The other day, we mentioned Andre Boudrias and Martin St. Louis in the same light, two 5’8″ offensive threats from different eras. Today, it’s another player who played a really big game from a small frame. Leo Boivin was listed during his playing days as 5’7″ and 177 lbs. Yet, Boivin played nearly 20 years in the National Hockey League as a defenseman and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.
Leo Boivin – NHL
Leo saw his first NHL action in 1951-52, appearing in two games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent most of that season with the King Clancy coached Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League. Boivin, along with teammates and future Hall of Famers George Armstong and Tim Horton, helped the Hornets to a Calder Cup championship, beating out the Providence Reds in six games in the final series.
From 1952-53 to 1969-70, Boivin was a full-time NHL hockey player. His career started with the Maple Leafs but he also played for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars. Leo played in 1,150 regular season NHL games, scoring 72 goals and assisting on 250 for 322 points. His 1,150 games still ranks him 128th all-time in the NHL. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Boivin played an additional 54 games, adding 13 points.
In 1954-55, he made his mark on the league, placing sixth in the NHL with 113 PIM in a season split between the Maple Leafs and Bruins. He would never sit that much in a single season again.
Never a Stanley Cup champion, Boivin played three times in the finals, all three times against the Montreal Canadiens. The Boston Bruins came up against the Canadiens in consecutive seasons, 1956-57 and 1957-58. However, the Habs were in the heart of their dynasty when they won five straight championships. Leo got another chance in 1965-66 after the Bruins sent him to the Detroit Red Wings mid-season. The Wings reached the finals but were defeated by those same Montreal Canadiens.
Leo Boivin Collection
Boivin was team captain of the Bruins from the start of 1963-64 until he was traded to the Red Wings in 1965-66. Detroit left him unprotected for the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft and the Pittsburgh Penguins picked him up in the seventh round, 40th overall. As mentioned, Leo Boivin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Dave Keon and Serge Savard.
Leo Boivin – Coach
Immediately after retiring as a player, Boivin took on a scouting role with the Minnesota North Stars. In 1972-73, he took a different direction and became head coach of the Ottawa 67’s of the OHA. In that first year with Ottawa, Leo had the pleasure of coaching Denis Potvin and Ian Turnbull on defense. The 67’s placed third overall in the ten team league and reached the Robertson Cup semi-finals before falling to the Toronto Marlboros.
In 1973-74, Ottawa fell to a seventh place tie in the eleven team OHA. Ironically, they were tied with the Toronto Marlboros who had fallen far from grace after taking the championship the year before. It marked the end of Boivin’s stay in Ottawa with the legendary Brian Kilrea taking over the following year.
Leo spent parts of two seasons as head coach in the National Hockey League. In 1975-76, Boivin took over from Lynn Patrick midseason. The Blues qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs but fell in the preliminary round to the Buffalo Sabres.
Emile Francis coached St. Louis for the full 1976-77 season. However, Boivin was once again behind the bench at the start of 1977-78. The Blues did not perform until Leo, winning just eleven while losing 36 and tying seven. Boivin was replaced midseason by Barclay Plager and St. Louis finished the year with the third worst record in the NHL.
Boivin took one other stint as a scout in the NHL, this time with the Hartford Whalers in the late 1980’s.
Leo Boivin – Rookie Card
The Leo Boivin rookie card appears as number 34 in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set. He is shown as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the card is valued at twice that of a common card. The 105 card 1952-53 Parkhurst set is dominated by the rookie cards of Tim Horton, Dickie Moore and George Armstrong, all valued much higher than the Boivin hockey card.
Leo Boivin Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1951-52 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 32 |
| 1951-52 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-53 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 97 |
| 1953-54 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 58 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 81 |
| 1954-55 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 1954-55 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 59 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 105 |
| 1955-56 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 80 |
| 1956-57 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 55 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 55 |
| 1957-58 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 33 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 54 |
| 1958-59 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 94 |
| 1959-60 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 66 |
| 1960-61 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 57 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 50 |
| 1961-62 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 70 |
| 1962-63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 62 | 2 | 24 | 26 | 48 |
| 1963-64 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 42 |
| 1964-65 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 67 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 68 |
| 1965-66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 46 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 34 |
| 1965-66 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| 1966-67 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 78 |
| 1967-68 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 73 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 74 |
| 1968-69 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 41 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 26 |
| 1968-69 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 28 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| 1969-70 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 69 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 30 |
| NHL Totals | 1150 | 72 | 250 | 322 | 1192 |