Rochefort was born in
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec. He came up through the junior system of the
New York Rangers, playing for the
Guelph Biltmores alongside future
Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert and
Jean Ratelle. He turned pro in 1959 and made his NHL debut in
1960–61 appearing in a single game for the Rangers. In
1962–63, he appeared in 23 games for the Rangers, recording 5 goals and 9 points. Before the
1963–64 campaign, Rochefort was dealt to the
Montreal Canadiens in a seven-player trade involving star goaltenders
Jacques Plante and
Gump Worsley. He would find it difficult to crack the powerful Montreal roster, spending most of the next three years with the
Quebec Aces of the
American Hockey League and appearing in just 11 games in Montreal over that span. However, he was called up to the team for the 1966 playoffs and appeared in 4 games, recording a goal and an assist, as Montreal won the
Stanley Cup. He would build on that success the following year, spending most of the
1966–67 season in Montreal, notching 9 goals and 7 assists in 27 games. Rochefort was claimed by the
Philadelphia Flyers in the
1967 NHL Expansion Draft, and in Philadelphia was finally able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. He would have his finest NHL season in
1967–68, leading the Flyers with 21 goals and finishing 3rd in overall scoring with 42 points. He would have another solid year in
1968–69, finishing 5th on Philadelphia with 35 points, but was dealt to the
Los Angeles Kings after the season in a deal for enforcer
Reggie Fleming. He spent a single season in Los Angeles, and led the team in assists although the team struggled to a last-place finish. For the
1970–71 season, Rochefort was re-acquired by the Canadiens. He finished the year with just 5 goals and was briefly dispatched to the AHL, but appeared in 10 playoff games as Montreal again won the Stanley Cup. Following the season, he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, where he had a bounce-back year to finish with 17 goals and 28 points. Early in the
1972–73 season, he was dealt again, this time to the expansion
Atlanta Flames where he would be a stabilizing influence in the team's first two NHL seasons. Before the
1974–75 season, Rochefort was sold to the
Vancouver Canucks, who would be his seventh NHL team. At the age of 35, he turned in one of the best seasons of his career, notching 18 goals - good for 5th on the team - and 29 points, and was a valuable veteran influence on a Canuck team that would win their division for the first time in their history. However, he was sent to the minors after a sluggish start to the following year, and he retired from the sport in 1976. Rochefort finished his career with totals of 121 goals and 147 assists for 268 points in 617 NHL games, along with just 93 penalty minutes. Rochefort is the uncle of
Normand Rochefort, who spent 13 seasons as an NHL defender between 1980 and 1994. ==Career statistics==