Wilf Paiement

Wilf Paiement
Born	Wilfrid Paiement, Jr. (1955-10-16) October 16, 1955 Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey right winger
Years active	1974–1988
Known for	NHL player for seven franchises; first draft pick of Kansas City Scouts franchise; wore jersey number 99 for Toronto Maple Leafs

Wilfrid Paiement, Jr. (; born October 16, 1955) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 until 1988, representing seven different franchises. He is the younger sibling of former NHL player Rosaire Paiement.

Playing career

Selected second overall in the 1974 NHL amateur draft by the Kansas City Scouts, Paiement spent two seasons with the team before it moved and became the Colorado Rockies.

In 1977, he donned the Canadian jersey at the World Ice Hockey Championships held in Austria. The tournament was notable for Team Canada's frustration and physical style of play, with Paiement involved in aggressive actions including attacks on Swedish player Lars-Erik Ericsson and Russian Sergei Babinov during a heavy loss.

A major incident occurred on October 25, 1978, when Paiement struck Detroit Red Wings center Dennis Polonich with his hockey stick, resulting in serious facial injuries and a concussion. This act led to a match penalty and a suspension lasting 15 games—among the lengthiest suspensions at that time. Polonich subsequently received an $850,000 settlement linked to this event.

On December 29, 1979, Paiement was traded from the Rockies to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Pat Hickey, as part of a deal that sent Lanny McDonald and Joel Quenneville to Colorado. After three seasons with Toronto, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for Miroslav Frycer and a draft choice. Following five seasons in Quebec, Paiement joined the New York Rangers for Steve Patrick. His regular-season appearances were limited there, but he participated in playoff games.

In October 1986, the Buffalo Sabres acquired Paiement through the waiver draft. He played one season with Buffalo before concluding his NHL tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins and briefly appearing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL) during the 1987–88 season. Upon retiring, Paiement held the distinction of being the last active player who had suited up for the Kansas City Scouts.

Regular season and playoffs

1980–81 NHL seasonToronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 40 57 97 145 3 0 0 0 2 - 1981–82 NHL seasonToronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 18 40 58 203 — — — — — - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1981–82 Quebec Nordiques NHL 8 7 6 13 18 14 6 6 12 28 - 1982–83 NHL seasonQuebec Nordiques NHL 80 26 38 64 170 4 0 1 1 4 - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1983–84 NHL seasonQuebec Nordiques NHL 80 39 37 76 121 9 3 1 4 24 - 1984–85 NHL seasonQuebec Nordiques NHL 68 23 28 51 165 18 4 2 6 58 - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1985–86 NHL seasonQuebec Nordiques NHL 44 7 12 19 145 — — — — — - 1985–86 New York Rangers NHL 8 1 6 7 13 16 5 5 10 45 - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1986–87 NHL seasonBuffalo Sabres NHL 56 20 17 37 108 — — — — — - 1987–88 NHL seasonPittsburgh Penguins NHL 23 2 6 8 39 — — — — — - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1987–88 IHL seasonMuskegon LumberjacksIHL 28 17 18 35 52 5 0 2 2 15 - bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

				regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.		34	6	13	19	74		6	0	1	1	17
1972–73	St. Catharines Black Hawks	OHA-Jr.		61	18	27	45	173		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	St. Catharines Black Hawks	OHA-Jr.		70	50	73	123	134		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	St. Catharines Black Hawks	MC		—	—	—	—	—		3	1	0	1	17
1974–75	Kansas City Scouts	NHL		78	26	13	39	101		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Kansas City Scouts	NHL		57	21	22	43	121		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Colorado Rockies	NHL		78	41	40	81	101		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78 NHL season	Colorado Rockies	NHL		80	31	56	87	114		2	0	0	0	7
1978–79	Colorado Rockies	NHL		65	24	36	60	80		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Colorado Rockies	NHL		34	10	16	26	41		—	—	—	—	—
1980	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		41	20	28	48	72		3	0	2	2	17
NHL totals !946 !356 !458 !814 !1,757 !69 !18 !17 !35 !185 | } International Year Team Event Standing   GP G A Pts PIM 1977 Canada WC 4th place 10 5 5 10 32 1978 Canada WC Template:Bronze3 10 6 1 7 8 1979 Canada WC 4th place 8 3 3 6 6 Senior career totals 28 14 9 23 46 Achievements Wilf Paiement holds the distinction of being the initial draft pick for the franchise known successively as the Kansas City Scouts, Colorado Rockies, and New Jersey Devils. He participated in the first-ever games for both the Scouts and Rockies teams, and at the time of his retirement, he was the final NHL player active from the Scouts roster. During his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Paiement donned jersey number 99 across 187 games, making him the last player aside from Wayne Gretzky to wear this number in the NHL. His final appearance wearing number 99 occurred on March 6, 1982. This notable fact was later featured in a promotional campaign for Canadian furniture chain Leon's to commemorate their 99th anniversary, thereby boosting his public profile. Awards OMJHL First All-Star Team – 1974 WEC–A Best Forward – 1979 (shared with Sergei Makarov) NHL All-Star Game selections – 1976, 1977, 1978 Transactions July 15, 1976 – Relocated to Colorado following Kansas City franchise move December 29, 1979 – Traded by Colorado to Toronto along with Pat Hickey in exchange for Lanny McDonald and Joel Quenneville March 9, 1982 – Traded from Toronto to Quebec in return for Miroslav Frycer and a draft choice February 6, 1986 – Acquired by New York Rangers from Quebec for Steve Patrick October 6, 1986 – Selected by Buffalo from New York Rangers during Waiver Draft September 10, 1987 – Signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh External links Wilf Paiement’s profile at Hockey Draft Central