1981–82 Quebec Nordiques season

1981–82 Quebec Nordiques
Division 4th Adams
Conference 7th 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)
Alternate captains None
Arena Colisée Pepsi
Team leaders
Goals Peter Šťastný (46)
Assists Peter Šťastný (93)
Points Peter Šťastný (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.

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 Marián Šťastný out of Czechoslovakia, the brother of Peter Šťastný and Anton Šťastný. 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 Šťastný, who set a team record with 139 points, as he scored 46 goals and earned 93 assists. Šťastný 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 Marián Šťastný 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 323285 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.

Schedule and results

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Pts Attendance
1 October 6 Hartford Whalers 5–6 Quebec Nordiques 1–0–0 2 15,007
2 October 8 Quebec Nordiques 7–5 Boston Bruins 2–0–0 4 11,274
3 October 10 Quebec Nordiques 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1–0 4 15,215
4 October 12 Minnesota North Stars 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 2–2–0 4 15,211
5 October 14 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Buffalo Sabres 2–3–0 4 14,764
6 October 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 3–3–0 6 15,019
7 October 19 Vancouver Canucks 3–6 Quebec Nordiques 4-3–0 8 14,443
8 October 21 Quebec Nordiques 6–3 Washington Capitals 5–3–0 10 7,862
9 October 22 Quebec Nordiques 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers 5–4–0 10 16,948
10 October 24 Detroit Red Wings 3–8 Quebec Nordiques 6–4–0 12 15,212
11 October 27 Quebec Nordiques 7–8 Los Angeles Kings 6–5–0 12 7,595
12 October 28 Quebec Nordiques 3–1 Colorado Rockies 7–5–0 14 N/A
13 October 31 Quebec Nordiques 4–11 Edmonton Oilers 7–6–0 14 17,490
14 November 2 Montreal Canadiens 4–5 Quebec Nordiques 8–6–0 16 15,262
15 November 4 St. Louis Blues 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 9–6–0 18 15,005
16 November 7 Boston Bruins 10–1 Quebec Nordiques 9–7–0 18 15,232
17 November 9 Detroit Red Wings 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 10–7–0 20 15,043
18 November 11 Quebec Nordiques 5–6 Vancouver Canucks 10–8–0 20 12,558
19 November 12 Quebec Nordiques 2–3 Calgary Flames 10–9–0 20 7,226
20 November 14 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Minnesota North Stars 10–9–1 21 15,784
21 November 17 New York Islanders 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 11–9–1 23 15,148
22 November 19 Quebec Nordiques 1–1 Montreal Canadiens 11–9–2 24 17,088
23 November 21 Hartford Whalers 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 12–9–2 26 15,016
24 November 22 Quebec Nordiques 6–1 Boston Bruins 13–9–2 28 10,024
25 November 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Quebec Nordiques 13–10-2 28 14,805
26 November 25 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Hartford Whalers 13–10–3 29 12,141
27 November 28 New York Rangers 4–7 Quebec Nordiques 14–10–3 31 15,229
28 November 29 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 New York Rangers 14–10–4 32 17,423
29 December 2 Edmonton Oilers 8–9 Quebec Nordiques 15–10–4 34 15,230
30 December 5 Boston Bruins 5–3 Quebec Nordiques 15–11–4 34 15,228
31 December 8 Calgary Flames 7–4 Quebec Nordiques 15–12–4 34 14,951
32 December 12 St. Louis Blues 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 15–13–4 34 15,204
33 December 13 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Buffalo Sabres 15–13–5 35 15,708
34 December 15 Quebec Nordiques 7–10 New York Islanders 15–14–5 35 14,746
35 December 17 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Detroit Red Wings 16–14–5 37 11,302
