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Canadiens great Dickie Moore dies at 84

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MONTREAL (AP) Dickie Moore, the Montreal Canadiens forward who twice led the NHL in scoring, died Saturday. He was 84.

Moore played on the Montreal teams that won five Stanley Cups in a row from 1956 to 1960, a group that boasted Maurice ''Rocket'' Richard, Jean Beliveau, Bernie ''Boom Boom'' Geoffrion, Doug Harvey and goalie Jacques Plante.

Moore spent several of his 12 seasons in Montreal patrolling the left wing on a line with the Richard brothers, Maurice and Henri. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974. He shared the retirement of the No. 12 jersey by the Canadiens with Yvan Cournoyer.

''We lost an idol from the 1950s,'' Canadiens alumni association president Rejean Houle said. ''He won five Stanley Cups in a row. He was a great warrior.''

In 1957-58, Moore won the first of his two Art Ross trophies as the NHL scoring leader with 84 points despite playing the final three months of the season with a cast on a broken wrist suffered in a fight with Detroit's Marcel Pronovost. The following season, Moore set a record with 96 points that stood until Chicago's Bobby Hull put up 97 points in 1965-66.

Moore retired after the 1962-63 season, came back for 38 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964-65, and retired again only to make one last comeback with the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1967-68. He had 261 goals and 347 assists for 608 points in 719 regular-season games in 14 seasons, and added 46 goals and 64 assists in 135 playoff games.

''Dickie Moore was a player of great skill and even greater heart, someone admired on the ice for his will to win and adored in the community for his commitment to good deeds,'' NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. ''A six-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time scoring champion, Dickie Moore refused to let injuries stop him from reaching remarkable heights of success. As we mourn his passing, the National Hockey League family sends our deepest condolences to his family and his many friends inside and outside of the game.''

After Moore's two comebacks, he settled into the business world and his company became a huge success. He also owned the Arundel Golf Club near Montreal.

Moore is survived by daughter Lianne and son John.