Quebec Nordiques

Former hockey team of the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association

This article is about the now defunct Canadian hockey team. For a potential expansion franchise in Quebec City, see Potential National Hockey League expansion § Quebec City.

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
Team colours| Blue, red, white

Stanley Cups| 0
Avco World Trophy| 1 (1976–77)
Conference championships| 0
Presidents' Trophy| 0
Division championships| 4 (1974–75, 1976–77, 1985–86, 1994–95)

The Quebec Nordiques (French: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced [nɔʁdzɪk] in Quebec French, /nɔːrˈdiːks/ nor-DEEKS in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) and the National Hockey League (1979–1995). The franchise was relocated to Denver in May 1995 and renamed the Colorado Avalanche.[1] They played their home games at the Colisée de Québec from 1972 to 1995.

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 National Hockey Association (NHA) from 1910 to 1917 and one season in the NHL in 1919–20.

## History

[edit]

### Beginnings in the WHA

[edit]

"San Francisco Sharks" redirects here. Not to be confused with San Jose Sharks.

The Quebec Nordiques formed as one of the original World Hockey Association teams in 1972.[2] The franchise was originally awarded to a group in San Francisco and sold to a consortium of Quebec City-based businessmen who owned the highly-profitable Quebec Remparts junior team. They bought the team after the American Hockey League team, the Quebec Aces, moved south to Richmond, Virginia.

The team was renamed the Quebec Nordiques because they were one of the northernmost teams in professional sports in North America. Quebec City is located at 47 degrees north latitude; Nordiques translated from French to English means "Northerners" or "Northmen." The only WHA teams located farther north were the Alberta Oilers (who changed their name to the Edmonton Oilers after one season), Calgary Cowboys, Vancouver Blazers, and Winnipeg Jets.

The Nordiques' first head coach was the legendary Maurice "Rocket" Richard but he only lasted two games – a 2–0 loss to the Cleveland Crusaders and a 6–0 win against the Alberta Oilers. Richard decided coaching was not his forte and stepped down.[3]

The Nordiques' first star was two-way defenceman J. C. Tremblay, who led the WHA in assists in the league's first season and would be named a league All-Star for his first four years in Quebec. The next season Serge Bernier and Rejean Houle joined the Nordiques. In 1974–75 season, they finally made the playoffs with the help of the high-scoring Marc Tardif; the year also saw the debut of Real Cloutier, who would be one of the WHA's stars. They beat the Phoenix Roadrunners and the Minnesota Fighting Saints to reach the finals, where they were swept in four games by the Gordie Howe-led Houston Aeros.

The next season saw the squad become a high-flying offensive juggernaut, becoming the only team in major professional history to have five players break 100 points (Tardif, Cloutier, Chris Bordeleau, Bernier and Houle), a mark which still stands as of 2023. The season ended in disappointment as the Nordiques lost to the Calgary Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs, after losing Marc Tardif to injury after a controversial hit by the Cowboys' Rick Jodzio.

Despite injuries to Tardif and an aging Tremblay, the Nordiques finally captured the Avco World Trophy in 1976–77 as they took out the New England Whalers and the Indianapolis Racers in five games before beating the Winnipeg Jets in seven, behind Bernier's record 36 points in 17 playoff games. They represented Canada at the Izvestia Hockey Tournament in Moscow, finishing last with an 0–3–1 record.

By 1978, the WHA was in crisis, and Marcel Aubut, by then the team's president under ownership of the Carling-O'Keefe Brewery, began checking on interest in the NHL. The Nordiques were unable to defend their title and fell in the playoffs to the New England Whalers. The 1978–79 season would be the final one for the WHA and for J. C. Tremblay, who retired at the end of the season and had his #3 jersey retired.

### 1980s

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

As part of the NHL–WHA merger, the WHA insisted on including all of its surviving Canadian teams, including the Nordiques, among the teams taken into the NHL at the end of the 1978–79 season. As a result, the Nordiques entered the NHL along with the Whalers, Oilers, and Jets. The Nordiques were placed in the Adams Division of the Wales Conference.