36 December 19 Buffalo Sabres 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 17–14–5 39 15,219
37 December 22 Montreal Canadiens 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 18–14–5 41 15,259
38 December 27 Quebec Nordiques 3–6 Montreal Canadiens 18–15–5 41 18,096
39 December 29 Chicago Black Hawks 1–8 Quebec Nordiques 19–15–5 43 15,227
40 January 2 Buffalo Sabres 3–6 Quebec Nordiques 20–15–5 45 15,221
41 January 5 Washington Capitals 0–3 Quebec Nordiques 21–15–5 47 15,143
42 January 9 Boston Bruins 1–6 Quebec Nordiques 22–15–5 49 15,217
43 January 11 Hartford Whalers 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 23–15–5 51 15,216
44 January 13 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 St. Louis Blues 24–15–5 53 12,530
45 January 16 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 Minnesota North Stars 24–16–5 53 15,516
46 January 17 Quebec Nordiques 7–5 Winnipeg Jets 25-16–5 55 14,061
47 January 19 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 Quebec Nordiques 25–16–6 56 15,208
48 January 20 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Hartford Whalers 25–17–6 56 11,197
49 January 22 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Buffalo Sabres 25–18–6 56 16,433
50 January 23 Buffalo Sabres 3–2 Quebec Nordiques 25–19–6 56 N/A
51 January 26 Montreal Canadiens 8–3 Quebec Nordiques 25–20–6 56 15,338
52 January 30 Quebec Nordiques 2–2 Toronto Maple Leafs 25–20–7 57 16,360
53 January 31 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Hartford Whalers 25–20–8 58 11,769
54 February 2 Colorado Rockies 7–8 Quebec Nordiques 26–20–8 60 15,177
55 February 6 Philadelphia Flyers 3-4 Quebec Nordiques 27–20–8 62 15,303
56 February 7 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Washington Capitals 27–20–9 63 10,712
57 February 11 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Los Angeles Kings 27–20–10 64 9,958
58 February 12 Quebec Nordiques 2–9 Colorado Rockies 27–21–10 64 7,129
59 February 14 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 New York Rangers 27–22–10 64 17,398
60 February 16 Winnipeg Jets 3–7 Quebec Nordiques 28–22–10 66 15,265
61 February 19 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Winnipeg Jets 28–22–11 67 13,661
62 February 21 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Chicago Black Hawks 28–23–11 67 12,563
63 February 23 Montreal Canadiens 3–4 Quebec Nordiques 29–23–11 69 15,330
64 February 25 Quebec Nordiques 4-4 Montreal Canadiens 29–23–12 70 16,969
65 February 27 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 New York Islanders 29–23–13 71 15,271
66 March 1 Los Angeles Kings 5–5 Quebec Nordiques 29–23-14 72 15,288
67 March 3 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 30–23–14 74 15,290
68 March 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 30–24–14 74 15,222
69 March 9 Calgary Flames 9–4 Quebec Nordiques 30–25–14 74 15,189
70 March 13 Chicago Black Hawks 3–9 Quebec Nordiques 31–25–14 76 15,288
71 March 16 Hartford Whalers 7-5 Quebec Nordiques 31–26-14 76 15,285
72 March 17 Quebec Nordiques 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs 31–27–14 76 16,360
73 March 20 Vancouver Canucks 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 31–27–15 77 15,289
74 March 22 Quebec Nordiques 4–5 Boston Bruins 31–28–15 77 10,851
75 March 24 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Hartford Whalers 31–28–16 78 10,509
76 March 27 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Montreal Canadiens 31–29–16 78 18,175
77 March 30 Buffalo Sabres 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 31–30–16 78 15,201
78 April 1 Quebec Nordiques 8–5 Boston Bruins 32–30–16 80 11,407
79 April 3 Boston Bruins 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 32–31–16 80 15,276
80 April 4 Quebec Nordiques 7–4 Buffalo Sabres 33–31–16 82 16,433

