1981–82 Quebec Nordiques season

1981–82 Quebec Nordiques
Division 4th Adams
Conference 7th Prince of Wales
1981–82 record 33-31-16
Home record 24–13–3
Road record 9–18–13
Goals for 356
Goals against 345
Team information
General Manager Maurice Filion
Coach Michel Bergeron
Captain Robbie Ftorek (Oct.-Dec.)
Andre Dupont (Dec.-May)
Arena Le Colisee
Team leaders
Goals Peter Stastny (46)
Assists Peter Stastny (93)
Points Peter Stastny (139)
Penalties in minutes Dale Hunter (272)
Plus/minus Michel Goulet (+35)
Wins Dan Bouchard (27)
Goals against average Dan Bouchard (3.86)
<1980–81 1982–83>

The 1981–82 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques' third season in the National Hockey League. The Nordiques would have a successful regular season, qualifying for the playoffs, but had a better playoff, making it to the Wales Final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders.

Contents

Off-season

During the off-season, the four divisions of the NHL were re-aligned to better reflect the geographical locations of the teams. Quebec remained in the Adams Division with the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres, while the Minnesota North Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs were replaced with the Hartford Whalers and the Nordiques' provincial rival, the Montreal Canadiens. The Nordiques signed Marian Stastny out of Czechoslovakia, the brother of Peter Stastny and Anton Stastny. Quebec replaced team captain Marc Tardif with Robbie Ftorek prior to the season. Ftorek would not remain the Nordiques captain for long, as he was traded to the New York Rangers in December, and was replaced with Andre Dupont.

Regular season

The Nordiques would find themselves under .500 only once throughout the season, and that was five games in when they had a record of 2-3-0. Quebec would get hot, and eventually reached a season-high nine games over .500 in the middle of January, however, a late season slump had the Nords finish the year only two games above .500, with a 33-31-16 record, earning 82 points, which was good enough to finish fourth in the Adams Division, and the Nordiques second post-season appearance in a row.

Offensively, the Nordiques were led by Peter Stastny, who set a team record with 139 points, as he scored 46 goals and earned 93 assists. Stastny finished behind only Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers and Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in the NHL scoring race. Real Cloutier rebounded from an injury plagued 1980–81 season by scoring 37 goals and 97 points, while rookie Marian Stastny scored 35 goals and 89 points. Michel Goulet notched 42 goals and 84 points, while Dale Hunter had a breakout season, scoring 22 goals and 72 points, as well as a team record 272 penalty minutes. On defense, Mario Marois led the way, scoring 11 goals and 43 points.

In goal, Dan Bouchard held on to the number one job, winning a team record 27 games, while posting a team best 3.86 GAA, as well as earning a shutout in 60 games.

Season standings

Adams Division
  GP W L T GF GA PIM PTS
Montreal Canadiens 80 46 17 17 360 223 1463 109
Boston Bruins 80 43 27 10 323 285 1266 96
Buffalo Sabres 80 39 26 15 307 273 1425 93
Quebec Nordiques 80 33 31 16 356 345 1757 82
Hartford Whalers 80 21 41 18 264 351 1493 60

