Perhaps, the North American Hockey League, as shown in the
movie ‘Slap Shot’, is best represented by Gilles Bilodeau. Gilles ‘Bad News’
Bilodeau had little to do with hockey and a lot to do with fighting and other
violence on the ice.
Gilles played one year of junior hockey in 1974-75 with the
Sorel Eperviers (Black Hawks) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The
year before, Sorel provided the hockey world with offense like it had never
been seen before.
The team in 1973-74, led by Pierre Larouche and his 251
points, had seven players total more than 100 points, two over 200. Three
Eperviers scored more than 90 goals during the 72 game regular season. Sorel
finished first overall in the 10 team QMJHL but fell in the playoff finals to
the Quebec Remparts.
As is often the case in junior hockey, the offensive power
moved on to the pro ranks and the 1974-75 Eperviers were left with a group
better fit for the boxing ring. Bilodeau sat 377 minutes in the penalty box
over 62 games. Although a high total, it was nothing compared to teammate Roger
Seguin who accumulated 494 minutes while somehow playing the full 72 game
schedule without suspension. The two finished 1-2 in the QMJHL for the PIM
category that season.
There were, of course, no National Hockey League takers for
Gilobeau at the NHL Amateur Draft. He did, however, fit a certain mold that the
World Hockey Association was looking for and the Toronto Toros selected him in
the ninth round of the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft, 121st overall. Over
his pro hockey career, Gilles played 143 WHA regular season games between
1975-76 and 1978-79 with the Toros, Birmingham Bulls and Quebec Nordiques.
It was in his first year of pro hockey, 1975-76, that
Bilodeau made his presence known in the North American Hockey League. Gilles
played 58 games with the Beauce Jaros while also playing 14 games for the WHA
Toros. In those 58 games, he scored eight goals and assisted on 17 more for 25
points. But, it was his penalty total that gave him ‘fame’.
The Jaros were first overall and had the first player in pro
hockey history to total more than 200 points in a season on the roster. Joe Hardy led the league with 208 points. Bilodeau was in the sin bin for 451
minutes, a 7.8 PIM per game pace. He finished first in the NAHL in that
category, 140 minutes ahead of the next contender, Dave Hanson of the Johnstown
Chiefs. In the playoffs, he added 46 more PIM, playing just five games while
the Jaros cruised to the Lockhart Cup finals before losing to the Philadelphia
Firebirds.
In his second pro season, Gilles sat 242 PIM in just 28
games for the Charlotte Checkers of the SHL. He played pro from 1975-76 to
1980-81 and had a two game stint with the Birmingham Bulls of the ACHL in
1983-84. Over 374 pro regular season games, Bilodeau sat 1,763 minutes in the
box, a 4.7 PIM per game pace.
Bilodeau actually saw action in the NHL. After playing with
the Quebec Nordiques in the final year of the World Hockey Association,
1978-79, he moved with the franchise to the NHL for 1979-80. Gilles played a
total of nine games in the NHL with the Nordiques. Unfortunately, Gilles
Bilodeau passed away in 2008.
