Quebec Nordiques facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Quebec Nordiques Nordiques de Québec
Founded	1972
History	Quebec Nordiques 1972–1979 (WHA) 1979–1995 (NHL) Colorado Avalanche 1995–present
Home arena	Colisée de Québec
City	Quebec City, Quebec
Colours	Blue, red, white
Stanley Cups	0
Avco World Trophy	1 (1976–77)
Conference championships	0
Presidents' Trophies	0
Division championships	4 (1974–75, 1976–77, 1985–86, 1994–95)

The Quebec Nordiques (which means "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners" in French) was a professional ice hockey team. They were based in Quebec City, Canada.

The Nordiques played in two major leagues: the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979, and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1995. Their home games were played at the Colisée de Québec. In May 1995, the team moved to Denver, Colorado, and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

The Nordiques were the only major professional sports team in Quebec City in modern times. Another team, the Quebec Bulldogs, played one season in the NHL way back in 1919–20.

History of the Nordiques

Starting in the WHA

The Quebec Nordiques began as one of the first teams in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972. The team was first planned for San Francisco and called the San Francisco Sharks. But the San Francisco group ran out of money before the season started.

So, a group of business people from Quebec City bought the team. They already owned a successful junior hockey team called the Quebec Remparts. They renamed the team the Quebec Nordiques. This name was chosen because Quebec City is one of the most northern cities with a professional sports team in North America. "Nordiques" means "Northerners" or "Northmen" in French.

The Nordiques' first coach was the famous Maurice Richard. However, he coached only two games before deciding coaching wasn't for him.

The team's first big star was J. C. Tremblay, a skilled defenceman. He led the WHA in assists in the league's first year. Later, players like Serge Bernier, Rejean Houle, Marc Tardif, and Real Cloutier joined the team.

In the 1974–75 season, the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time. They reached the finals but lost to the Gordie Howe-led Houston Aeros. The next season, the team became a scoring powerhouse. Five of their players scored over 100 points, which is still a record for any major professional hockey team!

The Nordiques finally won the Avco World Trophy (the WHA championship) in 1976–77. They beat the Winnipeg Jets in seven games.

By 1978, the WHA was having financial problems. The Nordiques' president, Marcel Aubut, started looking into joining the NHL. The 1978–79 season was the last for the WHA. After this season, J. C. Tremblay retired, and his number 3 jersey was retired by the team.

Joining the NHL in the 1980s

As the WHA ended, some of its teams joined the NHL. The Nordiques were one of these teams, joining the NHL in 1979 along with the Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets.

Because of the merger rules, the Nordiques had to let most of their players go. They finished the 1979–80 NHL season with one of the worst records in the league. However, a promising rookie, Michel Goulet, started to shine. Also, Real Cloutier made history by scoring three goals (a hat trick) in his very first NHL game!

In 1980, the Nordiques signed two brothers, Peter and Anton Stastny, who had left the Czechoslovak national team. Their third brother, Marian, joined them in 1981. Peter Stastny won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in 1981–82.

Led by Goulet and Peter Stastny, the Nordiques made the playoffs for seven years in a row. They often had to face strong teams like the Montreal Canadiens or Boston Bruins. In 1981–82, they surprised everyone by beating both the Canadiens and Bruins. Their amazing playoff run ended when they lost to the New York Islanders.

The rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens became very intense, especially in the 1980s. One famous game was during the 1984 playoffs. The Canadiens won a heated game to eliminate the Nordiques.

In 1984–85, the Nordiques had their best NHL season yet, with 91 points. They faced the Canadiens again in the playoffs and beat them in a thrilling seven-game series. Peter Stastny scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 7! They then played against the powerful Philadelphia Flyers but lost in six games.

The Nordiques warming up before a game in 1986.

The Nordiques won their first NHL division title in 1985–86. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs. The next season, 1986–87, they beat the Hartford Whalers in the playoffs. Then, they had another seven-game series against the Canadiens, but Montreal won again. After this, the Nordiques would not make the playoffs again until 1993.

The team started to decline after 1987. They finished last in their division for five years in a row. In 1988–89, they had the worst record in the entire league.

In 1989, the legendary player Guy Lafleur joined the Nordiques. He chose to finish his career in his home province of Quebec. However, his best playing days were behind him. The Nordiques had a terrible season in 1989–90, with only 31 points. This was their worst record ever.

In 1990, Michel Goulet and Peter Stastny were traded away. Despite the great play of young star Joe Sakic, the Nordiques continued to struggle. However, they made some great draft picks. In 1989, they drafted Mats Sundin, who became the first European player picked first overall in the NHL draft. The next year, in 1990, they picked first again and chose Owen Nolan.

The 1990s and the move to Denver

The Eric Lindros trade

In 1991, the Nordiques had the first overall pick in the NHL draft once more. They chose a junior hockey star named Eric Lindros. However, Lindros had already said he would never play for Quebec. He mentioned things like the distance, the team's marketing, and having to speak French. When the Nordiques still picked him, Lindros refused to wear the team jersey for photos. He refused to sign with the team for over a year.

The Nordiques' president said they would not trade Lindros. But some players, like Joe Sakic, wanted to move on. Sakic said, "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game." The Nordiques had another bad season in 1991–92.

Finally, on June 30, 1992, the Nordiques traded Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, they received a huge package of players and picks. This included Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, two first-round draft picks, and $15 million.

After the trade, Lindros said his reasons for not playing in Quebec were not about language. He said it was about the team's "lack of winning spirit." However, years later, he said he simply didn't want to play for the team's owner, Marcel Aubut.

This trade completely changed the Nordiques. They went from being one of the worst teams to a strong contender almost overnight. Peter Forsberg became a star player, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1995. He would be a key player for the team for many years. One of the draft picks from the trade was used to select Adam Deadmarsh, who also became a key player for the team. Another pick was used to draft goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who was later traded for star goalie Patrick Roy after the team moved to Denver.

