Laviolette's contributions as the first general manager, playing coach and captain of the Montreal Canadiens cemented his place in the organization's history and earned him induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Though he was born in Belleville, Ontario, on July 27, 1879, Laviolette grew up in Valleyfield, Quebec, playing hockey and lacrosse. A swift-skating defenseman who also was comfortable playing forward, Laviolette first played hockey professionally with the Michigan Soo Indians of the International Hockey League in 1904-05. He scored 40 goals in 60 games during three seasons with Michigan before joining the Montreal Shamrocks of the Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1907-08, scoring two goals in 15 games during two seasons.

When the National Hockey Association was formed in 1909, owner J. Ambrose O'Brien hired Laviolette and asked him to put together a team of French-speaking players that would become the original Canadiens. With Laviolette playing alongside future Hall of Famers such as Newsy Lalonde, Didier Pitre and Georges Vezina, the Canadiens struggled in 1909-10, going 2-10-0, but improved in the seasons that followed.

Montreal had its first winning season in 1913-14 when it went 13-7-0, then won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1916 by defeating Portland of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in five games in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens represented the NHA in the Stanley Cup Final again the following season but lost to Seattle of the PCHA in four games.

In eight NHA seasons with the Canadiens, Laviolette had 65 points (47 goals, 18 assists) in 138 games. When the Canadiens joined the newly formed NHL in 1917-18, Laviolette played one more season, finishing with three points (two goals, one assist) in 18 games, before losing his right foot in an offseason auto accident, ending his career. A benefit game was arranged at Mount Royal Arena during the winter of 1921; Laviolette was not only the guest of honor but refereed the game.

Laviolette died on Jan. 10, 1960, at age 80. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame as a lacrosse player later that year.