No Horsing Around With Baillargeon

This is Paul Baillargeon, a famous Quebec strongman and wrestler. Paul's specialty act was lifting horses. Once source I found suggest he once climbed a telephone pole with a horse on his back!

I do not know that Papa Baillargeon ever helped son Joel Baillargeon in his training for his own pro-sports career, but he could be proud of his son for making it to the National Hockey League for 20 games, the last five of which were with his hometown Nordiques.

The left winger was noted as a zealous bodychecker but not a goon. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets 113th overall in 1983, and would play 15 games with the team split between the 1986-87 season and the 1987-88 season. He picked up two assists.

He was later shipped to Quebec where he mostly played with their farm team in Halifax. As mentioned Joel did crack the Nordiques line up for five games during the 1988-89 season. The Nords were a very weak team at this point in their existence. I don't think the strength of the entire Baillergeon family could have lifted the Nordiques out of the NHL basement.

In addition to being a strongman and wrestler, Paul Baillargeon was a very successful hotelier in Quebec City, and president of the Quebec City Hotel and Restaurant Association. It is unclear if the family is still in the business today.

This is just another example of how the worlds of hockey and wrestling have been linked in Canada. For more information, check out my special article "Wrist Shots and Wrist Locks."