Born: 12 Feb 1932, Montreal PQ (d. 2017)
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Regular Season & Playoff Coaching Record (key)
| Regular Season | Playoffs |
| year | team | finish | finish | |||||||||
| 1972-73 | Quebec | 5-E | DNQ | |||||||||
| 1975-76 | Quebec | Interim | ||||||||||
| 1977-78 | Quebec | 4-L | SF | |||||||||
• Succeeded Maurice Richard on October 19, 1972.
• Coached team during absences of Jacques Plante in 1973-74.
• Coached team on April 14, 1976, as coach Jean-Guy Gendron was serving a suspension.
• Succeeded Marc Boileau on February 28, 1978.
• Coached in NHL, Que (1980-81)
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Filion: From Scout to Head Coach (excerpt) • no byline • The Hockey Spectator • December 22, 1972
Born in Montreal 40 years ago, on February 12, 1932, Maurice Filion now finds himself at the helm of the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association. Yet he had been hired by Nordiques management only a few months earlier as their chief scout, and when you look at the results of the Quebec club, it's clear he did that job well. If he no longer holds that position, it isn't because he wanted it that way. Rather, after a series of unexpected events, he found himself almost compelled to take on the role of head coach. When Maurice "Rocket" Richard decided to step down from his coaching position, the organization couldn't simply close the door on the matter. Maurice Filion had been considered to take over the Nordiques, but for personal reasons he initially declined the attractive offer made to him. Married and the father of a boy just over a year old, Maurice chose the other option: the more secure role of chief scout, compared to the far less stable job of head coach. Mid‑season, and in the thick of the schedule, it's rare for a coach to leave his post unless there's complete upheaval. That is exactly what happened with the Nordiques, who now say they are very pleased with Filion's performance, especially since the players seem to appreciate him. Maurice played junior hockey alongside Jean‑Guy Talbot and Jean‑Guy Gendron, then with the Trois‑Rivières Reds, and for several years, he worked in various senior leagues in the Montreal region. An employee of Bell Canada for 13 years, he closely followed hockey at every level as a spectator, while also coaching intermediate teams part‑time. He eventually left the company to try his luck as a full‑time coach. Before taking that step, he had led the Montreal Olympique club ... to the Canadian final for the Allan Cup. Still as a developer of talent, he coached Montreal‑Nord in the Metropolitan League, then was inactive for two years. In the summer of 1966, Filion allowed himself to be convinced by Yvan Prud'Homme, then a scout for the New York Rangers, to seriously pursue a coaching career by taking charge of the Drummondville Rangers, who were entering their first season in the Quebec Junior League. In his first year, he finished last in the standings, but by the end of the team's second season, he won both the regular‑season and playoff championships. The Drummondville Rangers finished third in the league at the end of their third year in the circuit. The Quebec Remparts of the Lebel circuit then offered Maurice the position of coach for their junior team in the league's second year of existence. During the three years he spent with the Remparts, he had the opportunity to put the finishing touches on the development of players such as Guy Lafleur, Jacques Richard, Rejean Giroux, Pierre Roy, and many others too numerous to list here. Despite one setback or another that remains unknown regarding his team, he says he is confident he can earn a place among the Nordiques' coaching staff with an eye toward winning the World Cup. Because of his precise judgment, quick decision‑making, and deep knowledge of hockey, exceptional in his analysis of his players, their results and their roles, he has every reason to anticipate unprecedented success in the professional hockey championship of the World Hockey Association. |
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