNHL1552721
1989–90Philadelphia FlyersNHL180227
1990–91Philadelphia FlyersNHL7411203127
1991–92CanadaIntl1114516
AHL totals 1324255971421042610
NHL totals 31953621151962651649

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2019-01-13.
  2. News: Wolverines hire new coach . . . 2011-12-28 . 2012-03-31.
  3. News: League records set . Brigette Jobin . . . 2012-03-28 . 2012-03-31.
  4. Web site: AJHL Moving to Whitecourt, Alberta . Alberta Junior Hockey League . May 2, 2012 . April 13, 2013.
  5. Web site: Staff . . April 13, 2013.
  6. News: ECAC All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 19, 2013.