Nordiques de Québec

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Nordiques de Québec
Logo of the Nordiques de Québec
founding 1972
history Nordiques de Québec
1972 - 1995
Colorado Avalanche
since 1995
Stadion Colisee de Quebec
Location Quebec City
Team colors red, white, blue
National Hockey League
Stanley Cups no
Conference title no
Division title 1985/86 , 1994/95
World Hockey Association
Avco World Trophies 1976/77
Division title 1974/75 , 1976/77

The Nordiques de Québec ( English Quebec Nordiques ) were an ice hockey team from the city of Québec in Canada . The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) and in the National Hockey League (1979–1995). In 1995 the team moved to Denver and called themselves Colorado Avalanche from then on .

history

The time in the WHA

Québec Nordiques logo in the WHA

The Québec Nordiques were one of the founding members of the World Hockey Association in 1972 , a league that was on par with the National Hockey League in terms of player potential . The franchise was actually given to a group from California , but in the end the deal didn't materialize. The Nordiques got their name because they were settled relatively far to the north.

The first coach of the Nordiques was the legendary Maurice Richard , who only stood behind the gang for one game and then declared that it was not the right job for him. The Nordiques' first star became JC Tremblay , a defender who topped the list of top assistants in season one and was always an all- star for the WHA's first four years. 1974/75 you could reach the playoffs for the first time , thanks to the help of top scorer Marc Tardif . They made it to the final, but lost to the Houston Eros, led by ice hockey legend Gordie Howe , in four games.

In the 1976/77 season, the team won the Avco World Trophy , which was awarded to the winner of the play-offs, when the team defeated the New England Whalers , Indianapolis Racers and, in the final, the Winnipeg Jets in the decisive seventh game .

In 1978 the uncertainties began in the WHA. The Nordiques were unable to defend their title and were subject to the New England Whalers in the play-offs. In 1979 the WHA came to an end and the last season was played.

In the summer of 1979, the team joined the NHL along with WHA competitors Edmonton Oilers , Winnipeg Jets and New England Whalers.

The years in the NHL

The 1980s

Since many players had contracts with NHL teams in addition to their WHA contracts, almost all players left the Nordiques team and you had to build a new team, which led to the fact that you sank into the basement of the NHL table. One of the few positive moments they had when Réal Cloutier became the first player in league history to score a hat trick in his first game .

The Nordiques finished the 1979/80 season last in the league, despite the good game of talented rookie Michel Goulet . In 1980 Peter Šťastný signed with the Nordiques and his brothers Anton and Marián soon followed to Québec as well. Peter Šťastný reached 109 points in the 1980/81 season and he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best new professional. The Nordiques reached the NHL playoffs for the first time, but were subject to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round .

Peter Šťastný and Michel Goulet formed a strong team for the next few years that led the Nordiques.

1981/82 they built on the performance of the previous year, switched off the local rivals Canadiens de Montréal and then the Boston Bruins . But then lost the conference final against the future Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders .

The rivalry between the Montréal Canadiens and the Nordiques intensified in 1983/84 when it came to the famous "Vendredi Saint" brawl in the playoffs. The Canadiens won the series. During the season, the Nordiques were the first NHL team to have a mascot and keep the crowd entertained during breaks. A man disguised as a strange blue creature performed funny dances in front of the audience.

In the following season, the Canadiens and Nordiques fought for first place in the Adams Division , which the Montreal team was able to bring with a three point lead. The Nordiques reciprocated in the playoffs and won the decisive seventh game in extra time. 1985/86 won the first division title, but flew out against the Hartford Whalers in the playoffs.

The next season there was again a seven-game battle in the playoffs against the Montréal Canadiens, but this time the Canadiens were successful. The defeat heralded one of the most difficult phases in the history of the Québec Nordiques. The next season they missed the playoffs and finished last in their division. 1988/89 you became the last of the NHL and the top stars Peter Šťastný and Michel Goulet decided to leave the team. The Nordiques signed the member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Guy Lafleur in the summer of 1989 , who, however, had his prime behind him. Only a young center by the name of Joe Sakic could give the Nordiques some shine back.

The 1990s

Before the 1989/90 season , the franchise secured the rights to Sweden's Mats Sundin in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft , making him the NHL's first European "first overall" draft pick. The following year they again had the first choice in the draft and chose Owen Nolan .

