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| 1981 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Normand Leveille
Selected in first round
No.
14 overall by Boston Bruins
Born January 10, 1963
 | Position:
Left Wing
Height: 5-10 Weight: 175
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
Hometown:
Montreal, Quebec |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1978-79 |
Montreal | Que. AA |
42 | 35 |
23 | 58 |
-- | | 1979-80 |
Chicoutimi | QMJHL |
60 | 24 |
12 | 36 |
39 | | 1980-81 |
Chicoutimi | QMJHL |
72 | 55 |
46 | 101 |
46 |
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PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
QMJHL All-Star Second Team: 1980-81 (Chicoutimi)
Miscellaneous: Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as No.
9 QMJHL prospect for the 1981 NHL draft. ... Was Chicoutimi's third-round pick
in 1979 QMJHL midget draft. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: October 8, 1981 (Quebec at Boston)
Numbers: 19 (Boston)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Status: Career ended October 23, 1982 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1981-1982 |
Boston | 75 |
17 | 25 |
42 | 49 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Was youngest player ever
drafted by Boston (18 years, five months) when selected. ... Was represented
by agent Bob Perno when he signed his first NHL contract, beginning a lifelong
business partnership between the two that continued after Leveille's career
ended. ... Missed part of 1981-82 season with strained MCL in left knee,
suffered during Boston's Nov. 1, 1981, game vs. Hartford.
Career-Ending
Aneurysm: Normand Leveille's hockey career came to a sudden and tragic
ending when he suffered a brain aneurysm between the first and second periods
of Boston's Oct. 23, 1982, game at Vancouver. Only 19 years old at the time,
Leveille was immediately taken to Vancouver General Hospital, where
neurosurgeons performed a life-saving seven-hour operation. Doctors determined
that Leveille's hemorrhage was a congenital problem -- caused by a defective
blood vessel in his brain and not related to any injury suffered playing
hockey. The undetectable blood vessel problem in Leveille's brain had been a
time bomb since birth, and there were no warning signs of the condition, other
than Leveille's complaining of pain in his shoulders prior to the game. His
agent, Bob Perno, would later reveal that Leveille called him to complain of a
headache shortly before the game. Leveille was checked only once, by
Vancouver's Marc Crawford, during the first period, and showed no sign of
difficulty recovering from the hit. When the teams went to the dressing rooms
for the first intermission, Leveille told assistant coach Jean Ratelle that he
felt dizzy. Concerned Leveille might have a concussion, Ratelle took him to
Boston trainer Jimmy Kausek. Once inside the trainer's room, Leveille began
losing consciousness. Vancouver team doctor Ross Davidson came in to look at
Leveille and ordered him rushed to the hospital. Leveille survived, but it was
clear his hockey career was over because he had already lost many motor skills
and further damage to the head could end his life. After the surgery, Leveille
was in a coma for three weeks. He remained hospitalized for several more
weeks, but eventually recovered enough to walk again, although he never
regained full control over his speech. Only 16 months after suffering the
aneurysm, Leveille made his first return to the Boston Garden for the Bruins'
Feb. 11, 1984, game vs. Edmonton. Wearing his No. 19 jersey, he stepped onto
the ice and received a standing ovation from the Bruins fans. More than 10
years later, in an emotional Sept. 28, 1995, ceremony to mark the closing of
the Boston Garden, Leveille, aided by former teammate Ray Bourque, skated on
the Boston ice for one last time. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: None
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Became an advocate and
fund-raiser for the disabled in the years after brain aneurysm ended his
career. In 1995, he founded the Normand Leveille Centre, a 200-acre
recreational camp for the handicapped, located in Drummondville, Quebec. ...
Produced a video of his life story to help raise money for his recreational camp. The video was released on the 20th anniversary of Leveille's last
NHL game. ... Chicoutimi (QMJHL) retired Leveille's No. 16. |
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SNAPSHOT '81 | | Total Selected: |
211 | | Forwards: |
119 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
25 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
10/4 | | College Players: |
21 | | High School: |
18 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
37 | | U.S.-Born: |
36 |
| European: |
32 |
| Reached NHL: |
114 |
| Stanley Cup: |
17 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
14 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
30 |
| Picks Traded: |
38 |
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