Bernie Geoffrion, hockey Hall of Famer was 75

ATLANTA -- Bernie ''Boom Boom" Geoffrion, the hockey Hall of Famer credited with inventing the slap shot, died yesterday before his No. 5 jersey was to be retired by the Montreal Canadiens.

Mr. Geoffrion, who helped lead powerhouse Montreal teams to six Stanley Cups in the 1950s and early '60s, died after a brief battle with stomach cancer. He was 75.

Mr. Geoffrion died in an Atlanta hospital, the Canadiens said. His cancer was discovered during surgery last week.

Mr. Geoffrion didn't live to see his number retired, but he still was able to relish the knowledge that his place in Canadiens history was secure, said Rejean Houle, former Montreal general manager and current head of the Canadiens alumni.

''He had known six months ago, and he enjoyed every minute of it," Houle said yesterday.

The Canadiens planned to go on with a scheduled ceremony to retire Mr. Geoffrion's jersey before last night's game against the New York Rangers. Houle said Mr. Geoffrion's wife, Marlene, his three children, and his grandchildren would attend.

Mr. Geoffrion was the first coach of the (now Calgary) Flames, guiding the team to the playoffs in their second season. He also had brief coaching stints with the Rangers and Canadiens.

But it was as a player that Mr. Geoffrion really stood out. He was the first to bring his stick far above his head when shooting, creating a powerful shot that led to his nickname -- the sound of his stick hitting the puck made a boom and the sound of the puck hitting the boards made another boom.

Mr. Geoffrion was a scoring star on Canadiens teams that also featured Hall of Famers Maurice ''Rocket" Richard, Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey, and Jacques Plante. Montreal won a record five straight Stanley Cups from 1956-60. In 1960-61, Mr. Geoffrion won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP after joining Richard as the only players to score 50 goals in a season.

Born in Montreal on Feb. 16, 1931, Mr. Geoffrion played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League, including 14 with the Canadiens. After a two-year retirement, he made a comeback with the Rangers in 1966. He retired for good following the 1968 season, finishing his career with 393 goals and 429 assists in 883 regular-season games. In 132 playoff games, he had 58 goals and 60 assists.

He was hired as Rangers coach, but didn't get to start the season because of stomach surgery.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, less than a month after being hired to coach the expansion Flames. ''I can't believe this," Mr. Geoffrion said at the time, according to the book ''The Babes of Winter" that chronicled the Flames' first three seasons. ''First I get the new team, now I make the Hall of Fame."

He led Atlanta to a 77-92-39 record from 1972-75, including a playoff berth in Year 2.

In his last hockey appearance, Mr. Geoffrion presented Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk with the Rocket Richard Cup on Oct. 22. The ''Boomer" received a standing ovation from Atlanta's fans.

''Today is a very sad day across the hockey world and here in Atlanta," Thrashers coach Bob Hartley said. ''Boom Boom was an incredible man who meant a great deal to me, and I'm fortunate to have called him a friend and a mentor."