Claude Larose was the first overall pick by the Cincinnati Stingers at the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft. No, this is not the same Claude Larose that we featured in our last article. This player is over a decade younger, was a scoring star in the QMJHL, had a decent career in the World Hockey Association but played over 900 less games in the NHL.
Claude Larose (born in 1955) also had great success in the American Hockey League. He was a Calder Cup champion and led the league in scoring once, earning the John B. Sollenberger Trophy. Despite 252 games in the WHA, you will only find Larose on cardboard once.
Claude Larose – Junior
Claude played four years in the QMJHL from 1971-72 to 1974-75 with the Drummondville Rangers, Shawinigan Dynamos and Sherbrooke Castors. Over that time, he put up great numbers with 409 points on 197 goals and 212 assists over 266 regular season games. Those numbers are even more significant when you realized he totaled just 19 points in his first season with Drummondville.
Playing for the last place Rangers in 1972-73, Larose tied for third in the league with 63 goals, equaling the total of Blair MacDonald from the Cornwall Royals. His 113 points placed him tenth in the race for the Jean Beliveau Trophy.
The following year, Claude’s 133 points didn’t even rank him in the top ten. The QMJHL exploded offensively with Pierre Larouche leading the way. Larouche put up an unthinkable 251 points.
In 1974-75, it was a dream major junior season for Larose. His 69 goals put him third in the league. His 75 assists tied him for sixth while his 144 points placed in sole possession of sixth spot in the QMJHL.
The Sherbrooke Castors won the President’s Trophy, downing Laval National in the finals. At the Memorial Cup tournament, the Castors did not win a game and lost in the semi-final game 10-4 to the Toronto Marlboros. However, Larose scored five and assisted on three over the three games and was named the Memorial Cup All-Star left winger.
In all of his final three seasons, Claude was a QMJHL Second Team All-Star.
Claude Larose – Major League Hockey
At the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, Larose was taken in the seventh round by the New York Rangers, 120th overall. He was also the first overall pick at the WHA Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Stingers. Claude chose the World Hockey Association route.
Larose played in the WHA from 1975-76 to 1978-79, the league’s final season, with the Stingers and Indianapolis Racers. Over that time, he put up respectable numbers with 88 goals and 114 assists for 202 points over 252 games. However, the Stingers weren’t very successful in the playoffs and Claude appeared in just four post season matches during his four years in the league.
After the merger between the WHA and the NHL, Larose found a spot with the team that originally drafted him, the New York Rangers. He played just 25 regular season games with the Rangers in 1979-80, the only 25 regular season NHL games he would appear in. In 1981-82, New York called him up for two Stanley Cup playoff games.
Claude Larose – Minor Pro
With the collapse of the Indianapolis Racers in 1978-79, Larose ended up with the New Haven Nighthawks in the American Hockey League for the rest of that season. Claude produced with 50 points in 42 games for the Parker MacDonald coached Nighthawks. New Haven reached the Calder Cup finals before falling to the Maine Mariners.
His greatest personal success came in 1983-84 with the last place Sherbrooke Jets in the AHL. Playing the full 80 game schedule, Claude was second in the league with 53 goals and fourth with 67 assists. His 120 total points led the league and earned him the John B. Sollenberger Trophy.
Also in that 1983-84 American Hockey League season, Larose was called for just three minor penalties. This earned him the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship. In fact, the most Claude sat in a single season through his career from junior to retirement was 19 minutes with Cincinnati in 1975-76.
The following year, the name changed to the Sherbrooke Canadiens. The regular season performance of the team improved slightly but was still a lackluster 79 points over the 80 game schedule. However, the Canadiens came through in the playoffs, capturing the Calder Cup with a win over the Baltimore Skipjacks in the finals.
Claude’s numbers were down in 1984-85, but not out. He tied for seventh in the AHL with 36 goals and also tied for seventh with 79 points. The following year, with Sherbrooke, he would again tie for seventh in the league with 38 goals.
Larose spent two years as assistant coach of the Sherbrooke Canadiens in 1988-89 and 1989-90. He would return to play hockey over a decade after his last AHL game, appearing for two seasons in the LNAH, Quebec’s semi-pro league.
Claude Larose – Rookie Card
The only time Larose got on the front of a mainstream hockey card was in 1977-78. He appeared on card number 43 of the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee World Hockey Association set. He was shown as a member of the Cincinnati Stingers.
Claude Larose Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1971-72 | Drummondville Rangers | QMJHL | 61 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 2 |
| 1972-73 | Drummondville Rangers | QMJHL | 61 | 63 | 50 | 113 | 12 |
| 1973-74 | Drummondville Rangers | QMJHL | 70 | 56 | 77 | 133 | 16 |
| 1974-75 | Sherbrooke Castors | QMJHL | 39 | 40 | 44 | 84 | 4 |
| 1974-75 | Shawinigan Dynamos | QMJHL | 35 | 29 | 31 | 60 | 6 |
| 1975-76 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 79 | 28 | 24 | 52 | 19 |
| 1976-77 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 81 | 30 | 46 | 76 | 8 |
| 1977-78 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 51 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 6 |
| 1977-78 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 28 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 12 |
| 1978-79 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 13 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| 1978-79 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 42 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 7 |
| 1979-80 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 31 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 4 |
| 1979-80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 25 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
| 1980-81 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 80 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 12 |
| 1981-82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 76 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 12 |
| 1981-82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 gms in playoffs | ||||
| 1983-84 | Sherbrooke Jets | AHL | 80 | 53 | 67 | 120 | 6 |
| 1984-85 | Sherbrooke Canadiens | AHL | 77 | 36 | 43 | 79 | 4 |
| 1985-86 | Sherbrooke Canadiens | AHL | 65 | 38 | 39 | 77 | 2 |
| 1996-97 | Windsor Papetiers | QSPHL | 29 | 25 | 19 | 44 | 14 |
| 1997-98 | Windsor Papetiers | QSPHL | 35 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 4 |
| NHL Totals | 25 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | ||
| WHA Totals | 252 | 88 | 114 | 202 | 45 | ||