Maxim Lapierre

Did You Know?

• Lapierre was born in Saint-Leonard, Quebec and grew up in Repentigny, Quebec.
• He began playing hockey at age nine, and his midget team was based out of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec.
• Lapierre won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics, scoring his first Olympic goal in a 4–0 win over South Korea.

Playing career

Lapierre debuted in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Montreal Rocket during the 2001–02 season, appearing in nine games and scoring two goals. In his first full QMJHL season in 2002–03, he recorded 22 goals and 43 points over 72 games, adding four points in seven playoff games. After being selected 61st overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NHL entry draft, he was returned to junior hockey, where his club had relocated to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, becoming the P.E.I. Rocket.

In 2003–04, he posted a junior career-high 61 points in 67 games, and in 2004–05 he recorded 52 points over 69 games. Signed to a three-year entry-level contract on July 28, 2005, Lapierre played his first professional season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He made his NHL debut on November 15, 2005, against the Florida Panthers, playing three minutes in a 4–3 win. In the AHL that season, he had 13 goals and 36 points in 73 games.

During the 2006–07 season, he received four call-ups from Hamilton. On December 12, 2006, he registered his first NHL point with an assist on the game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins, and the next game he scored his first NHL goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Over 46 NHL games that season, he recorded six goals and six assists, while also tallying 24 points in 37 AHL games. Lapierre scored a goal and an assist in the championship-deciding 2–1 win, totaling 12 points in 22 playoff games.

Playing style

Lapierre was a third- or fourth-line center known for his checking and his knack for getting under opponents' skin. He played aggressively, leading Montreal forwards in hits during 2009–10. His defensive reliability earned him penalty-kill duties; in 2008–09, he had the third-highest average short-handed ice time among Canadiens.