Success and the final season

In the 1992–93 NHL season, the new players, along with Sakic, Sundin, and Nolan, led Quebec to an amazing turnaround. They went from 52 points the previous season to 104 points. This was their first 100-point season in the NHL! They made the playoffs for the first time in six years. However, they lost in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

In 1993, the NHL reorganized its divisions. The Nordiques were placed in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. In 1993–94, the Nordiques missed the playoffs due to many player injuries. After that season, Sundin was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Wendel Clark. This trade was surprising for both teams.

The Quebec Nordiques' logo on a Lotus Evora at the 2011 Montreal International Auto Show.

For the 1994–95 season, Marc Crawford became the new coach. Peter Forsberg was ready to join the team. The season was shorter due to a player lockout. The Nordiques finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.

This playoff loss was the Nordiques' last game in Quebec. The team was having more and more financial problems. It was hard for Canadian teams to compete with rising player salaries and a weaker Canadian dollar. Quebec City was the smallest market in the NHL. It was also a mostly French-speaking city, which made it harder to market the team to non-French-speaking fans and attract some players.

The team's owner, Marcel Aubut, asked the Quebec government for financial help. But the government refused, as they didn't want to use public money to support a hockey team with high player salaries. So, in May 1995, Aubut sold the team to COMSAT Entertainment Group. This group also owned the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets. The team moved to Denver and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche continued their success from their last season as the Nordiques. They won the Stanley Cup in their very first season in Denver in 1996. They won another Cup in 2001 and again in 2022. They also won their division for nine years in a row, which is one of the longest streaks in NHL history.

The last NHL player who played for the Nordiques was Adam Foote, who retired in 2011. The last active player from the Nordiques in any league was Martin Rucinsky, who retired in 2015.

Team Uniforms

The Nordiques were known for their powder blue and white uniforms. In their first WHA season, their uniforms also had red on the shoulders and numbers. From 1973 to 1975, the blue color was a darker royal blue. The fleur-de-lis symbol (like the one on the flag of Quebec) was added to the shoulders in 1974–75.

Before the 1975–76 season, the Nordiques introduced their famous look. They went back to a powder blue base and added three fleur-de-lis symbols to the waist. Red was only used in the team logo. They wore red pants for one season, then switched to powder blue pants. This look stayed mostly the same when they joined the NHL in 1979 until the team moved.

The Colorado Avalanche honored the Nordiques' history in 2020. They unveiled a "Reverse Retro" uniform design based on the old Nordiques uniforms.

Planned uniform change

The Nordiques' owner, Marcel Aubut, had planned to change the team's look if they had stayed in Quebec for the 1995–96 season. The team would have changed their colors from blue, white, and red to teal, black, and navy.

The Nordiques had planned on using this logo if the team had stayed in Quebec beyond the 1994–95 season.

The corresponding home (bottom) and away (top) uniforms, which reflected the new logo and colour scheme the team would have adopted.

The team's logo would have changed from the "igloo holding a hockey stick" to a fierce-looking Siberian husky. The word "NORDIQUES" would have been in grey block letters below it, with the "I" shaped like an icicle. These new designs were shown in local newspapers before the team moved. However, because the team missed an NHL deadline, these new uniforms and logo would not have been used until the 1996–97 season.

Notable Players

Team captains

• Jean-Guy Gendron, 1972–1974
• Michel Parizeau, 1974–1976
• Marc Tardif, 1976–1981
• Robbie Ftorek, 1981
• Andre Dupont, 1981–1982
• Mario Marois, 1983–1985
• Peter Stastny, 1985–1990
• Steven Finn and Joe Sakic 1990–1991 (co-captains)
• Mike Hough 1991–1992
• Joe Sakic 1992–1995

Hall of Famers

These players who played for the Nordiques are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame:

• Peter Forsberg, C, 1995, inducted in 2014
• Michel Goulet, LW, 1979–1990, inducted in 1998
• Guy Lafleur, RW, 1989–1991, inducted in 1988
• Joe Sakic, C, 1988–1995, inducted in 2012
• Peter Stastny, C, 1980–1990, inducted in 1998
• Mats Sundin, C, 1990–1994, inducted in 2012

Retired numbers

The Nordiques retired four jersey numbers to honor these great players:

After the team moved to Denver and became the Avalanche, they put all these numbers back into use.

First round draft picks

The Nordiques picked these players in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft:

• 1979: Michel Goulet (20th overall)
• 1981: Randy Moller (11th overall)
• 1982: David Shaw (13th overall)
• 1984: Trevor Stienburg (15th overall)
• 1985: David Latta (15th overall)
• 1986: Ken McRae (18th overall)
• 1987: Bryan Fogarty (9th overall) and Joe Sakic (15th overall)
• 1988: Curtis Leschyshyn (3rd overall) and Daniel Dore (5th overall)
• 1989: Mats Sundin (1st overall)
• 1990: Owen Nolan (1st overall)
• 1991: Eric Lindros (1st overall)
• 1992: Todd Warriner (4th overall)
• 1993: Jocelyn Thibault (10th overall) and Adam Deadmarsh (14th overall)
• 1994: Wade Belak (12th overall) and Jeff Kealty (22nd overall)

Top scorers in Nordiques history

These are the top ten players who scored the most points for the Quebec Nordiques, including their time in both the WHA and NHL.

Broadcasters

Radio

Television

The Nordiques games were shown locally on CFAP 2 from 1988 to 1994.

See also

• Potential National Hockey League expansion, possible for Quebec City
• Centre Vidéotron, the new arena that replaced the Colisée Pepsi (1949–2015)