In 1991, due to the poor placement in the season, they again had the “first overall” draft pick. Although one of the greatest talents in ice hockey, Eric Lindros said he would never play for Québec, he was selected anyway. Lindros wore the Nordiques jersey on the day of the draft, but refused to sign a contract. The Nordiques missed the playoffs again and in the summer of 1992 they reached an agreement with Lindros. He was transferred to the Philadelphia Flyers , for which the Nordiques in exchange for striker Mike Ricci , goalkeeper Ron Hextall , defenders Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman , two first-round draft picks and $ 15 million. In addition, the trade still included the rights to a young Swedish player by the name of Peter Forsberg . One draft pick was transferred in a swap deal and the other was used in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft to get the rights to Jocelyn Thibault . This transfer deal between the Flyers and the Nordiques is probably the most significant of the decade and turned the weak Québec team into a potential Stanley Cup candidate.

1992/93 reached the team led by Joe Sakic, who was meanwhile a regular guest at the NHL All Star Game , together with the young stars Mats Sundin and Owen Nolan the play-offs after a great season performance. But in the play-offs it was over after the first round against local rivals from Montreal. In 1993/94 , the team missed the move into the play-offs, as they had to fight injury problems throughout the season.

The transfer of Eric Lindros was a godsend for the Nordiques. After his first season in 1994/95, Peter Forsberg was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie and today - something that could not be known in 1995 - hardly any team Peter Forsberg would give for Eric Lindros. Forsberg was the star of the franchise for over a decade. Ron Hextall was transferred to the New York Islanders after just one season and you got two draft picks, with which you secured the rights to Alex Tanguay and Adam Deadmarsh , who were later important players as the team after moving to Colorado the Stanley Cup won. Jocelyn Thibault was given to the Montréal Canadiens a few months after arriving in Denver, for which goalie legend Patrick Roy was given.

Farewell to Québec

In 1994/95 Peter Forsberg was supposed to play in the NHL for the first time, but first there was the lockout . The shortened season ended the Nordiques in first place in the Conference, but in the first round you had to admit defeat defending champion New York Rangers .

The team's financial problems became a focus during the season and eventually owner Marcel Aubut sold the Nordiques to a group of investors in Denver . The franchise then also moved to Colorado and was renamed Colorado Avalanche . Many Québec fans continued to stick with the team and congratulate them when the Avalanche won the 1996 Stanley Cup.

There was even talk of having a second Stanley Cup parade in Québec, after all, the team had only been in Colorado for a year. But the city refused and wanted to draw a line.

Season statistics

World Hockey Association

Abbreviations: GP = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = defeats after overtime , SOL = defeats after shootout , Pts = points, GF = goals scored, GA = goals conceded, PIM = penalty minutes

season GP W. L. T Pts GF GA PIM space Playoffs
1972/73 78 33 40 5 71 276 313 1354 5th, Eastern not qualified
1973/74 78 38 36 4th 80 306 280 909 5th, Eastern not qualified
1974/75 78 46 32 0 92 331 299 1132 1st, Canadian Victory in the quarter-finals, 4-1 ( Phoenix )
victory in the semifinals, 4-2 ( Minnesota )
defeat in the final, 0-4 ( Houston )
1975/76 81 50 27 4th 104 371 316 1654 2nd, Canadian Quarter-finals lost, 4-1 ( Calgary )
1976/77 81 47 31 3 97 353 295 1485 1st, Eastern Victory in quarter-finals, 4-1 ( New England )
victory in semi-finals, 4-1 ( Indianapolis )
victory in final, 4-3 ( Winnipeg )
1977/78 80 40 37 3 83 349 347 1185 4th, WHA Victory in quarter-finals, 4-2 ( Houston ),
defeat in semi-finals, 1-4 ( New England )
1978/79 80 41 34 5 87 288 271 1399 2., WHA Semi-final defeat, 4-0 ( Winnipeg )
total 556 295 237 24 614 2274 2121 9118 5 playoff appearances
10 series: 6 wins, 4 losses
52 games: 26 wins, 26 losses

