Last Friday night the Montreal Canadiens played the Colorado Avalanche in a preseason tilt in Quebec City. Habs fans, you may recall that the Colorado Avalanche were once the Quebec Nordiques until 1995. Citing lack of fans and a weak Canadian dollar, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman moved the team to Colorado following the lockout shortened 1994-95 season
History of the Quebec Nordiques
The Nordiques were initially part of the World Hockey Association commencing in 1972 and ending in 1979, when they joined the NHL. Interesting fact: the first head coach of the Quebec Nordiques was Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Maurice only lasted two games before deciding that coaching wasn't for him.
The Nordiques had several great players from Burnaby Joe Sakic to Peter Stastny. However, the most controversial draft pick was Eric Lindros. Lindros was picked first overall in the 1991 NHL draft. Leading up to the big day, Lindros was very clear about not wanting Quebec to pick him. After the Nordiques chose him, Lindros refused to sign and eventually the team was forced to trade Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers for several players, including Peter Forsberg. This will forever go down as the beginning of the end for the Nordiques. Lindros's refusal to sign surely didn't help the Nordiques with future signings. Thus, they had to ice an inferior line-up.
Quebec made the playoffs nine times in their 16 season existence. Their two best showings were in 1982 when they made it to the Wales Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Islanders. In 1985, they also lost in the Wales Conference finals, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. What will forever burn in Quebec Nordiques hockey fans craw is that Colorado won the Stanley Cup in their first year in the league. In fact, the Avalanche absolutely dominated the NHL that season.
Montreal vs. Quebec Memorable Moments
The playoffs is where rivalries are made. Montreal and Quebec met five times with your Montreal Canadiens prevailing in three of those series. There were some great battles to be had, both in the playoffs and in the regular season. I will highlight a few here.
Perhaps the most famous incident occurred during the second round of the 1984 NHL Playoffs. It was April 20, 1984, Good Friday and game 6 of the series. Montreal was leading the series 3 games to 2 and there was a faceoff just outside the Nordiques blueline with seven seconds left in the 2nd Period. The Canadiens won it and were pressuring Quebec late in the period. As the final horn sounded, Habs center Guy Carbonneau bumped Quebec goalie Dan Bouchard. Nordiques defenseman Dale Hunter took exception and tackled Carbonneau to the ice. Then both teams benches emptied and pretty well every player on the ice started fighting. The brawl continued when the two teams came back on the ice for the 3rd period. In total, ten players were ejected and evidently the brawl sparked the Habs as they went on to score five time in the final frame to eliminate Quebec from the playoffs.
Game 7 of the 1985 Adams Conference quarter-finals was another memorable game. Game sevens are generally a battle till you die competition. Oftentimes, the games can bring out the best in the two sides leading to an entertaining match that gives fans their money's worth. This one was no exception. Montreal and Quebec played an exciting game which was eventually won in overtime by Quebec. Habs fans, I highly recommend that you click on the link and check out this classic battle of Quebec.
Finally, April 26th, 1995 is the last time the Montreal Canadiens faced the Quebec Nordiques before they relocated to Colorado. This game might not have been an epic classic (the game ended in a 1-1 tie) but this date signifies the end of a solid hockey rivalry. Looking at the regular season, the Habs and Nordiques met 114 times with Montreal winning 62 times, Quebec winning 41 games and 12 games ending in a draw.
Should the NHL return to Quebec City?
Absolutely. Canada has a rich history with hockey and there is no question that Quebec can support a second NHL team. Winnipeg is proof of that. The Jets returned to the NHL after a 15-year hiatus. They were also relocated, to Phoenix, a year after the Nordiques moved to Colorado. I think having a second team in Quebec would increase the number of young French Canadians who take up hockey. Plus it would give Montreal a natural rivalry. I truly believe there are enough hockey fans to support two NHL teams in Quebec. Many of the Nordique fans became Habs fans and I am certain that if Quebec City were to get their team back so too would they get their original fans and more. There is much talk of expanding the league in the future. However, for Quebec City to be considered, there will be many hurdles to jump over. First and foremost, Quebec City needs to build a new arena that meets NHL standards (which they are doing right now). Second, the city will have to prove that it has the fan base to support an NHL franchise. Similar to what happened in Winnipeg, Quebec City would have to sell a certain number of tickets in a short time frame. I truly believe that one day hockey should and will return to Quebec City because the NHL needs Canada and Winnipeg is proof that a smaller market in Canada can absolutely support an NHL franchise.
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