1973-74 QMJHL: 5 Players With 200+ Points

We’re now living in times when it’s a rarity for a player to total more than 100 points in a season. Back in the 1973-74 QMJHL, it was simply a different game. The top five players in the race for the Jean Beliveau Trophy had over 200 points. These five individual performances are among the top nine single season point productions in Canadian Hockey League history.

These five 200+ point men were all members of one of just two teams. In fact, seven of the top ten in the QMJHL in 1973-74 either played for the Sorel Eperviers or the Quebec Remparts. The two teams finished one-two in the regular season standings with Sorel getting the edge by 11 points. The two met again in the playoff finals with Quebec exacting revenge by winning the series four games to two.

·         Pierre Larouche set the current CHL record of 157 assists

·         Larouche’s 251 points in 1973-74 still stands as the 2^nd most, behind Mario Lemieux

·         1973-74 QMJHL dominated by Sorel Eperviers and Quebec Remparts

·         Just Larouche and Real Cloutier went on to star in pro hockey

Pierre Larouche – Sorel Eperviers

Pierre Larouche of Sorel led the way with 251 points on 94 goals and 157 assists over 67 games, earning the Jean Beliveau Trophy. The 157 assists stands today as a QMJHL and CHL record for most assists in a single season. The point total is the second most in a QMJHL and CHL season behind Mario Lemieux’s 282 points in 1983-84 with Laval Voisins.

It was the third of three seasons in the QMJHL for Larouche. He started in 1972-73 with the Quebec Remparts before moving to Sorel for his final two seasons. The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL liked what they saw and drafted Pierre eighth overall at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. The Houston Aeros of the WHA also drafted him but he chose the NHL route.

Larouche played over 800 regular season games in the NHL from 1974-75 to 1987-88 with the Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers. He twice reached the 50 goal plateau in the NHL with 53 goals in 1975-76 with Pittsburgh and 50 in 1979-80 with Montreal.

Michel Deziel – Sorel Eperviers

Michel Deziel finished second behind Larouche with 227 points on 92 goals and 135 assists in 69 games with Sorel. It was his fourth and final year with the club and his highest offensive output by far. Deziel’s 122 points in the previous year were respectable by today’s standards but a far cry from what he would do in his final season.

The Buffalo Sabres selected Michel in the third round in 1974. The New England Whalers of the WHA also drafted him. Deziel played just one NHL game during his career, a playoff game with Buffalo in 1974-75. He split time between the AHL and IHL until calling it quits after the 1979-80 season.

Real Cloutier – Quebec Remparts

Real Cloutier of the Quebec Remparts finished third with 216 points on 93 goals and 123 assists in 69 games. It was the second of two seasons in the QMJHL for Real. Before he was eligible for the NHL draft, the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA picked him ninth overall in 1974. Cloutier was playing for the Nordiques in 1974-75.

Real played with Quebec until the WHA ceased to exist after the 1978-79 season. He stayed with the club as they were swallowed up by the NHL and remained until the end of the 1982-83 season. After two more seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Cloutier retired after 1984-85.

In the WHA, Cloutier totaled 566 points in 369 regular season games. He surpassed 100 points in four of his five seasons. In 1976-77 and 1978-79, Real was awarded the Bill Hunter Trophy as the WHA’s leading scorer.

Jacques Cossette – Sorel Eperviers

Jacques Cossette finished fourth, two points behind Cloutier with 214 points on 97 goals and 117 assists over 68 games with Sorel. Cossette began his junior career in 1971-72 with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the OHA and moved to Sorel for the following season. In his first season with the Eperviers, he scored 61 goals and totaled 127 points.

Jacques was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA in 1974. He played a total of 64 regular season and three playoff games in the NHL, all with Pittsburgh. He retired after the 1979-80 season.

Jacques Locas – Quebec Remparts

Jacques Locas rounded out the top five with 206 points on 99 goals and 107 assists in just 63 games with the Remparts. 1973-74 was his fifth season in the QMJHL after starting out with the St. Jerome Alouettes in 1969-70. He was traded to Quebec midway through his second season. In 1972-73, he finished second in the league with 143 points, eight behind teammate Andre Savard.

Despite his offensive success in junior, it took until the eleventh round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft before the Los Angeles Kings picked him. Locas never played in the NHL but did appear in 187 games in the WHA between 1974-75 and 1977-78 with the Michigan Stags, Baltimore Blades, Indianapolis Racers, Cincinnati Stingers and Calgary Cowboys.

4 QMJHL Teams To Win 58 In A Season

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has been in existence since 1969-70. In that time, four different teams have finished the regular season with 58 wins, the QMJHL record. The latest team to do so was in 2012-13 when the Halifax Mooseheads recorded 58 wins over the 68 game regular season schedule. 2013-14 showed a little more parity with Halifax and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tying for the league lead with just 47 wins each.

1973-74 Sorel Eperviers

The first team to win 58 was the Sorel Eperviers, or Sorel Black Hawks. Sorel won 58 of their 70 games in 1973-74. The team scored a ridiculous 620 goals over those 70 games, nearly nine goals per game. The Black Hawks had seven players with more than 100 points, three had over 200. Pierre Larouche led the way with 94 goals and 157 assists for 251 points. Larouche was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins eighth overall in 1974 and went on to play over 800 regular season games in the National Hockey League.

During the regular season, Sorel finished eleven points ahead of the number two team, the Quebec Remparts. After sweeping the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs in the quarter-finals and the Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge in the semis, Sorel came up against the Remparts in the finals. Quebec upset the Eperviers in six games.

