Quebec Nordiques

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Lore & Background

The Nordiques formed as one of the original WHA teams in 1972–73. The franchise was originally awarded to a group in San Francisco and sold to a consortium of Quebec City-based businessmen who owned the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. The team name 'Les Nordiques' was announced on March 29, 1972. Their first head coach was Maurice 'Rocket' Richard, who lasted only two games. The Nordiques captured the Avco World Trophy in 1976–77. They entered the NHL in 1979 following the NHL–WHA merger. The Nordiques were forced to let all but three players go in a 1979 dispersal draft and finished the 1979–80 season with the second-worst record. The intraprovincial rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens intensified during the 1983–84 season, culminating in the Good Friday Massacre during the 1984 playoffs. In the 1984–85 division finals, the Nordiques ousted the Canadiens in seven games, with Peter Stastny clinching the series with an overtime goal in game 7 at the Forum. It was the franchise's deepest NHL playoff run in Quebec.

In Their Own Story

The 1984 playoffs provided one of the most dramatic chapters in team history when the Good Friday Massacre erupted between the Nordiques and Canadiens. The tension boiled over into a massive brawl at the end of the second period, followed by another as teams warmed up for the third. After Peter Stastny and Dale Hunter were ejected, Montreal scored five goals in the final frame to win Game 6. Yet, the narrative shifted the very next season in 1984–85. After losing a tight race for the division title by just three points, Quebec returned to face Montreal in the division finals. Pushed to seven games after a tough series against the Buffalo Sabres, the Nordiques secured a historic victory with an overtime goal from Peter Stastny at the Forum. This triumph propelled them past the league-leading Philadelphia Flyers in six games, marking their highest achievement on home ice before the team's eventual decline and move to Denver.

Reader's Guide

The Nordiques were the only major professional sports team based in Quebec City in the modern era, and one of two ever; the other, the Quebec Bulldogs, played in the NHA from 1910 to 1917 and one season in the NHL in 1919–20. The team's colors were powder blue and red. Their first star was two-way defenceman J. C. Tremblay. Notable players include Marc Tardif, Réal Cloutier, Serge Bernier, Rejean Houle, Michel Goulet, and Peter Stastny. The Nordiques won their first NHL division title in 1985–86.

Did You Know?

• The Nordiques were named because they were one of the northernmost teams in professional sports in North America; Quebec City is located at 47 degrees north latitude.
• The Nordiques were the only team in major professional history to have five players break 100 points in a season (1975–76).
• Réal Cloutier became the second NHL player ever to score a hat trick in his first NHL game.
• The Nordiques' mascot, Badaboum, was created for Rendez-vous '87 and became a permanent fixture at home games.