Claude Vilgrain
Claude Vilgrain | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1, 1963 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Occupation | Former professional ice hockey right winger |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL for Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers; competing for Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympics |
Claude Vilgrain (born March 1, 1963) is a former professional ice hockey right winger, originally from Haiti but representing Canada. He appeared in 89 NHL games, playing for the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers. Additionally, Vilgrain competed for Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
Early life
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Vilgrain came from a family with a strong academic background—his great-uncle was a physician, his grandfather served as a judge, and his father was an economist. When Vilgrain was about one year old, his family moved to Quebec City after his father accepted an economist role following seven years of study there. Vilgrain attributed his hockey success to the encouragement of his parents and their ability to adapt culturally. While growing up in a suburb of Quebec City, he first experienced racial discrimination during his junior hockey tenure in Montreal.
Junior
From 1980 to 1983, Vilgrain played junior hockey with the Laval Voisins in the QMJHL, where he was teammates with future Pittsburgh Penguins standout Mario Lemieux. He ranked second on the team in scoring with 126 points. Despite his achievements on the ice, Vilgrain endured racial insults during matches. Following the 1981–82 season, he was selected in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He returned to the Voisins for another season, tallying 46 goals and 80 points and securing a spot on the QMJHL Second All-Star Team. Nevertheless, after not being invited to Detroit's training camp in 1983 and declining to rejoin Laval, he remained without a contract.
Université de Moncton
Without a professional contract, Vilgrain chose to continue his education while playing for the Moncton Aigles Bleus at the Université de Moncton between 1983 and 1986.
Personal life
Vilgrain's daughter Cassandra played college-level ice hockey before signing with Brynäs IF in the Swedish Women's Hockey League.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Laval Voisins | QMJHL | 72 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Laval Voisins | QMJHL | 58 | 26 | 29 | 55 | 64 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 22 | ||
| 1982–83 | Laval Voisins | QMJHL | 69 | 46 | 80 | 126 | 74 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 | Université de Moncton | AUS | 20 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Université de Moncton | AUS | 24 | 35 | 28 | 63 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Université de Moncton | AUS | 19 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 89 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 78 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | ||||
| AHL totals | 285 | 128 | 189 | 317 | 148 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 | ||||
| SUI.2 totals | 189 | 131 | 199 | 330 | 188 | 39 | 22 | 34 | 56 | 62 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Canada | OG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Overall senior statistics | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||