Elmer James Lach (/ˈlɑːk/, January 22, 1918 – April 4, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 14 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). A centre, he was a member of the Punch line, along with Maurice Richard and Toe Blake. Lach led the NHL in scoring twice, and was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1945 as the league\'s most valuable player.\n', '

He won three Stanley Cups with Montreal. When Lach retired in 1954, he was the league\'s all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame twelve years later. His number 16 was retired on December 4, 2009, during the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. In 2017 Lach was named one of the \'100 Greatest NHL Players\' in history.\n', '

Lach was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan, a small town 133 kilometres (83 mi) north of Regina. Elmer was the youngest of two boys and four girls born to William and Mary-Ann Lach, who arrived in Canada from Eastern Europe in 1910. Lach\'s father was at first a farmer, then took a job as the head of public works for Nokomis, population 550. Lach played ice hockey for his school team, starting at age 12. Against the wishes of his Baptist parents, Elmer would sneak away to play ice hockey on a local pond instead of attending church on Saturday mornings.\n', '

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