[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Game log

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Pts
1 October 6 Hartford Whalers 5–6 Quebec Nordiques 1–0–0 2
2 October 8 Quebec Nordiques 7–5 Boston Bruins 2–0–0 4
3 October 10 Quebec Nordiques 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1–0 4
4 October 12 Minnesota North Stars 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 2–2–0 4
5 October 14 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Buffalo Sabres 2–3–0 4
6 October 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 3–3–0 6
7 October 19 Vancouver Canucks 3–6 Quebec Nordiques 4-3–0 8
8 October 21 Quebec Nordiques 6–3 Washington Capitals 5–3–0 10
9 October 22 Quebec Nordiques 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers 5–4–0 10
10 October 24 Detroit Red Wings 3–8 Quebec Nordiques 6–4–0 12
11 October 27 Quebec Nordiques 7–8 Los Angeles Kings 6–5–0 12
12 October 28 Quebec Nordiques 3–1 Colorado Rockies 7–5–0 14
13 October 31 Quebec Nordiques 4–11 Edmonton Oilers 7–6–0 14
14 November 2 Montreal Canadiens 4–5 Quebec Nordiques 8–6–0 16
15 November 4 St. Louis Blues 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 9–6–0 18
16 November 7 Boston Bruins 10–1 Quebec Nordiques 9–7–0 18
17 November 9 Detroit Red Wings 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 10–7–0 20
18 November 11 Quebec Nordiques 5–6 Vancouver Canucks 10–8–0 20
19 November 12 Quebec Nordiques 2–3 Calgary Flames 10–9–0 20
20 November 14 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Minnesota North Stars 10–9–1 21
21 November 17 New York Islanders 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 11–9–1 23
22 November 19 Quebec Nordiques 1–1 Montreal Canadiens 11–9–2 24
23 November 21 Hartford Whalers 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 12–9–2 26
24 November 22 Quebec Nordiques 6–1 Boston Bruins 13–9–2 28
25 November 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Quebec Nordiques 13–10-2 28
26 November 25 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Hartford Whalers 13–10–3 29
27 November 28 New York Rangers 4–7 Quebec Nordiques 14–10–3 31
28 November 29 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 New York Rangers 14–10–4 32
29 December 2 Edmonton Oilers 8–9 Quebec Nordiques 15–10–4 34
30 December 5 Boston Bruins 5–3 Quebec Nordiques 15–11–4 34
31 December 8 Calgary Flames 7–4 Quebec Nordiques 15–12–4 34
32 December 12 St. Louis Blues 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 15–13–4 34
33 December 13 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Buffalo Sabres 15–13–5 35
34 December 15 Quebec Nordiques 7–10 New York Islanders 15–14–5 35
35 December 17 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Detroit Red Wings 16–14–5 37
36 December 19 Buffalo Sabres 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 17–14–5 39
37 December 22 Montreal Canadiens 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 18–14–5 41
38 December 27 Quebec Nordiques 3–6 Montreal Canadiens 18–15–5 41
39 December 29 Chicago Black Hawks 1–8 Quebec Nordiques 19–15–5 43
40 January 2 Buffalo Sabres 3–6 Quebec Nordiques 20–15–5 45
41 January 5 Washington Capitals 0–3 Quebec Nordiques 21–15–5 47
42 January 9 Boston Bruins 1–6 Quebec Nordiques 22–15–5 49
43 January 11 Hartford Whalers 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 23–15–5 51
44 January 13 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 St. Louis Blues 24–15–5 53
45 January 16 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 Minnesota North Stars 24–16–5 53
46 January 17 Quebec Nordiques 7–5 Winnipeg Jets 25-16–5 55
47 January 19 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 Quebec Nordiques 25–16–6 56
48 January 20 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Hartford Whalers 25–17–6 56
49 January 22 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Buffalo Sabres 25–18–6 56
50 January 23 Buffalo Sabres 3–2 Quebec Nordiques 25–19–6 56
51 January 26 Montreal Canadiens 8–3 Quebec Nordiques 25–20–6 56
52 January 30 Quebec Nordiques 2–2 Toronto Maple Leafs 25–20–7 57
53 January 31 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Hartford Whalers 25–20–8 58
54 February 2 Colorado Rockies 7–8 Quebec Nordiques 26–20–8 60
55 February 6 Philadelphia Flyers 3-4 Quebec Nordiques 27–20–8 62
56 February 7 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Washington Capitals 27–20–9 63
57 February 11 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Los Angeles Kings 27–20–10 64
58 February 12 Quebec Nordiques 2–9 Colorado Rockies 27–21–10 64
59 February 14 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 New York Rangers 27–22–10 64
60 February 16 Winnipeg Jets 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 28–22–10 66
61 February 19 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Winnipeg Jets 28–22–11 67
62 February 21 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Chicago Black Hawks 28–23–11 67
63 February 23 Montreal Canadiens 3–4 Quebec Nordiques 29–23–11 69
64 February 25 Quebec Nordiques 4-4 Montreal Canadiens 29–23–12 70
65 February 27 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 New York Islanders 29–23–13 71
66 March 1 Los Angeles Kings 5–5 Quebec Nordiques 29–23-14 72
67 March 3 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 30–23–14 74
68 March 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 30–24–14 74
69 March 9 Calgary Flames 9–4 Quebec Nordiques 30–25–14 74
70 March 13 Chicago Black Hawks 3–9 Quebec Nordiques 31–25–14 76
71 March 16 Hartford Whalers 7-5 Quebec Nordiques 31–26-14 76
72 March 17 Quebec Nordiques 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs 31–27–14 76
73 March 20 Vancouver Canucks 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 31–27–15 77
74 March 22 Quebec Nordiques 4–5 Boston Bruins 31–28–15 77
75 March 24 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Hartford Whalers 31–28–16 78
76 March 27 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Montreal Canadiens 31–29–16 78
77 March 30 Buffalo Sabres 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 31–30–16 78
78 April 1 Quebec Nordiques 8–5 Boston Bruins 32–30–16 80
79 April 3 Boston Bruins 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 32–31–16 80
80 April 4 Quebec Nordiques 7–4 Buffalo Sabres 33–31–16 82