Forced to let all but three players go in a dispersal draft, the Nordiques sank to the bottom of the standings. They finished the 1979–80 NHL season with the second-worst record in the league despite the play of promising rookie left winger Michel Goulet. An early highlight to the otherwise dreary season came when Real Cloutier became the second NHL player, following Alex Smart, ever to score a hat trick in his first NHL game.

In August 1980, the Nordiques announced that they signed newly-defected brothers Peter and Anton Stastny, members of the Czechoslovak national team, since they drafted Anton in the 1979 amateur draft. Their brother, Marian, would follow and sign with Quebec in the summer of 1981. The following season, led by Peter Stastny's 109-point Calder Memorial Trophy-winning performance, the Nordiques made the NHL playoffs for the first time, but fell in the best-of-five opening round in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Led by Goulet and Peter Stastny, the Nordiques made the playoffs seven years in a row. However, due to the playoff structure during most of the 1980s, the Nordiques faced the near-certainty of having to get past either the Montreal Canadiens or Boston Bruins–or both–to make it to the conference finals. In 1981–82, despite notching only 82 points in the regular season, they defeated the Canadiens and Bruins, both in winner-take-all games on the road. Their Cinderella run ended when they were swept by the defending champion New York Islanders in the conference finals.

The intraprovincial rivalry with the Canadiens intensified during the 1983–84 NHL season culminating in the infamous Good Friday Massacre–or "Vendredi Saint", as it is called in francophone Canada–during the 1984 playoffs. The Canadiens scored five unanswered goals in the third period of Game 6 at the Montreal Forum to eliminate the Nordiques. The goals all came after Peter Stastny and Dale Hunter were ejected in the brawl.

In 1984–85, Montreal and Quebec battled for the Adams Division championship. The Nordiques finished with 91 points, at the time their highest point total as an NHL team. However, the Canadiens won the division by three points—solidified by a 7–1 Canadiens thrashing of the Nordiques at The Forum in the final week of the regular season. This was still enough, however, for the Nordiques to garner home-ice advantage for the first time ever as an NHL team. After being pushed to five games by the Buffalo Sabres, they exacted revenge on the Canadiens in the Adams finals by ousting them in seven games. Peter Stastny clinched the series with an overtime goal in the seventh game at the Forum. They then took the powerful Philadelphia Flyers, who had the league's best record, to six games.

The Nordiques warming up before a game in 1986.

They won their first NHL division title in 1985–86 (and as it turned out, one of their two in Quebec, the other in the 1994–95 season), but a defensive collapse in the playoffs allowed the Hartford Whalers to sweep the Nordiques in three games.

The next season the Nordiques met the Whalers in the playoffs for the second straight season, this time the Nords got their revenge beating Hartford in six games. The next round saw more of the Nordiques–Canadiens rivalry as the playoff series went to seven games, with the Canadiens coming out on top, after that the Nords would not return to the playoffs again until 1993. In that same season, when Quebec hosted Rendez-Vous '87, an alteration of the All-Star Game to include the Soviet national team, a costumed mascot, Badaboum—a fuzzy, roly-poly blue creature—began entertaining fans at the Colisée with his bizarre dance routines. Badaboum was created just for Rendez-Vous, but generated such a following that the Nordiques made him a permanent fixture at home games.

Decline began the following season. The Nordiques finished last in their division – the first of five straight years of finishing at the bottom of the Adams Division – and missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The slide continued: in 1988–89 they had the league's worst record.

Michel Bergeron, who had coached the team from 1980 to 1987, returned for 1989–90. The season was also highlighted by the arrival of Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, who turned down a lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Kings and chose instead to finish his career in his home province. It soon became clear Lafleur's best years were far behind him. "The Flower" managed only 24 goals in 98 games with Quebec over two seasons. The season saw the Nordiques bottom out with a record of 12–61–7 (31 points)—easily the worst record in the league, and not even half the point total of the next-worst team, the Vancouver Canucks. It is still the worst record in Nordiques/Avalanche history (both NHL and WHA), and one of the worst for a non-expansion team since 1967. It was also the second of three straight seasons with the worst record in the league.

