Quebec Nordiques 1972-73 to 1978-79

Owners

Hon. Jean Lesage

Marius Fortier

Jean Dacres

Marcel Aubut

Rinks

Le Colisee

Seasons & Leaders

1972-73 Record 33-40-5, 71 pts Coach Maurice Richard Maurice Filion Goals 36, Alain Caron 28, Bob Guindon Assists 75, J.C. Tremblay 48, Michel Parizeau Points 89, J.C. Tremblay 73, Michel Parizeau Penalty Min. 169, Pierre Roy 142, Michel Rouleau Wins 25, Serge Aubry Goals Against 3.60, Serge Aubry Shutouts 1, Serge Aubry

1973-74 Record 38-36-4, 80 pts Coach Jacques Plante Goals 37, Serge Bernier 31, Alain Caron 31, Bob Guindon Assists 49, Serge Bernier 44, Andre Gaudette 44, J.C. Tremblay Points 86, Serge Bernier 70, Bob Guindon Penalty Min. 137, Pierre Roy 107, Serge Bernier Wins 15, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.29, Michel Deguise Shutouts 1, Serge Aubry 1, Richard Brodeur 1, Michel Deguise

1974-75 Record 46-32-0, 92 pts Coach Jean-Guy Gendron Goals 54, Serge Bernier 40, Rejean Houle Assists 68, Serge Bernier 56, J.C. Tremblay Points 122, Serge Bernier 92, Rejean Houle Penalty Min. 118, Pierre Roy 114, Steve Sutherland Wins 29, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.71, Serge Aubry Shutouts none

1975-76 Record 50-27-4, 104 pts Coach Jean-Guy Gendron Goals 71, Marc Tardif 60, Real Cloutier Assists 77, Marc Tardif 77, J.C. Tremblay Points 148, Marc Tardif 114, Real Cloutier Penalty Min. 297, Gord Gallant 258, Pierre Roy Wins 44, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.69, Richard Brodeur Shutouts 2, Richard Brodeur

1976-77 Record 47-31-3, 97 pts League Champions Coach Marc Boileau Goals 66, Real Cloutier 49, Marc Tardif Assists 75, Christian Bordeleau 75, Real Cloutier Points 141, Real Cloutier 109, Marc Tardif Penalty Min. 244, Paul Baxter 197, Wally Weir Wins 29, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.45, Richard Brodeur Shutouts 2, Richard Brodeur

1977-78 Record 40-37-3, 83 pts Coach Marc Boileau Maurice Filion Goals 65, Marc Tardif 56, Real Cloutier Assists 89, Marc Tardif 73, Real Cloutier Points 154, Marc Tardif 129, Real Cloutier Penalty Min. 240, Paul Baxter 143, Steve Sutherland Wins 18, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.70, Richard Brodeur Shutouts none

1978-79 Record 41-34-5, 87 pts Coach Jacques Demers Goals 75, Real Cloutier 41, Marc Tardif Assists 55, Marc Tardif 54, Real Cloutier Points 129, Real Cloutier 96, Marc Tardif Penalty Min. 240, Paul Baxter 166, Wally Weir Wins 25, Richard Brodeur Goals Against 3.11, Richard Brodeur Shutouts 3, Richard Brodeur 3, Jim Corsi