Playoffs

The Nordiques opened the 1982 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a best of five Adams Division quarter-final series with their Battle of Quebec rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal finished the season on top of the Adams Division with a 46-17-17 record, earning 109 points, which was 27 more than the Nordiques.[2]

The series opened with two games at the Montreal Forum, and the Canadiens handled the Nordiques easily in the first game, cruising to a 5-1 victory, however, Quebec fought back in the second game, winning a close 3-2 game to even the series up. The series shifted to Le Colisee for the next two games, and the Nordiques took a 2-1 series lead in the third game, as they held off the Canadiens for a 2-1 victory. Montreal fought back in the fourth game, which featured had a brawl in which every player from both teams was involved. The brawl lasted for twenty minutes. There were 149 penalty minutes, and two game misconducts.[3] The Canadiens easily defeated the underdog Nordiques 6-2 to even the series up at two games each, with the fifth and deciding game back at the Montreal Forum. In the fifth game, the teams were tied at two goals each after regulation time, and in overtime, Dale Hunter emerged as the hero, as he scored against Montreal goalie Rick Wamsley to clinch the series.[3] Quebec completed the upset over the heavily favoured Canadiens, and the Nordiques moved on to the Adams Division finals.

Quebec would face the Boston Bruins in the best of seven Adams Division finals. Boston had a 43-27-10 record, earning 96 points, and a second place finish in the division. The Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres in four games in their first playoff round. The series opened with two games at the Boston Garden, and the Bruins took an early 2-0 series lead, defeating Quebec 4-3 and 8-4 in the first two games. The series moved to Quebec City for the next two games, and the Nordiques responded on their home ice, winning the third game in overtime by a 3-2 score, followed by a 7-2 thrashing in the fourth game to even the series up. The fifth game was back in Boston, however, the Nordiques surprised the Bruins, defeating them 4-3 to push Boston on the brink of elimination. The series moved back to Quebec for the sixth game, however, the Bruins stayed alive with a 6-5 overtime win, setting up a seventh and deciding game at the Boston Garden. The Nordiques once again came out with an upset victory, as Quebec squeaked out a 2-1 victory to win the series in seven games, and advance to the Wales Conference finals.

The Nordiques opponent in the Wales Conference finals was the two time defending Stanley Cup champions, the New York Islanders. The best of seven series opened with two games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, New York. The powerful Islanders took control of the series early, defeating Quebec 4-1 and 5-2 in the first two games. New York stayed hot as the series moved back to Le Colisee for the next two games, as they won the third game in overtime by a 5-4 score, before defeating the Nordiques 4-2 in the fourth game to sweep Quebec out of the playoffs.