Michel Goulet and Peter Stastny were traded in 1990, winding up with the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils respectively. Despite the stellar play of young forward Joe Sakic, the Nordiques struggled throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, in the 1989 NHL entry draft they drafted Swedish prospect Mats Sundin, making him the first European to be selected first overall in the NHL draft. The following year Quebec chose first again, taking Owen Nolan.

### 1990s

[edit]

#### Lindros draft and trade

[edit]

Main article: Eric Lindros trade

In 1991, the Nordiques once again had the first overall pick in the NHL entry draft. They picked junior star Eric Lindros, even though he had let it be known well in advance that he would never play for Quebec. Among the reasons, Lindros cited distance, lack of marketing potential, and having to speak French.[4] After the Nordiques selected him anyway, Lindros then refused to wear the team jersey on draft day and only held it for press photographs. Lindros, on advice of his mother Bonnie, refused to sign with the team and began a holdout that lasted over a year. The Nordiques president publicly announced that they would make Lindros the centrepiece of their franchise turnaround, and refused to trade Lindros, saying that he would not have a career in the NHL as long as he held out. Some of the Nordiques wanted to move on without Lindros, as Joe Sakic commented, "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I'm tired of hearing that name. He's not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game."[5][6][7][8][9] Meanwhile, the Nordiques finished with another dreadful season in 1991–92, missing the 70-point barrier for the fifth year in a row. For the first time since 1988, the Nordiques did not finish with the NHL's worst record, as they finished ahead of the expansion San Jose Sharks in the overall standings.[10]

On June 30, 1992, after confusion over whether Quebec had traded Lindros' rights to the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers was settled by an arbitrator,[11] the Nordiques sent Lindros to the Flyers in exchange for forwards Peter Forsberg and Mike Ricci, goaltender Ron Hextall, defencemen Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman, "future considerations" which eventually became enforcer Chris Simon, two first-round picks and US$15 million. One of the draft picks was used by the Nordiques to select goaltender Jocelyn Thibault, the other was traded twice and ultimately used by the Washington Capitals to select Nolan Baumgartner.

After the trade, Lindros said that his refusal to play for the Nordiques had nothing to do with the language question, and more to do with what he saw as a "lack of winning spirit" in the Nordiques organization.[12] However, in 2016, Lindros said that he simply did not want to play for a team owned by Aubut.[13]

The deal transformed the Nordiques from league doormats to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender almost overnight. Forsberg won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1995, his first season with the Nordiques, and would be one of the cornerstones of the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise for almost a decade with his playmaking and physical presence (albeit being out with injury for periods of time like Lindros), winning the Hart and Art Ross trophies in 2003. Ricci would give six useful seasons to the franchise before being traded. Hextall was moved after a single season to the New York Islanders, and in return the Nordiques got Mark Fitzpatrick (who would go on to be left unprotected in the 1993 NHL expansion draft in which he was claimed by the Florida Panthers) and a first round pick, which the Nordiques used to select Adam Deadmarsh, who would be a key member of the Avalanche Cup-winning teams. Thibault would be traded for Montreal goalie Patrick Roy, after the franchise moved to Denver.

#### 1992–1994

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

During the 1992–93 NHL season, these new players, along with Sakic – now a bona fide NHL All-Star – and the rapidly developing Sundin and Nolan, led Quebec to the biggest single-season turnaround in NHL history. They leaped from 52 points in the previous season to 104—in the process, going from the second-worst record in the league to the fourth-best (behind only Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago), as well as notching the franchise's first 100-point season as an NHL team. They made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, and also garnered home-ice advantage in the first round for only the third time ever as an NHL team. However, they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in the first round, winning the first two games but then losing the next four due to inspired goaltending from Montreal's Patrick Roy. Sakic and Sundin both scored over 100 points each, and head coach Pierre Page was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

In 1993, the NHL renamed their conferences and divisions to better reflect geography; the Nordiques would be situated in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference for their last two seasons of play in Quebec. The Nordiques missed the playoffs in 1993–94 as they struggled with injuries. After that season, Sundin was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return for Wendel Clark. This trade was controversial for both teams, as Sundin was one of the Nordiques' rising talents, while Clark was the Leafs captain and fan favourite. While Clark performed respectably, he then became embroiled in a contract dispute after the season ended and was sent to the New York Islanders.

