Claude Vilgrain

Claude Vilgrain (born March 1, 1963) is a Haitian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played in 89 National Hockey League games with the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers. He played in the 1988 Winter Olympics for the Canadian national team.

Early life
Vilgrain was born on March 1, 1963, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was born into an academically inclined family as his great-uncle was a doctor, his grandfather was a judge, and his father was an economist. When he was around one year old, his father Alix moved the family to Quebec City for an economist job after having studied there for seven years. Vilgrain later credited his success in hockey to his parents' willingness to adapt to Canadian culture and allow him to play sports. As he had grown up in a small suburb of Quebec City, Vilgrain first experienced racism while playing junior hockey in Montreal.

Junior
Vilgrain played junior hockey with the Laval Voisins in the QMJHL from 1980 to 1983. He played two seasons alongside future Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux and finished second in team scoring with 126 points. Vilgrain reflected positively on his time as Lemieux's teammate and said he tried to emulate his moves. Despite his on-ice success, Vilgrain said he was thrown by the racial taunts he received during games. Following the 1981–92 season, Vilgrain was drafted in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Vilgrain spent another season with the Voisins, where he scored 46 goals and 80 points to be selected for the QMJHL Second All-Star Team. However, after he was not invited to the Red Wings 1983 training camp and refused to report for another season with the Voisins, the Red Wings left him unsigned to a contract.

Université de Moncton
As an unsigned free agent, Vilgrain decided to continue his education and joined the Moncton Aigles Bleus at the Université de Moncton from 1983 to 1986.

Personal life
Vilgrain's daughter Cassandra also played collegiate ice hockey before joining Brynäs IF of the Swedish Women's Hockey League.