Complete Roster & Regular Season Scoring Totals

Player (G: Goaltender)	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Min.
Tardif, Marc	348	264	315	579	362
Cloutier, Real	369	283	283	566	169
Bernier, Serge	417	230	336	566	486
Tremblay, J.C.	451	66	358	424	120
Bordeleau, Christian	241	98	214	312	128
Houle, Rejean	214	118	139	257	115
Parizeau, Michel	289	91	155	246	182
Leclerc, Rene	255	74	104	178	323
Bordeleau, Paulin	234	101	76	177	125
Gaudette, Andre	221	61	105	166	94
Guindon, Bobby	211	71	85	156	84
Lacombe, Francois	369	35	111	146	360
Fitchner, Bob	253	41	102	143	272
Hoganson, Dale	254	22	101	123	109
Caron, Alain	148	74	45	119	26
Sutherland, Steve	241	65	53	118	488
Baxter, Paul	218	22	82	104	724
Bernier, Jean	261	17	84	101	50
Lariviere, Garry	145	12	85	97	140
Dube, Norm	148	33	62	95	29
Guite, Pierre	213	44	47	91	383
Roy, Pierre	276	19	72	91	732
Gilbert, Jeannot	133	24	60	84	32
Brackenbury, Curt	195	37	40	77	466
Boudrias, Andre	140	22	48	70	34
Leduc, Richie	61	30	32	62	30
Constantin, Charles	186	26	34	60	229
Payette, Jean	112	19	40	59	52
Gendron, Jean-Guy	127	28	41	59	155
Dorey, Jim	131	14	45	59	142
Hagman, Matti	53	25	31	56	16
Dufour, Guy	83	30	25	55	32
Beaule, Alain	100	8	43	51	112
Miller, Warren	60	14	24	38	50
Archambault, Michel	57	12	25	37	36
Cote, Alain	106	17	18	35	31
Bergeron, Yves	65	14	19	33	32
Giroux, Rejean	71	15	18	33	55
Rouleau, Michel	75	8	25	33	205
Weir, Wally	150	5	24	29	410
Serviss, Tom	71	7	19	26	12
Geoffrion, Daniel	77	12	14	26	74
Jordan, Ric	110	10	15	25	100
Grenier, Richard	34	11	9	20	4
Golembrosky, Frank	52	8	12	20	44
Desjardine, Ken	127	4	16	20	80
Harvey, Michel	40	6	13	19	14
Gallant, Gord	64	4	15	19	297
Hampson, Ted	14	4	10	14	2
Blain, Jacques	70	1	10	11	78
Driscoll, Peter	21	3	7	10	28
Brodeur, Richard (G)	300	0	10	10	9
Bilodeau, Gilles	36	3	6	9	141
Descoteaux, Norm	37	1	7	8	6
Prentice, Bill	21	2	5	7	89
Morrison, Kevin	27	2	5	7	14
Larose, Paul	28	0	7	7	7
Benzelock, Jim	34	2	5	7	6
Lagace, Pierre	38	2	5	7	24
Garneau, J.C.	17	0	5	5	27
Morris, Rick	25	0	5	5	40
David, Richard	14	0	4	4	4
Patry, Denis	3	1	2	3	2
McLeod, Don (G)	7	0	3	3	0
Cartier, Jean-Yves	15	0	3	3	8
Dubois, Michel	25	0	3	3	23
Globensky, Alan	43	1	2	3	18
Aubry, Serge (G)	130	0	3	3	84
Fortier, Florent	4	1	1	2	0
Evans, Chris	36	0	2	2	22
Deguise, Michel (G)	50	0	2	2	0
Gresdal, Gary	2	0	1	1	5
Selby, Brit	7	0	1	1	4
Lemelin, Jacques (G)	9	0	1	1	0
Humphreys, Ed (G)	22	0	1	1	0
Inkpen, Dave	24	0	1	1	20
Watson, Jim	28	0	1	1	24
Corsi, Jim (G)	63	0	1	1	2
Cunniff, John	2	0	0	0	5
Levasseur, Louis (G)	3	0	0	0	0
Donnelly, Pete (G)	4	0	0	0	0
Devine, Kevin	5	0	0	0	6
Mattsson, Markus (G)	6	0	0	0	0
McNamara, Mike	19	0	0	0	5
Balon, David	22	0	0	0	2
Broderick, Ken (G)	24	0	0	0	0

