Leonard Gerald "Leo" Labine

Known as "Leo the Lion" for his aggressive play in ice hockey, Leo Labine played professional ice hockey for 18 years (1949-1967). Born in 1931 in Haileybury, Ontario, Canada to John Andrew Labine and Nora Horan, Leo played a ferocious right wing for the Boston Bruins (1951-1961) and the Detroit Redwings (1961-1962) of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Los Angeles Blades (1962-1967) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). During the heyday of the Boston Bruins & Montréal Canadiens battles of the 1950s, Leo was the one player the Canadiens hated to see on the ice. Always considered a very classy player, Leo was hard-hitting on the ice and a tough competitor. A great scorer, Leo played in 643 games, scored 128 goals, had 193 assists for 321 points during his NHL career. In 1955 and 1956 Leo played in the NHL All-Star Games and was a member of the WHL All-Star Team in 1964. A true honor to a Bruins' player, the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy - given to the Bruins' player voted most outstanding at home games - was awarded to Leo Labine in 1955. Leo married Betty Souce with whom he had three daughters and a son. After Betty's death Leo married Rosemary Kelly. He died in 2005 in North Bay, Ontario after losing his fight with cancer. Leo brought much distinction to the Labine name for his superb style of play, his commitment to his teammates and fans and his generous life off the ice.