#### Final season and move to Colorado

[edit]

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

For the 1994–95 season, Marc Crawford was hired as the new head coach, and Forsberg was deemed ready to finally join the team, but first there was the problem of a lockout. In the shortened season of 48 games, the Nordiques finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, the team faltered in the postseason and was eliminated in the first round by the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers in six games.

The playoff loss proved to be the Nordiques' swan song as the team's financial troubles increasingly took centre stage, even in the face of renewed fan support over the previous three years. The league's Canadian teams found it difficult to compete in a new age of rising player salaries and a weakening Canadian dollar.[14] Quebec City was by far the smallest market in the NHL; it was also the second-smallest major-league city in North America, behind only Green Bay, Wisconsin; home of the National Football League's Green Bay Packers. However, the Packers had long drawn support from the nearby major market of Milwaukee, a luxury the Nordiques did not have.

The Nordiques also faced a unique disadvantage due to Quebec City's status as a virtually monolingual francophone city. There were no privately-owned anglophone radio stations and only one privately-owned anglophone television station. The only anglophone newspaper was a weekly. The near-total lack of English-language media limited the Nordiques' marketability even in their best years, and made many non-French-speaking players wary of playing for them.[15][16]

While Aubut never lost money on the Nordiques, he feared unsustainable losses without a bailout from Quebec's provincial government. However, Premier Jacques Parizeau turned the request down, as few in Quebec were willing to be seen as subsidizing a hockey club that paid multimillion-dollar salaries. Finally in May 1995, shortly after the Nordiques were eliminated from the playoffs, Aubut announced the acceptance of an offer from COMSAT Entertainment Group, owner of the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets to move the team to Denver, where it was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

Maintaining their momentum from their successful last season as the Nordiques, the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their first season after the move, added another in 2001, and recently in 2022. They would also win their division every year in their first eight years in Denver for a total of nine consecutive division titles, the second-most in the expansion era.

The last active NHL player who played for the Nordiques was Adam Foote who announced his retirement after the 2010–11 season.[17] The last active player in any league was Martin Rucinsky, who announced his retirement after the 2014–15 season while playing in the Czech Extraliga.[18]

## Uniforms

[edit]

Throughout their history, the Nordiques were famous for their iconic powder blue and white uniforms. But for their first WHA season, the Nordiques' uniforms featured splashes of red on the shoulders, waist and numbers. From 1973 to 1975, the blue on the Nordiques uniforms briefly reverted to a dark royal blue shade. Contrasting nameplates were used in 1973–74, then the fleur-de-lis symbol was added to the shoulders the following season which was modeled after the flag of Quebec.

Prior to the 1975–76 season, the Nordiques unveiled what was now their standard look, returning to a powder blue base and adding three fleur-de-lis symbols on the waist. Red was only used on the logo. For the first season, the Nordiques wore red pants, but switched to powder blue pants afterwards. This look would be carried over upon joining the NHL in 1979, and other than some minor trim changes on the logo and numbers, remained basically the same until the relocation.