National Hockey League

Abbreviations: GP = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, Pts = points, GF = goals scored, GA = goals conceded, PIM = penalty minutes

season GP W. L. T Pts GF GA PIM space Playoffs
1979/80 80 25th 44 11 61 248 313 1062 5th, Adams not qualified
1980/81 80 30th 32 18th 78 314 318 1524 4th, Adams Defeat in the preliminary round, 2-3 ( Philadelphia )
1981/82 80 33 31 16 82 356 345 1757 4th, Adams Victory in the division semi-finals, 3-2 ( Montréal )
victory in the division final, 4-3 ( Boston )
defeat in the conference final, 0-4 ( New York )
1982/83 80 34 34 12 80 343 336 1648 4th, Adams Division semi-final defeat, 3-1 ( Boston )
1983/84 80 42 28 10 94 360 278 1600 3rd, Adams Victory in division final, 3-0 ( Buffalo )
defeat in division final, 2: 4 ( Montréal )
1984/85 80 41 30th 9 91 323 275 1643 2nd, Adams Victory in the division semi-finals, 3-2 ( Buffalo )
victory in the division final, 4-3 ( Montréal )
defeat in the conference final, 2-4 ( Philadelphia )
1985/86 80 43 31 6th 92 330 289 1847 1st, Adams Division semi-finals lost, 3-0 ( Hartford )
1986/87 80 31 39 10 72 267 276 1741 4th, Adams Victory in the division semi-finals, 4: 2 ( Hartford ),
defeat in the division final, 3: 4 ( Montréal )
1987/88 80 32 43 5 69 271 306 2042 5th, Adams not qualified
1988/89 80 27 46 7th 61 269 342 2004 5th, Adams not qualified
1989/90 80 12 61 7th 31 240 407 2104 5th, Adams not qualified
1990/91 80 16 50 14th 46 236 354 1741 5th, Adams not qualified
1991/92 80 20th 48 12 52 255 318 2044 5th, Adams not qualified
1992/93 84 47 27 10 104 351 300 1846 2nd, Adams Division semi-finals defeat, 2-4 ( Montréal )
1993/94 84 34 42 8th 76 277 292 1625 5th, Northeast not qualified
1994/95 1 48 30th 13 5 65 185 134 770 1st, Northeast Conference quarter-finals lost, 2-4 ( New York )
total 1256 497 599 160 1154 4625 4883 26998 9 playoff appearances
15 series: 6 wins, 9 losses
80 games: 35 wins, 45 losses
1 season shortened due to the NHL lockout in 1994/95

Trainer

As the first head coach in franchise history, Maurice Richard took the position on the gang and led the team into their first game of the World Hockey Association . Then he was replaced by Maurice Filion , who was entrusted with the management of the Nordiques. After the play-offs were missed in the premiere season, another experienced NHL player followed for the 1973/74 season with Jacques Plante . After he was allowed to make it to the finals, he returned as an active player on the ice. His successor Jean-Guy Gendron led the team in their third season for the first time in the play-offs. After victories over the Phoenix Roadrunners and Minnesota Fighting Saints , the team faced the Houston Eros in the finals of the Avco World Trophy , but lost the series in four games. In the 1975/76 season, the Nordiques set a new franchise record with 104 points in the regular season and dropped out of the competition in the second round against the Calgary Cowboys .

Abbreviations: GC = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = defeats
after overtime , Pts = points, Win% = win rate

Surname season Regular season Playoffs
GC W. L. T Pts Win% GC W. L.
Maurice Richard 1972/73 * 2 0 2 0 0 .000 - - -
Maurice Filion 1972/73 * 76 33 38 5 71 .467 - - -
Jacques Plante 1973/74 78 38 36 4th 80 .513 - - -
Jean-Guy Gendron 1974 / 75-1975 / 76 159 96 59 4th 196 .616 20th 9 11
Marc Boileau 1976 / 77-1977 / 78 161 87 68 6th 180 .559 28 17th 11
Maurice Filion Summer 1978 - - - - - - - - -
Jacques Demers 1978 / 79–1979 / 80 160 66 79 16 148 . 4th 0 4th
Michel Bergeron 1980/81 * 74 29 29 16 74 .463 5 2 3
Maurice Filion 1980/81 * 6th 1 3 2 4th .333 - - -
Michel Bergeron 1981 / 82-1986 / 87 480 224 193 63 511 .532 63 29 34
André Savard 1987/88 * 24 10 13 1 21st .438 - - -
Ron Lapointe 1987/88 * –1988 / 89 * 89 33 50 6th 72 .404 - - -
Jean Perron 1988/89 * 47 16 26th 5 37 .394 - - -
Michel Bergeron 1989/90 80 12 61 7th 31 .194 - - -
Dave Chambers 1990 / 91–1991 / 92 * 98 19th 64 15th 53 .270 - - -
Pierre Pagé 1991/92 * -1993/94 230 98 103 30th 226 .491 6th 2 4th
Marc Crawford 1994/95 48 30th 13 5 65 .677 6th 2 4th