Complete Playoff Scoring Totals

Player (G: Goaltender)	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Min.
Bernier, Serge	50	28	46	74	41
Cloutier, Real	48	33	30	63	31
Tardif, Marc	44	27	32	59	35
Bordeleau, Paulin	31	17	15	32	14
Bordeleau. Christian	38	8	24	32	12
Tremblay, J.-C.	34	2	23	25	4
Dube, Norm	24	5	14	19	17
Houle, Rejean	20	12	6	18	10
Fitchner, Bob	37	6	12	18	34
Baxter, Paul	27	6	11	17	84
Boudrias, Andre	28	3	14	17	10
Lariviere, Garry	32	3	13	16	16
Lacombe, Francois	46	5	10	15	24
Leclerc, Rene	18	7	7	14	41
Guindon, Bobby	15	7	6	13	10
Sutherland, Steve	45	9	4	13	104
Roy, Pierre	20	1	11	12	69
Brackenbury, Curt	36	5	7	12	102
Bernier, Jean	32	3	8	11	4
Weir, Wally	32	2	8	10	67
Gilbert, Jeannot	11	3	6	9	2
Hoganson, Dale	22	2	6	8	8
Parizeau, Michel	15	2	4	6	10
Guite, Pierre	17	5	0	5	9
Dorey, Jim	24	0	5	5	62
Geoffrion, Daniel	4	1	2	3	2
Cote, Alain	15	1	2	3	2
Leduc, Richie	4	0	2	2	0
Hampson, Ted	5	0	2	2	10
Miller, Warren	11	0	2	2	0
Constantin, Charles	20	0	2	2	19
Brodeur, Richard (G)	51	0	2	2	0
Dubois, Michel	2	0	1	1	0
Globensky, Alan	2	1	0	1	0
Lagace, Pierre	4	0	1	1	2
Gaudette, Andre	9	0	1	1	0
Fortier, Florent	1	0	0	0	0
Gresdal, Gary	1	0	0	0	14
Levasseur, Louis (G)	1	0	0	0	0
Gallant, Gord	2	0	0	0	31
Corsi, Jim (G)	2	0	0	0	0
Broderick, Ken (G)	2	0	0	0	0
Bilodeau, Gilles	3	0	0	0	25
Benzelock, Jim	3	0	0	0	0
Aubry, Serge (G)	3	0	0	0	0
Serviss, Tom	5	0	0	0	0
Prentice, Bill	5	0	0	0	17

Complete Regular Season Goaltending

Goaltender	Games	Minutes	Goals	Shutouts	Record	Average
Brodeur, Richard	300	17101	1037	8	165-114-12	3.64
Aubry, Serge	130	6962	432	3	59-52-4	3.72
Corsi, Jim	63	3380	208	3	26-27-1	3.69
Deguise, Michel	50	2285	156	1	18-18-3	4.10
Humphreys, Ed	22	1240	74	1	12-8-1	3.58
Broderick, Ken	24	1140	83	0	9-8-1	4.37
Lemelin, Jacques	9	435	29	0	3-4-1	4.00
McLeod, Don	7	403	28	0	2-4-0	4.17
Mattsson, Markus	6	266	30	0	1-3-0	6.77
Donnelly, Peter	4	129	10	0	0-1-0	4.65
Levasseur, Louis	3	140	14	0	0-1-1	6.00

Complete Playoff Goaltending

Goaltender	Games	Minutes	Goals	Shutouts	Record	Average
Brodeur, Richard	51	2948	177	3	26-23	3.60
Aubry, Serge	3	18	1	0	0-0	3.33
Broderick, Ken	2	48	2	0	0-1	2.50
Corsi, Jim	2	66	7	0	0-1	6.36
Levasseur, Louis	1	59	8	0	0-1	8.14