The Colorado Avalanche unveiled the "Reverse Retro" design based on the Nordiques uniforms on November 16, 2020, honouring the legacy of the franchise.[19]

### Uniform change

[edit]

Aubut intended to change the team's entire look had he won enough financing to keep the Nordiques in Quebec City for the 1995–96 season. The Nordiques would have abandoned the blue, white, and red palette they had worn throughout their history in favour of a teal, black, and navy scheme. The team would also have abandoned the "igloo holding a hockey stick" logo they had used for their entire existence in favour of a fierce looking Siberian husky, with "NORDIQUES" in grey block letters below it and the "I" in the team's name fashioned to look like an icicle. These designs were published in local papers before the team ultimately decided to move. Due to the team missing an NHL deadline, the logo and uniforms would not have taken effect until the 1996–97 season.[20]

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

## Season-by-season record

[edit]

Main article: List of Quebec Nordiques seasons

## Notable players

[edit]

### Team captains

[edit]

Includes WHA 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

[edit]

* Peter Forsberg, C, 1994–95, inducted in 2014
* Michel Goulet, LW, 1979–1990, inducted in 1998
* Pierre Lacroix, general manager, 1994–1995, inducted in 2023
* 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

[edit]

Quebec Nordiques retired numbers  No.  | Player  | Position  | Career  | Date of retirement

|
|
|
|

3 | J. C. Tremblay | D | 1972–1979 | October 28, 1979
8 | Marc Tardif | LW | 1974–1983 | November 1, 1983
16 | Michel Goulet | LW | 1979–1990 | March 16, 1995
26 | Peter Stastny | C | 1980–1990 | February 26, 1995

After the move to Denver, the Avalanche returned all four of these numbers to circulation.

### First-round draft picks

[edit]

Note: This list does not include selections from the WHA.

* 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 (ninth overall) and Joe Sakic (15th overall)
* 1988: Curtis Leschyshyn (third overall) and Daniel Dore (fifth overall)
* 1989: Mats Sundin (first overall)
* 1990: Owen Nolan (first overall)
* 1991: Eric Lindros (first overall)
* 1992: Todd Warriner (fourth overall)
* 1993: Jocelyn Thibault (10th overall) and Adam Deadmarsh (14th overall)
* 1994: Wade Belak (12th overall) and Jeff Kealty (22nd overall)

### Franchise scoring leaders

[edit]

Further information: List of Colorado Avalanche records

These are the top-ten point-scorers in Quebec Nordiques history, combining NHL and WHA totals.

Legend: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Points  Player  | Pos  | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G

|
|
|
|
|
|

Peter Stastny | C | 737 | 380 | 668 | 1,048 | 1.42
Michel Goulet | LW | 813 | 456 | 490 | 946 | 1.16
Real Cloutier | RW | 605 | 405 | 445 | 850 | 1.40
Marc Tardif | LW | 620 | 380 | 443 | 823 | 1.33
Anton Stastny | LW | 650 | 252 | 384 | 636 | .98
Joe Sakic | C | 508 | 234 | 392 | 626 | 1.23
Serge Bernier | RW | 495 | 240 | 358 | 598 | 1.21
Dale Hunter | C | 523 | 140 | 318 | 458 | .88
J. C. Tremblay | D | 454 | 66 | 358 | 424 | .93
Mats Sundin | C | 324 | 135 | 199 | 334 | 1.03

## Broadcasters

[edit]

### Radio

[edit]

Seasons  | Play-by-play | Colour commentators

|
|

1979–84 | Andre Cote  | Michel Villeneuve
1984–88 | Alain Crete  | Andre Belisle
1988–90 | Alain Crete  | Michel Carrier
1990–92 | Alain Crete  | Jacques Demers
1992–94 | Alain Crete  | Jean Perron
1994–95 | Alain Crete  | Mario Marois

### Television

[edit]

Seasons  | Play-by-play | Colour commentators

|
|

1979–83 | Claude Bedard  | Francois Lacombe
1983–84 | Claude Bedard  | Pierre Bouchard
1984–95 | Andre Cote  | Claude Bedard with Mike Bossy (1988–91)

The Nordiques games were televised locally by CFAP 2 from 1988 to 1994.

