Joseph Cattarinich (Joseph Cattarinich)

Joseph Cattarinich

Professional Hockey Pioneer, Team Owner. Born on the St. Lawrence River, near Quebec City, Quebec, in 1881, he played hockey from a very young age. He later played for the Montreal Nationals. He met a young man named Georges Vezina while playing with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1909-1910 season.  George wa an up and coming goalie, who Cattarinich insisted replace him in the next season. The Vezina Trophy was later named for him. On November 3, 1921, with business partners, Leo Dandurand and Louis Letourneau, he purchased the Montreal Canadiens for $11,000, and soon turned the team into one of the most popular teams in the Nationla Hokcye League, helping to introduce such players as Howie Morenz, Joe Malone, Newsy Lalonde, and others. Letourneau retired in 1931, and in 1935 Cattarinich sold the team for a whopping sum of $165,000. He later became an avid horse breeder operating the prestigious Arlington Heights racetrack in Chicago, Illinois, and later the Jefferson Park facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1977.

Born

  • November, 13, 1881

Died

  • December, 12, 1938

Cemetery

  • Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery
  • Quebec
  • Canada

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