He had a junior career that was intermingled with time spent with the Canadian National Team. Chuck Lefley arrived in the NHL just in time to get his name on the Stanley Cup, despite playing just a single playoff game in 1970-71 for the Montreal Canadiens. Lefley followed that up with an AHL Calder Cup title and another Stanley Cup win with the Habs.
In the hockey card world, Chuck is known for his 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee card. The hockey card is considered as an uncorrected error for pretty obvious reasons. Lefley is not pictured on the front. Instead, Montreal teammate Pierre Bouchard is shown.
Junior and Minor Pro Career
International Hockey Career
NHL Career
Hockey Card Collection
Rookie Card
NHL Stats
Chuck Lefley – Junior and Minor Pro
Born in Winnipeg, Chuck Lefley played two years in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), 1965-66 and 1966-67. In his first year, the league consisted of just four teams, all from Winnipeg. Lefley played for the Winnipeg Rangers and was named MJHL Rookie of the Year. The Rangers finished first overall and won the Turnbull Cup, defeating the Winnipeg Braves in the finals. The team was then swept by the Fort William Canadiens in the first round of the Western Canada Memorial Cup playoffs.
The following year, the league expanded to seven teams with one new team and the addition of Brandon Wheat Kings and Flin Flon Bombers from the defunct Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). The Rangers finished third overall and lost in the semi-finals to the Wheat Kings. That year, Bobby Clarke of the Flin Flon Bombers tore up the league with 71 goals, 112 assists and 183 points.
After two full seasons with the Canadian National Team, Lefley returned to junior hockey to play for the Brandon Wheat Kings for 1969-70. The WCHL had now been formed, bringing together teams from across Western Canada. Chuck played in just seven games but produced six goals and six assists over that time.
1970-71 was spent mostly in the American Hockey League with the Montreal Voyageurs. However, as mentioned, he got into a single playoff games for the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. In 1971-72, the Voyageurs moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia and captured the Calder Cup, ousting the Baltimore Clippers in the finals. That would be the last time Chuck played in the minors.
Chuck Lefley – International Hockey
Chuck Lefley played for the Canadian National Team from 1967-68 to 1969-70. He appeared in seven games at the 1969 IIHF World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. Canada finished fourth with the Soviet Union taking gold, Sweden taking silver and Czechoslovakia taking bronze. Lefley was teamed up with Ken Dryden, Fran Huck and Gerry Pinder.
Near the end of his National Hockey League career, Lefley considered himself retired and went back to Europe. He played for Jokerit in Finland during the 1977-78 season, averaging just under a point per game. The following year, 1978-79, he played for Dusseldorf in Germany.
Chuck Lefley – NHL
Between 1970-71 and 1980-81, Chuck Lefley played in 407 regular season National Hockey League games with the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues. Over that time, he scored 128 goals and assisted on 164 for 292 points. In 29 Stanley Cup playoff games, he added 13 points. Originally, Lefley was the sixth overall pick by the Habs at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft.
Hockey Card Collection
In his first year, he appeared in a single regular season game for the Canadiens and a single game in the playoffs. Montreal went on to win the Stanley Cup championship, beating the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals.
Two years later in 1972-73, Chuck played a more prominent role in Montreal’s rematch with the Blackhawks. He appeared in all 17 playoff games, contributing eight points as the Canadiens once again took out Chicago in the finals.
He scored more than 20 goals in both the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. However, the Canadiens had lots of offense and were in need of a blue liner. They traded Chuck to the St. Louis Blues on November 28, 1974, in exchange for Don Awrey.
In 1975-76 with the Blues, Lefley had the best season of his NHL career. He led the team with 43 goals and 85 points in 75 games. His 42 assists were two behind team leader Garry Unger. The goal total placed him tied for tenth in the league with Errol Thompson of the Toronto Maple Leafs. As per the back of his 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee hockey card, Chuck led the NHL with eight short handed goals in 1975-76.
However, the following year, his totals dropped off significantly with just eleven goals in 71 games. He would announce his retirement and head overseas for his two years in Europe. Chuck and the Blues would be reunited in 1979-80 with Lefley appearing in 28 games and contributing 12 points. In 1980-81, he played just two games before retiring for good.
Chuck Lefley – Rookie Card
The Chuck Lefley rookie card appears as number 44 in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card set (#154 in the Topps set). He is shown with the Montreal Canadiens. Lefley’s final card is included in the 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee set as a member of the St. Louis Blues.
As per the back of his rookie card, Chuck’s brother Brian also played in the NHL. The two Lefley’s played together with the Winnipeg Rangers in 1965-66 and 1966-67. Also, the two were teammates with Dusseldorf in 1978-79.
Brian Lefley played 228 regular season and two playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1972-73 and 1977-78 with the New York Islanders, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies. He was taken 15th overall by the Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft then 27th overall by the Scouts at the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft. Brian died in a car accident in Bolzano, Italy in October, 1997. At the time, he was coaching SC Bern, the team that won the Swiss championship for him in 1996-97.
Chuck Lefley NHL Stats
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1970-71 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-72 | Montreal Canadiens | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972-73 | Montreal Canadiens | 65 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 22 |
| 1973-74 | Montreal Canadiens | 74 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 34 |
| 1974-75 | Montreal Canadiens | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1974-75 | St. Louis Blues | 57 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 24 |
| 1975-76 | St. Louis Blues | 75 | 43 | 42 | 85 | 41 |
| 1976-77 | St. Louis Blues | 71 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 12 |
| 1979-80 | St. Louis Blues | 28 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| 1980-81 | St. Louis Blues | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL Totals | 407 | 128 | 164 | 292 | 137 |