## See also

[edit]

* Potential National Hockey League expansion, possible for Quebec City
* Centre Vidéotron, the replacement facility for the Colisée Pepsi (1949–2015)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gary Miles (May 26, 1995). "Nhl's Nordiques Sold, Moving West To Denver Comsat Entertainment Group Bought The Team. Quebec Had Refused To Fund A New Hockey Arena". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014.
2. ^ "WHA – The Teams". WHAHockey.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
3. ^ "Richard abandonne le poste – Voyage à travers le Québec". October 13, 2007.
4. ^ McNee, Dan (February 22, 2017). "Banner Blitz: Lindros trade reshaped the NHL for next decade". Toronto.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
5. ^ Hochberg, Len (June 8, 1996). "Lindros Trade Fills Avalanche's Cup". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
6. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (October 17, 2013). "Joe Sakic thriving in role as Avalanche exec". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
7. ^ "Sakic speaks out ... Nords' star says players want Page to deal Lindros". The Hamilton Spectator. Canadian Press. October 30, 1991. p. E2.
8. ^ Eichel, Matt (May 25, 2008). "Joe Sakic: NHL's All-Time Greatest Leaders Part I". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
9. ^ Marin, Christian (August 22, 2014). "NHL captains who were stripped of the "C"". The Sports Network. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
10. ^ Shane McNeil (June 17, 2012). "50 Years of the NHL Draft – The Eric Lindros Saga". The Sports Network.
11. ^ Dillman, Lisa. (July 1, 1992). "Lindros Goes to Flyers : Hockey: Arbitrator upholds Philadelphia's trade, rather than the New York Rangers' deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
12. ^ Dickey, Jack (November 14, 2016). "The canary in the coal mine, Eric Lindros, at long last, goes into Hall of Fame today". Sports Illustrated.
13. ^ "Controversies behind him, Lindros now one happy camper". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
14. ^ "The Quebec Coyotes? A Potential Move From The Desert". April 15, 2013.
15. ^ Parrillo, Ray (June 25, 1992). "Hextall Rooting Against Flyers in the Fight For Lindros The Goalie Could Be Part of the Flyers' Trade Package. His Agent Says He Wants No Part Of Quebec". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Network. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
16. ^ "Brian Mulroney leading the charge to get Nordiques back to Quebec City". The Hockey News on Sports Illustrated. The Canadian Press. March 10, 2014.
17. ^ "Avalanche defenceman Foote to announce retirement".
18. ^ "Champion says goodbye! Hockey forward Martin Rucinsky retires at the age of 44". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved July 16, 2015.
19. ^ Deen, Aarif (November 16, 2020). "Avalanche's reverse retro jersey pays homage to Nordiques |".
20. ^ "Throwback Thursday: New look for Nordiques, if they stayed in Quebec". The Hockey News. The Hockey News. February 23, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Onishi, Norimitsu (January 6, 2024). "Quebec Still Longs for Its Lost Hockey Team, a Nationalist Symbol". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nordiques de Québec.

* Quebec Nordiques on FunWhileItLasted.net
* Quebec Nordiques Preservation Society
* CBC Archives CBC Television on the dying days of the team from 1995.
* Just Another Job, a National Film Board of Canada documentary on the Nordique's first home game

* v
* t
* e

Quebec Nordiques

* Founded in 1972
* Based in Quebec City, Quebec
* Relocated as the Colorado Avalanche in 1995

Franchise|

* Team
* General managers
* Coaches
* Players
* WHA
* NHL
* Captains
* Draft picks
* expansion draft
* Seasons

History|

* NHL–WHA merger
* Eric Lindros trade
* Records
* Award winners
* Retired numbers

Arena|

* Colisée de Québec

Rivalries|

* Montreal Canadiens (Good Friday Massacre)

Culture and lore|

* Colorado Avalanche

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Quebec Nordiques seasons

1970s|

* 1970–71 . 1971–72 . 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76
* 1976–77
* 1977–78
* 1978–79
* 1979–80

1980s|

* 1980–81
* 1981–82
* 1982–83
* 1983–84
* 1984–85
* 1985–86
* 1986–87
* 1987–88
* 1988–89
* 1989–90

1990s|

* 1990–91
* 1991–92
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* Colorado