History

Upon the formation of the World Hockey Association in 1971, a group of Quebec businessmen led by Paul Racine and Jean Dacres set about seeking a franchise for Quebec City. The incipient WHA was interested in Quebec as a site, but the Quebec group was unable to immediately jump in with the new league due to finances and securing dates at Le Colisee, the city's biggest arena. To this end, the Honorable Jean Lesage, former Premier of Quebec Province, came aboard as a co-owner. In the meantime, Gary Davidson awarded himself a franchise to be based in San Francisco, California. Davidson had no intention to run a franchise, and given how poorly the NHL Seals were performing, a second team in the Bay Area seemed unlikely to succeed. The franchise was essentially held as a placeholder until the Quebec group was ready. In February 1972, the rights were transferred to this Quebec group and the Nordiques (as yet unnamed) were now members of the WHA. The Nordiques sought players of French-Canadian background, scouting the Quebec Junior ranks for talent, as well as seeing what was available in the minor-pro circuits and the NHL. Most of the first-year team were unknowns, except for one: former Montreal Canadien great, defenceman Jean-Claude Tremblay. For the next seven years, Tremblay would be the face of the franchise, a perennial all-star, and the focus around which the team would build. Another former Canadien great, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, was hired as coach. The team was well-received by Quebec fans. The Nordiques lost their first game ever, a road loss in Cleveland, then came home to a sell-out crowd and defeated Alberta. And that was the end of Richard's tenure as coach. He resigned immediately following the game, citing his discomfort in the role. General Manager Maurice Filion stepped in and assumed the duties. The first-year Nordiques finished 33-40-5, but in fifth place and out of the playoffs. Not surprisingly, J.-C. Tremblay was the team's star, leading the team in assists (75) and points (89). Winger Alain "Boom Boom" Caron led the team in goals with 36. Another former Canadiens' great, Jacques Plante, joined the Nordiques in 1973-74, to be the team's head coach. This was Plante's first (and only) head coaching job, having retired as a player just a few months earlier. Up front, Serge Bernier signed from Los Angeles (NHL) led the team with 37 goals and 86 points, with Caron and Bob Guindon scoring 31 goals apiece. The Nordiques improved to 38-36-4, but frustratingly, missed the playoffs once again. Plante didn't exactly take to coaching, sometimes being absent from the team, where Maurice Filion again stepped in to coach. At season's end, Plante stepped down as coach and returned as a player in 1974-75, tending goal for the Edmonton Oilers. Jean-Guy Gendron, who had played for Nordiques their first two seasons before retiring, was hired to coach for the 1974-75 season. The Nordiques started strong in 1974-75, with Rejean Houle (another ex-Canadien) being the most recognizable new face, but a pair of trades made in early December of 1974 would set the tone for this season and those to follow. The Nordiques first acquired Christian Bordeleau, trading defenseman Alain Beaule to Winnipeg, then a couple days later, acquired Marc Tardif from Michigan for Alain Caron. The Nordiques exploded, coasted to a 46-win season, a first-place finish, and an eventual berth in the AVCO Cup championship round, where they ultimately lost to Houston. Bernier scored 54 goals, Houle 40, and Tardif 38 (and 50 for the season counting his Michigan totals). Michel Parizeau contributed 28 goals, and a rookie, Real "Buddy" Cloutier, added 26. Despite the loss to Houston in the AVCO Cup Finals, the Nordiques were highly optimistic heading into 1975-76. The high-powered Nordiques of 1975-76 featured five 100-point performers who paced the offense to a record 371 goals for the season. Led by Marc Tardif (71 g, 148 pts), Real Cloutier (60 g, 114 pts), Christian Bordeleau (37 g, 109 pts), Rejean Houle (51 g, 103 pts) and Serge Bernier (34 g, 102 pts), the Nordiques breezed to a 50-27-4 mark, although it was only good enough for second place behind the Winnipeg Jets. Defence was the Nordiques' weakness, allowing 316 goals over the season. Goaltender Richard Brodeur posted a 3.69 average, winning 44 games. The Nordiques were quite literally bumped from the 1976 playoffs in the first round by