QMJHL Teams To Win Less Than 10 In A Season

Since the inception of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1969-70, just three teams have won less than ten games in seasons varying in length from 62 to 72 games. A far cry from the three teams that share the QMJHL record for most wins in a season at 58 each.

1977-78 Shawinigan Dynamos

The 1977-78 Shawinigan Dynamos share the dubious CHL record for least wins in a season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The team, now known as the Cataractes, won just three of their 72 regular season games. The Dynamos also tied four games for a total of ten points. London tied just 3 over their 66 regular season OHL games to total nine points.

Shawinigan allowed an incredible 9.54 goals per game for a total of 687 goals against. Four goalies saw action with the club with individual goals against averages ranging from 8.77 to 14.11. They finished fifth and last in the Dilio Division, 33 points behind fourth place Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a team that won just 16 games. The Dynamos went through four different head coaches behind the bench. 40 different skaters saw at least one game of action with the club. The leading scorer was Gilles Hebert with 28 goals and 83 points in 63 games.

1975-76 Shawinigan Dynamos

Next in line is another Shawinigan Dynamos team. The 1975-76 version won just nine games over 72 regular season games. The team finished last overall and fifth in the East Division, 45 points behind the fourth place Sorel Eperviers (Black Hawks).

The bright light on the 1975-76 Dynamos was first year player Jean-Marc Bonamie. Bonamie led the team in scoring with 49 goals and 87 points in 62 games. He was named the recipient of the Michel Bergeron Trophy as QMJHL rookie of the year. Bonamie, the first overall pick at the 1975 QMJHL Entry Draft, played just three years in the QMJHL before hanging up the blades.

The 1975-76 Dynamos were a little better on defense than their future counterparts. The team allowed 554 goals with three goalies taking the abuse. The goals against averages of the shell-shocked goaltenders ranged from 7.50 to 10.17. They used a total of 44 different skaters throughout the season.

1971-72 Laval National

In just the third year of the QMJHL’s existence and first with the new nickname, the Laval National finished the regular season with just nine wins over 62 games. The National finished last in the ten team league, 14 points behind the St. Jerome Alouettes. Just four years later, Laval reached the QMJHL finals. The franchise relocated and evolved to become the present day Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Leading the club in scoring was Bob Sirois with 64 points in 59 games. Sirois was in his third of five years in the league and would score 72 and contribute 153 points in his final season in the QMJHL with the Montreal Rouge Blanc Bleu. Bob was a third round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 286 regular season games in the NHL between 1974-75 and 1979-80 with the Flyers and Washington Capitals.

1984-85 Plattsburgh Pioneers*

A big asterix to this article came during the 1984-85 QMJHL season. The league expanded to the United States for the first time with the addition of the Plattsburgh Pioneers. However, the league would not hold an expansion draft to help stock the Pioneers roster. The team played just seventeen games before folding, not winning a single game.