Billy Coutu

Who was Billy Coutu?

Wilfrid Arthur "Wild, Beaver" Coutu was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, the Hamilton Tigers, and the Boston Bruins. He was the only player banned from the NHL for life, as a result of his attack on a referee in 1927.

While a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Coutu was one of the players hospitalized during the cancelled 1919 Stanley Cup series, won the Stanley Cup in the 1923–24 NHL season, and was captain of the team in the 1925–26 NHL season. After his eviction from the NHL, Coutu played a total of four years in the Canadian-American Hockey League and American Hockey Association, then coached the C-AHL's Providence Reds.