* v
* t
* e

Colorado Avalanche

* Formerly the Quebec Nordiques
* Founded in 1972
* Based in Denver, Colorado

Franchise|

* Team
* General managers
* Coaches
* Players
* Captains
* Draft picks
* expansion draft
* Seasons
* Current season

History|

* Records
* Award winners
* Retired numbers
* Broadcasters

Personnel|

Owner(s)
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (Stan Kroenke, chairman)
General manager
Chris MacFarland
Head coach
Jared Bednar
Team captain
Gabriel Landeskog
Current roster

Arenas|

* McNichols Sports Arena
* Ball Arena

Rivalries|

* Detroit Red Wings

Affiliates|

AHL
Colorado Eagles
ECHL
Utah Grizzlies

Media|

Altitude Sports and Entertainment
Radio
KKSE-FM

Culture and lore|

* Colorado Rockies (NHL)
* Quebec Nordiques
* Bernie
* Howler
* Frozen Fury
* Todd Bertuzzi–Steve Moore incident
* Avalanche–Red Wings brawl
* "Stanley's Cup" (South Park)
* 2016 NHL Stadium Series
* 2020 NHL Stadium Series
* NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe
* "All the Small Things"
* Alan Roach

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

World Hockey Association

Teams|

* Alberta Oilers
* Baltimore Blades
* Birmingham Bulls
* Calgary Broncos
* Calgary Cowboys
* Chicago Cougars
* Cincinnati Stingers
* Cleveland Crusaders
* Dayton Aeros
* Denver Spurs
* Edmonton Oilers
* Houston Aeros
* Indianapolis Racers
* Los Angeles Sharks
* Miami Screaming Eagles
* Michigan Stags
* Minnesota Fighting Saints
* New England Whalers
* Jersey Knights
* New York Raiders/Golden Blades
* Ottawa Civics
* Ottawa Nationals
* Philadelphia Blazers
* Phoenix Roadrunners
* Quebec Nordiques
* San Diego Mariners
* San Francisco Sharks
* Toronto Toros
* Vancouver Blazers
* Winnipeg Jets

Trophies
and awards|

* Avco World Trophy
* Gary L. Davidson Award / Gordie Howe Trophy
* Bill Hunter Trophy
* Lou Kaplan Trophy
* Ben Hatskin Trophy
* Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
* Paul Deneau Trophy
* Howard Baldwin Trophy / Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy
* WHA Playoff MVP

* Related articles: List of WHA seasons
* List of WHA players
* WHA amateur draft
* NHL–WHA merger
* North American Hockey League
* Broadcasters

* v
* t
* e

Defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams

Defunct|

* California/Oakland/Bay Area Seals/California Golden Seals / Cleveland Barons
* Montreal Maroons
* Montreal Wanderers
* New York/Brooklyn Americans
* Ottawa Senators (original) / St. Louis Eagles
* Pittsburgh Pirates / Philadelphia Quakers
* Quebec Athletic Club/Athletics / Hamilton Tigers
* Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) / Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes

Relocated
(still active)|

* Atlanta Flames (became Calgary Flames)
* Atlanta Thrashers (became Winnipeg Jets)
* Hartford Whalers (became Carolina Hurricanes)
* Kansas City Scouts / Colorado Rockies (became New Jersey Devils)
* Minnesota North Stars (became Dallas Stars)
* Quebec Nordiques (became Colorado Avalanche)

* v
* t
* e

National Hockey League

| Western Conference| Eastern Conference

|

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks

Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oilers

Los Angeles Kings

San Jose Sharks

Seattle Kraken

Vancouver Canucks

Vegas Golden Knights

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche

Dallas Stars

Minnesota Wild

Nashville Predators

St. Louis Blues

Utah Hockey Club

Winnipeg Jets

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins

Buffalo Sabres

Detroit Red Wings

Florida Panthers

Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa Senators

Tampa Bay Lightning

Toronto Maple Leafs

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes

Columbus Blue Jackets

New Jersey Devils

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Washington Capitals

| Events|

* Seasons
* structure
* Stanley Cup
* playoffs
* tied games
* conference finals
* Finals
* champions
* winning players
* traditions and anecdotes
* Presidents' Trophy
* All-Star Game
* Draft
* Players
* Association
* retired jersey numbers
* All-Star teams
* All-Decade teams
* Awards
* Captains
* Outdoor games
* Winter Classic
* Heritage Classic
* Stadium Series
* Hockey Day
* America
* Canada
* International games
* Kraft Hockeyville
* Big City Greens Classic

