Joseph Arthur Lesieur (September 13, 1907 – December 31, 1967) was an American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 100 games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks between 1928 and 1936.

Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1931 Lesieur became the first American-born player to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Lesieur played most of his professional hockey career with the Providence Reds of the Canadian–American Hockey League (Can-Am) and the International American Hockey League (IAHL/AHL), where he led the Reds to 3 Fontaine Cup titles and 2 Calder Cup championships as a player, team captain and/or player coach.

Art Lesieur

In 1941, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and midway through the hockey season, Art became a national celebrity as the first U.S.-born professional hockey player to be drafted into the armed forces, turning in his team colors for Army drab. He served nearly five years, of which 32 months were in combat overseas commanding artillery batteries in both the European and North African theaters.

Art Lesieur

Lesieur was inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of fame in 2021.

Art Lesieur

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

1907 births

1967 deaths

American men's ice hockey defensemen

Chicago Blackhawks players

Ice hockey players from Massachusetts

Minneapolis Millers (AHA) players

Montreal Canadiens players

Pittsburgh Hornets players

Providence Reds players

Sportspeople from Fall River, Massachusetts

Stanley Cup champions