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, as Mario Tremblay and Mark Napier each scored twice for Montreal, leading them to a 5-1 victory. The Nordiques fought back in the second game, as goaltender Dan Bouchard made 33 saves as Quebec defeated Montreal 3-2 to even the series up. The series shifted to Le Colisée for the next two games, and in the third game of the series, the Nordiques were led by Dale Hunter and his two goals late in the first period, as well as another spectacular goaltending performance by Dan Bouchard, who made 22 saves, as the Nordiques edged the Canadiens 2-1 to take the series lead. Montreal fought back in the fourth game, which featured 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 Nordiques took an early 2-0 lead with first period goals by Wilf Paiement and Anton Šťastný, however, the Canadiens tied the game in the third period, setting up overtime. In the extra period, Dale Hunter emerged as the hero, scoring 22 seconds into the period against Montreal goalie Rick Wamsley to clinch the series for the Nordiques, who then moved on to the Adams Division finals.[3]

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. In the first game, the Nordiques and Bruins were tied up at three heading into the final minute of the third period, however, Ray Bourque scored for Boston, as the Bruins won the game 4-3. In the second game, the Bruins easily defeated Quebec by a score of 8-4, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead. The series moved to Le Colisée for the next two games, and the Nordiques responded on their home ice, as Wilf Paiement scored the overtime winner in the third game for a 3-2 Quebec victory, cutting the Bruins series lead to 2-1. In the fourth game, the Nordiques, led by Michel Goulet and his two goals, as well as 33 saves by goaltender John Garrett, easily defeated the Bruins 7-2 to even up the series. The fifth game was back in Boston, however, the Nordiques, led by Peter Šťastný and his two goals, shocked the Bruins with a 4-3 win to push Boston on the brink of elimination. In the sixth game back in Quebec City, the Bruins stormed out to an early 3-0 lead, however, the Nordiques fought back, and tied the game at five in the third period, setting up overtime. In overtime, the Bruins Peter McNab scored, as the Bruins tied the series, setting up a seventh and deciding game back in Boston. After a scoreless first period, the Nordiques Michel Goulet opened the scoring in the second period, however, Peter McNab of the Bruins tied the game. In the third period, Nordiques defenseman Dave Pichette scored on the powerplay, giving Quebec a 2-1 lead. The Bruins couldn't beat Nordiques goaltender Dan Bouchard, who made 28 saves in the game, as the Nordiques held on for the 2-1 win, and completing the series upset, advancing 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, led by 27 saves by goaltender Billy Smith, defeated Quebec 4-1 in the series opener. In the second game, the Islanders were led by two goals by Mike Bossy, and another solid performance by Billy Smith, who made 35 saves, as New York defeated Quebec 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead. In the third game back in Quebec, the Nordiques took the Islanders to overtime, however, New York's Wayne Merrick emerged the hero, as he scored late in the first overtime, giving the Islanders a 5-4 victory, and 3-0 series lead. New York completed the series sweep in the fourth game, as the Islanders took a 3-0 lead late into the third period. Quebec put up a fight, scoring twice to cut the Islanders lead to 3-2, however, Duane Sutter scored an empty net goal to give the Islanders a 4-2 victory.

Quebec Nordiques 3, Montreal Canadiens 2

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Attendance
1 April 7 Quebec Nordiques 1–5 Montreal Canadiens 0-1 16,096
2 April 8 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Montreal Canadiens 1-1 16,391
3 April 10 Montreal Canadiens 1–2 Quebec Nordiques 2-1 15,323
4 April 11 Montreal Canadiens 6–2 Quebec Nordiques 2-2 15,314
5 April 13 Quebec Nordiques 3–2 Montreal Canadiens 3-2 17,611

Quebec Nordiques 4, Boston Bruins 3

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Attendance
1 April 15 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Boston Bruins 0-1 14,673
2 April 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–8 Boston Bruins 0-2 14,673
3 April 18 Boston Bruins 2–3 Quebec Nordiques 1-2 15,302
4 April 19 Boston Bruins 2–7 Quebec Nordiques 2-2 15,287
5 April 21 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 Boston Bruins 3-2 14,673
6 April 23 Boston Bruins 6–5 Quebec Nordiques 3-3 15,330
7 April 25 Quebec Nordiques 2–1 Boston Bruins 4-3 14,673

New York Islanders 4, Quebec Nordiques 0

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Attendance
1 April 27 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 New York Islanders 0-1 15,137
2 April 29 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 New York Islanders 0-2 15,230
3 May 1 New York Islanders 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 0-3 15,238
4 May 3 New York Islanders 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 0-4 15,238

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Regular season
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Peter Šťastný 80 46 93 139 91
Real Cloutier 67 37 60 97 34
Marián Šťastný 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 Šťastný 12 7 11 18 10
Marián Šťastný 16 3 14 17 5
Anton Šťastný 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

1981-82 Quebec Nordiques
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)
111 Randy Moller  Canada Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
353 Jean-Marc Gaulin  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
474 Clint Malarchuk  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
595 Ed Lee  United States Princeton University (NCAA)
6116 Mike Eagles  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
8158 Andre Cote  Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
9179 Marc Brisebois  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
10200 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. 1 2 The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory, D’Arcy Jenish, p.244, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0
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