|

History|

* Eras
* pre-NHL (1883–1926)
* NHA (1910–1917)
* 1917–1942
* 1942–1967
* 1967–1992
* 1992–2017
* Since 2017
* All-time standings
* All-time playoff series
* Organizational changes
* defunct and relocated teams
* Original Six
* 1967 expansion
* WHA
* merger
* potential expansion

Others|

* Streaks
* wins
* losses
* Droughts
* Hall of Fame
* members
* Rivalries
* Arenas
* Rules
* Fighting
* Violence
* Uniforms
* Ice hockey in Canada
* Ice hockey in the United States
* Valuations
* Collective bargaining agreement
* Lockouts
* Television and radio coverage
* Attendance figures

* Category
* 2024–25 season

* v
* t
* e

Defunct sports teams based in Quebec

Baseball|

Montreal Expos
IL (AAA)
Montreal Royals
EL (AA)
Quebec Metros/Québec Carnavals
Sherbrooke Pirates
Trois-Rivières Aigles
Thetford Mines Pirates
CBL
Montreal Royales
Trois-Rivières Saints
CAN-AM
Trois-Rivières Renards
Trois-Rivières Royals

Basketball|

NBL
Montreal Dragons
PBL
Montreal Sasquatch
ABA
Montreal Matrix

Football|

CFL
Montreal Concordes
Continental Football League
Montreal Beavers
UFL
Quebec Rifles
WLAF
Montreal Machine
CMFL
Rouyn-Noranda Fantassins
Val D'Or Jets
EFL
Montreal Condors
CJFL
Chateauguay Ramblers
Laval Cobras
Laval Scorpions
Loyola College
Montreal AAA
Montreal Junior Alouettes
Montreal Junior Concordes
Montreal Rose Bombers
Montreal Westmounts
Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs
South Shore Packers
Verdun Invictus
Verdun Maple Leafs
Verdun Shamcats
QJFL
North Shore Broncos
Valleyfield Phalanges

Hockey|

NHL/NHA/WHA
Montreal Maroons
Montreal Shamrocks
Montreal Wanderers
Quebec Bulldogs
Quebec Nordiques
AHL
Montreal Voyageurs
Quebec Aces
Quebec Citadelles
Sherbrooke Canadiens
Sherbrooke Jets
IHL
Quebec Rafales
LNAH
Asbestos Aztecs
Granby Prédateurs
LaSalle Rapides
Louiseville Jets
Saguenay Fjord
Rivière-du-Loup Promutuel
Sorel Royeaux
Trois-Rivières Vikings
Trois-Rivières Draveurs
NWHL
Montreal Axion
Quebec Avalanche
OHA
Montreal Junior Canadiens
Early amateur
Montreal Hockey Club
Montreal Shamrocks
Montreal Victorias
Montreal Wanderers
Quebec Bulldogs
QMJHL
See league article
QSHL (defunct)
Montreal Pats
NOJHL
Temiscaming Royals

Lacrosse|

NLL
Montreal Express
NLL 1974-75
Quebec Caribou

Soccer|

NASL
Montreal Manic
Montreal Olympique
Canadian Soccer League
Laval Dynamites
Trois-Rivières Attak
Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)
FC Inter-Montréal
Canadian Soccer League (1987–92)
Montreal Supra
USL W-League
Montreal Xtreme

U Sports|

* Loyola College Warriors
* MacDonald College Aggies
* Sir George Williams Georgians

*[GP]: Games played
*[G]: Goals
*[A]: Assists
*[Pts]: Points
*[P/G]: Points per game
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template