When players have seasons to forget, it's mostly because they were underachieving. This week's AGM had a season he and many others would want to forget-- being a part of the worst team in NHL history. This week, the profile of Michel Belhumeur.
Belhumeur started off in the Quebec Junior League with Sorel Eperviers and played in only 11 games over a three seasons span between 1964 until 1967 and would go 3-8-0 in those games. Also in the 1966-67 season, Belhumeur spend time with the St. Jerome Alouettes in the Montreal Midget League, then was on Sorel's roster for the 1967-68 season, but no games were given. During the 1968-69 season, Belhumeur would play with the Drummondville Rangers and play for 34 games.
Despite the lack of play, the Philadelphia Flyers picked Belhumeur in the 1969 Draft in the fourth round. and the Flyers would send Belhumeur to the AHL's Quebec Aces for two games in the 1969-70 season and then in the Eastern League for 14 games for the Charlotte Checkers. During the 1970-71 season, Belhumeur would play in 37 games with the Aces in the AHL and finish with a 12-15-8, the lose his only playoff appearance. The Flyers would move their affiliation to the Richmond Robins, where Belhumeur would end up for the 1971-72 season posting a 20-17-8 record in 45 appearances and was named to the AHL's Second All-Star Team.
Belhumeur would get a chance with the Flyers during the 1972-73 season, playing in 9-7-3 in 23 appearances, while also playing in 12 games with Richmond (no record). For the 1973-74 season, back in Richmond, Belhumeur would compile a 13-23-7 record, then go 1-2 in three playoff appearances.
The Washington Capitals would pluck Belhumeur in the Expansion Draft, which would prove to be rough for all parties involved. During that 1974-75 season, Belhumeur played in 35 games and wouldn't win a game, posting a 0-24-3 record with the only saving grace being the assist Belhumeur recorded-- the first goalie in Caps history to do so. Belhumeur would play in seven games in the 1975-76 season, going 0-5-1 before being sent back down to Richmond to play in the AHL; playing in 45 games and holding a 19-24-2 record and then 2-1 in the playoffs.
As the 1976-77 season rolled around, Belhumeur moved to the Central League with the Tulsa Oilers, finishing that first year with a 17-12-3 in 34 games, then losing his only playoff appearance. The second year with Tulsa in the 1977-78 season, Belhumeur played in 24 games and finished with a 8-14-0 record and then 2-3 in five games.
Starting in the 1978-79 season, Belhumeur moved to the North East League for the Utica Mohawks for 24 games, then to the New Jersey-Hampton Aces in the 1979-80 season for 11 games before retiring from the game.
Belhumeur started his professional hockey with a team called the Aces and ended it with a team called the Aces. With all the craziness that was sandwiched between them is something many would want to forget, especially going winless in a season playing more than 10 games.
No comments:
Post a Comment