Calgary. The Cowboys' Rick Jodzio checked the Nordiques' Marc Tardif with a strike to the head that put the Quebec star out of the playoffs and into the hospital. After the tremendous brawl that ensued, the shaken and leaderless Nordiques were dismissed by Calgary in five games. The Nordiques had another strong season in 1976-77, posting a 47-31-3 record and a first place finish in the Eastern Division under new coach Marc Boileau. Real Cloutier's 66-goal, 141-point season led the Nordiques, and Marc Tardif returned from his head injuries to score 49 goals in 62 games. Christian Bordeleau (107 pts), his brother Paulin Bordeleau (42 goals) and Serge Bernier (43 goals) rounded out the offense. The Nordiques eliminated New England and Indianapolis in the playoffs before squaring off against Winnipeg for the AVCO Cup. In the only championship series to go the full seven games, the Nordiques outlasted the Jets to capture their first and only championship. Serge Bernier emerged as the scoring star of the playoffs, scoring 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists. Real Cloutier also scored 14 goals. The Summer of 1977 was taken up by the merger negotiations between the WHA and the NHL. The Nordiques were a strong franchise and likely to be admitted into an expanded NHL should the leagues agree to a merger. Their home arena, Le Colisee, sat just over 10,000, too small by NHL standards. This was a concern for the NHL. There was also the matter of how the Montreal Canadiens might feel about having another team in the Quebec Province. Merger failed in 1977, so the Nordiques convened for another year in the WHA, as defenders of the AVCO Cup. The 1977-78 team never got untracked, and finished with a 40-37-3 record, scoring 349 goals (Tardif setting a major-league record with 154 points), but allowing 347 goals. In the playoffs, the Nordiques defetaed Houston in the first round, but lost to New England in the semi-final round. Merger did not happen in 1978, so the Nordiques once again suited up for another season in the WHA. Now coached by Jacques Demers, the Nordiques finished second in the league, led by Cloutier's 75 goals and 129 points. Tardif had 41 goals and 95 points. New arrival Richie Leduc put in 30, while the dependable Serge Bernier scored 36. Their run in the playoffs lasted just four games, being swept by Winnipeg and allowing 30 goals. In 1976, the O'Keefe Breweries bought into the Nordiques, ensuring the team a strong financial base. The fact that the Nordiques was owned by a beer company proved to be pivotal in the 1979 merger negotiations. When merger was voted down by the NHL in early March 1979, one of the teams voting against merger was the Montreal Canadiens, owned by the Molson Breweries. Montreal had consistently voted against merger in previous years as well. Canadian fans were unhappy that Montreal voted against merger. It should be mentioned that Vancouver and Toronto also consistently voted against merger, denying entrance of three more Canadian-based teams into an expanded NHL. Los Angeles and Boston were the other two teams in the anti-merger bloc. All that was needed was for two of the five teams to switch their vote for merger to happen. Supporters of the Nordiques, as well as fans in Edmonton, Winnipeg and other parts of Canada, staged a beer strike against Molson Breweries in a show of solidarity against the Montreal "no" vote. The public relations effect was plainly obvious. When another merger vote by the NHL was held on March 22, 1979, the Canadiens had changed their vote to "yes," and it was instrumental in passing the merger for 1979-80 (Vancouver also switched its vote). The Nordiques were admitted to the NHL as an expansion franchise for the 1979-80 season. The Nordiques played in Quebec through the 1994-95 season, but the economics of hockey in the 1990s — and the nearly-obsolete Le Colisee — prompted the team to relocate to Denver, Colorado that summer. In Denver, the new Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and again in 2001 (and much later, in 2022).

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• Article: Color of Hockey: Alton White (The Hockey News), by William Douglas — March 8, 2020
• Review: US Sports History, by Rich Macales — Feb 6, 2021
• Podcast: Good Seats Still Available, by Tim Hanlon — Feb 28, 2021
• Podcast: Digital to Dice (Youtube), by Dave Gardner — July 3, 2022

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