Quebec Nordiques 3, Montreal Canadiens 2

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 7 Quebec Nordiques 1–5 Montreal Canadiens 0-1
2 April 8 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Montreal Canadiens 1-1
3 April 10 Montreal Canadiens 1–2 Quebec Nordiques 2-1
4 April 11 Montreal Canadiens 6–2 Quebec Nordiques 2-2
5 April 13 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Montreal Canadiens 3-2

Quebec Nordiques 4, Boston Bruins 3

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 15 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Boston Bruins 0-1
2 April 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–8 Boston Bruins 0-2
3 April 18 Boston Bruins 2–3 Quebec Nordiques 1-2
4 April 19 Boston Bruins 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 2-2
5 April 21 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 Boston Bruins 3-2
6 April 23 Boston Bruins 6–5 Quebec Nordiques 3-3
7 April 25 Quebec Nordiques 2–1 Boston Bruins 4-3

New York Islanders 4, Quebec Nordiques 0

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 27 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 New York Islanders 0-1
2 April 29 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 New York Islanders 0-2
3 May 1 New York Islanders 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 0-3
4 May 3 New York Islanders 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 0-4

Player stats

Scoring leaders

Regular season
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Peter Stastny 80 46 93 139 91
Real Cloutier 67 37 60 97 34
Marian Stastny 74 35 54 89 27
Michel Goulet 80 42 42 84 48
Dale Hunter 80 22 50 72 272
Playoffs
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Peter Stastny 12 7 11 18 10
Marian Stastny 16 3 14 17 5
Anton Stastny 16 5 10 15 10
Michel Goulet 16 8 5 13 6
Real Cloutier 16 7 5 12 10

Goaltending

Regular season
Player GP Min W L T GA SO GAA
Dan Bouchard 60 3572 27 22 11 230 1 3.86
John Garrett 12 720 4 5 3 62 0 5.17
Michel Plasse 8 388 2 3 1 35 0 5.41
Clint Malarchuk 2 120 0 1 1 14 0 7.00
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA SO GAA
Dan Bouchard 11 677 4 7 38 0 3.37
John Garrett 5 323 3 2 21 0 3.90

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Transactions

The Nordiques were involved in the following transactions during the 1981-82 season.

Trades

December 30, 1981 To New York Rangers
Robbie Ftorek
8th round pick in 1982 - Brian Glynn		 To Quebec Nordiques
Jere Gillis
Pat Hickey
January 12, 1982 To Hartford Whalers
Michel Plasse
4th round pick in 1983 - Ron Chyzowski		 To Quebec Nordiques
John Garrett
February 1, 1982 To Washington Capitals
Lee Norwood
6th round pick in 1982 - Mats Kihlstrom		 To Quebec Nordiques
Tim Tookey
7th round pick in 1982 - Daniel Poudrier
March 9, 1982 To Toronto Maple Leafs
Miroslav Frycer
7th round pick in 1982 - Jeff Triano		 To Quebec Nordiques
Wilf Paiement
June 9, 1982 To Minnesota North Stars
11th round pick in 1983 - Oldrich Valek		 To Quebec Nordiques
12th round pick in 1982 - Jan Jasko

Free agents

Player Former Team
Pat Daley Winnipeg Jets
Jean Hamel Detroit Red Wings
Gary Dillon Colorado Rockies

Roster

Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centres

Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the 1981 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec.

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
1 11 Randy Moller  Canada Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
3 53 Jean-Marc Gaulin  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
4 74 Clint Malarchuk  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
5 95 Ed Lee  United States Princeton University (NCAA)
6 116 Mike Eagles  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
8 158 Andre Cote  Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
9 179 Marc Brisebois  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
10 200 Kari Takko  Finland Assat Pori (Finland)

References

  1. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225. 
  2. ^ The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D’Arcy Jenish, p.243, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
  3. ^ a b The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D’Arcy Jenish, p.244, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
WHA
NHL
Patrick
Adams
Boston • Buffalo • Hartford • Montreal • Quebec
Norris
Smythe
See also