1978-79 Trois Rivieres Draveurs

The next 58 win season came in 1978-79. The QMJHL regular season was two games longer for each team than in 1973-74. The Trois Rivieres Draveurs won 58 of their 72 games while losing just eight for 122 points. The Draveurs finished 26 points ahead of second place Sherbrooke Castors.

Unlike the Sorel Black Hawks in 1973-74, Trois Rivieres did not fail in the post season. The Draveurs swept the Shawinigan Cataractes in the quarter-finals and lost just one game in the semi-finals to the Montreal Juniors before earning a showdown with Sherbrooke in the finals. Sherbrooke did not win a game as Trois Rivieres won the President’s Cup.

The Draveurs earned a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament, which they co-hosted with Sherbrooke. The team won two and lost two in the round-robin and did not reach the final.

Trois Rivieres was led offensively by J.F. Sauve who led the QMJHL with 176 points. He would improve on that number the following season with 187 points, again leading the league. Sauve went on to play 290 regular season games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Quebec Nordiques.

2010-11 Saint John Sea Dogs

Over three decades passed before another QMJHL team would equal the mark. In 2010-11, the Saint John Sea Dogs lost just seven of their 68 games in regulation time with another two shoot out losses and one loss in overtime.

Saint John lost just three of 19 games in the post season, one to Victoriaville in the quarter-finals and two to Gatineau in the finals. It was just their sixth year in the QMJHL and it was their second of three consecutive visits to the final series, winning it all in 2011-12, as well.

The Sea Dogs travelled to Mississauga, Ontario to compete in the Memorial Cup tournament. With a 3-1 victory over the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the final game, Saint John became just the second QMJHL team in eleven years to capture the Memorial Cup as the top major junior hockey team in Canada.

2012-13 Halifax Mooseheads

In 2012-13, the Halifax Mooseheads simply dominated the QMJHL with 58 wins and 120 points over 68 games. The team was led by Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon. Drouin is likely to be a star in the National Hockey League while MacKinnon has already reached that status with the Colorado Avalanche.

In the playoffs, Halifax didn’t lose a single game over the first three rounds, sweeping the Saint John Sea Dogs, Gatineau Olympiques and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to earn a berth in the President’s Cup finals. The Mooseheads finally lost a game in the finals but won the series in five over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

Halifax moved on the Memorial Cup tournament held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Mooseheads were beaten just once in the tournament, by the host Saskatoon Blades during the round robin. Ironically, it was the only game that the Blades won. Halifax then met the Portland Winterhawks in the final game and won 6-4.

 

1975-76 NHL Goal Scoring Leaders - Leach Replaces Esposito

1975-76 was an end of an era in the National Hockey League. Phil Esposito had dominated the goal scoring landscape since 1969-70, leading the NHL for six consecutive seasons. Esposito scored 50 or more goals for five consecutive seasons and set the mark for most goals in a single season with 76 in 1970-71. In 1975-76, the Boston Bruins traded him mid-season to the New York Rangers and he totalled just 35 goals, not good enough to place in the top ten.

Reggie Leach – Philadelphia Flyers

Leading the NHL in 1975-76 with 61 goals was Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a career year for Leach with his next highest goal total coming in 1979-80 with 50. Reggie carried on into the 1975-76 playoffs with 19 goals in 16 games as the Flyers reached the finals before losing out to the Montreal Canadiens. Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in the losing cause. To date, he is one of just five players to be awarded the Conn Smythe when not winning the Stanley Cup.

Guy Lafleur – Montreal Canadiens

Guy Lafleur of the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens came second with 56 goals. It was Guy’s second of six consecutive seasons with 50 or more goals and his first of three consecutive Art Ross Trophies. The 56 goals was a far cry from the 130 he scored in 62 games for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL in 1970-71.

Despite finishing third in the Norris Division and making an early opening round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins provided the National Hockey League with two 50 goal scorers. Pierre Larouche finished third with 53 and Jean Pronovost ended 1975-76 with one less than his teammate.

Pierre Larouche – Pittsburgh Penguins

Pierre Larouche was another phenom in the QMJHL. With the Sorel Black Hawks in 1973-74, he scored 94 goals and totalled 251 points in 67 regular season games. 1975-76 was just his second season in the NHL. He would score 50 goals in a season one more time in his NHL career, exactly 50 as a member of the 1979-80 Montreal Canadiens.

Jean Pronovost – Pittsburgh Penguins

Jean Pronovost had a career year with his 52 goals and 104 points. Pronovost played two games shy of 1,000 in an NHL career that spanned from 1968-69 to 1981-82. He spent the bulk of his time with Pittsburgh but also played for the Atlanta Flames and Washington Capitals.

Bill Barber – Philadelphia Flyers

Two players tied for fifth spot in 1975-76 with 50 goals each. Bill Barber of the Philadelphia Flyers and Danny Gare each had 50. Barber gets the tie breaker nod with 112 points to Gare’s 73.

Bill Barber is one of just two of these six players to have a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Barber was inducted in 1990, two years after Guy Lafleur. 1975-76 was the only time during his twelve year NHL career, all with the Flyers, that Barber reached the 50 goal plateau.

Danny Gare would reach the 50 goal plateau one more time in his career. In 1979-80, he scored 56 for the Buffalo Sabres, tying Blaine Stoughton of the Hartford Whalers and Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings for the NHL lead. Gare played in the NHL from 1974-75 to 1986-87 with the Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.