"Boom Boom" Geoffrion

Joseph André Bernard Geoffrion, the Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach nicknamed "Boom Boom" or "Boum Boum," was born February 16, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, and died March 11, 2006. He is generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, the thundering shot that earned him his nickname from sportswriter Charlie Boire of the Montreal Star in the late 1940s, while Geoffrion was playing junior hockey for the Laval Nationale.

Geoffrion began playing in the National Hockey League in 1951 and went on to a 16-year career with the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. He was the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, following his teammate Maurice Richard. Half the time he played left wing on Montreal's front line alongside Richard and Jean Béliveau, helping the Canadiens to six Stanley Cup championships; at other times he played right wing on the second line.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, following his playing career. In 2017, Geoffrion was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.