* Change during the current season

For the 1976/77 season Marc Boileau was entrusted with the management of the team. Boileau, previously fired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, led the squad to their greatest success in franchise history. After victories against the New England Whalers and Indianapolis Racers , they made it into the finals for the second time. In seven games against the Winnipeg Jets , the team won the Avco World Trophy and secured the WHA championship for the first time. After Boileau failed with the team in the second playoff round the following year, Maurice Filion took over the position on the gang at short notice. This was replaced by Jacques Demers , who led the team through their final season in the WHA and into the premier season of the National Hockey League . The team finished last in the Adams Division with 61 points . After Maurice Filion had taken over the Nordiques again for a few games, Michel Bergeron was installed as the new head coach.

Michel Bergeron was the head coach of the Nordiques for six years. In the 1981/82 season , after narrow successes against the Canadiens de Montréal and Boston Bruins, they made it to the Conference Finals, in which the team was defeated in four games against the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the New York Islanders . In the following five years, in which Bergeron was active as head coach at the Nordiques, the team always qualified for the finals. In the 1984/85 season , the team advanced again to the Conference Finals and lost in six games against the Philadelphia Flyers . After two more years as head coach, Michel Bergeron joined the New York Rangers in 1987 . André Savard , who had also played for the Québec team during his active career, was introduced as his successor . In his only season behind the gang, the play-offs were not reached. Finally Ron Lapointe was entrusted with the management of the team, but released after a few months. His successor Jean Perron could not meet expectations either, and his engagement ended after the 1988/89 season . As a result, Michel Bergeron was introduced as his successor.

However, Bergeron did not manage to build on his earlier successes with the team and the play-offs took place for the third time in a row without the Nordiques. He was followed by Dave Chambers, the eleventh head coach in franchise history. After the 1990/91 season , which was the lowest point in the history of the Nordiques with only 16 wins and 46 points, Chambers also held on to the start of the following season. When the first 18 games resulted in only three wins, he was thrown out. Pierre Pagé , who could not bring the team on the playoff course in the same season, led the team back into the finals in the 1992/93 season for the first time in six years. After in the first round in six games against the Canadiens de Montréal from elimination and in the following year the team again fell short of expectations by failing to qualify for the play-offs, Pagé was replaced by Marc Crawford in the 1994/95 season . In the last season of the Nordiques' existence, they once again made it into the finals, in which they were eliminated in round one in six games against the New York Rangers.

General manager

Surname season
Maurice Filion 1979 / 80-1987 / 88
Martin Madden 1988 / 89-1989 / 90
Maurice Filion 1989/90
Pierre Pagé 1990 / 91-1993 / 94
Pierre Lacroix 1994/95

player

Team captains

Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Surname Year of admission position
Michel Goulet 1998 player
Guy Lafleur 1988 player
Jacques Plante 1978 Trainer
Maurice Richard 1961 Trainer
Joe Sakic 2012 player
Peter Šťastný 1998 player
Mats Sundin 2012 player

Blocked jersey numbers

Numbers will be available again after moving to Colorado

Top 10 voting rights in the NHL Entry Draft

Surname year Draft position
Bryan Fogarty 1987 9.
Curtis Leschyshyn
Daniel Doré 		1988 3.
5.
Mats Sundin 1989 1.
Owen Nolan 1990 1.
Eric Lindros 1991 1.
Todd Warriner 1992 4th
Jocelyn Thibault 1993 10.

swell

Web links

Commons : Nordiques de Québec  - Collection of images, videos and audio files