He didn't have a long NHL playing career, but Joe Primeau nevertheless had one good enough to earn him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Primeau played nine seasons, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and had 243 points (66 goals, 177 assists) in 310 NHL games. His most productive season came in 1931-32, when he was second in the League with 50 points (13 goals, 37 assists) in 46 games. He also had six assists in seven postseason games to help the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. Primeau was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given annually to the NHL player judged to "exhibit the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

A businessman even through his playing days, Primeau retired in 1936 at age 30 to focus on Joe Primeau Block (later amalgamated to form Primeau-Argo Block), his concrete business.

Primeau was a successful coach at various levels. In 1946-47 he coached Toronto St. Michael's of the Ontario Hockey Association to the Memorial Cup, awarded annually to the best junior hockey team. In 1950, he led the Toronto Marlboros to the Allan Cup, which is awarded annually to the national senior amateur Canadian men's hockey champions.

He was hired as Maple Leafs coach in 1950 and in his first season led the Maple Leafs to the 1951 Stanley Cup. Primeau is the only person in hockey history to coach a team to Memorial Cup, Allan Cup and Stanley Cup championships.

"Winning the Memorial Cup, the Allan Cup and then the Stanley Cup was something special," Primeau told Stan Fischler in a 1969 interview. "Those coaching victories gave me a hat trick with the major hockey trophies. But eventually it was time for me to make a change. I still loved hockey, but to do the job right, the game involves a real, honest endeavor -- and by this time I had my outside business primarily on my mind and knew I couldn't do both. I look back with pride. A pure hockey player is as honest a person as you can find because of what he does out there on the ice. There's no covering up anything. His performance tells the tale, especially when a player wins the Stanley Cup!"

Primeau was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963. He died May 14, 1989, at age 83.