Left-winger Claude Laforge spent parts of eights seasons in the NHL with three different clubs beginning in the late 1950s. He was fine checker who could also set up his linemates with incisive passes.
Born in Sorel, Quebec, Laforge played two years with the Montreal Junior Canadiens before joining the senior Royals and Shawinigan Cataracts. He played five games with the powerful Montreal Canadiens as an injury replacement in 1957-58 but the club had too many qualified individuals. He spent the bulk of that season in the Quebec League where he scored 26 goals for the Shawinigan Cataracts and was named to the league's second all-star team.
In June 1958, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings where he was a reserve and farmhand for seven years. During the mid-'60s he was a proficient goal scorer in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets and Quebec Aces. In 1967 his rights were transferred to the Philadelphia Flyers when they purchased the Aces. Laforge was a solid two-way performer on the first year club in 1967-68 but made it into only a couple of games the next year. He retired in 1973 after playing three years in the WHL with the Denver Spurs.
