The Jean-Béliveau Trophy has been awarded since the 1969-70 season to the player who leads the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in regular-season points. Over more than half a century of QMJHL hockey, winning the scoring championship in consecutive seasons has been a rare achievement.
Four players have accomplished the feat: J.F. Sauvé, Guy Rouleau, Sidney Crosby and Conor Garland. Their back-to-back scoring titles span nearly four decades of junior hockey history, from Sauvé's incredible 187-point season in 1979-80 to Garland's consecutive titles with the Moncton Wildcats.
J.F. Sauvé: 1978-79 and 1979-80
Jean-François "J.F." Sauvé of the Trois-Rivières Draveurs captured his first Jean-Béliveau Trophy in 1978-79 with an impressive 176 points. He finished 18 points ahead of Denis Savard, who would later become an NHL superstar and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It was also a tremendous season for Trois-Rivières. The Draveurs finished as QMJHL regular-season champions and followed that performance by winning the league playoff championship.
Sauvé was even better individually in 1979-80. He increased his total to 187 points to capture a second consecutive QMJHL scoring championship. This time, the race was considerably closer, with Sauvé finishing just five points ahead of Guy Carbonneau.
After his outstanding junior career, Sauvé went on to play 290 regular-season games in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres and Quebec Nordiques.
Guy Rouleau: 1984-85 and 1985-86
Five seasons after Sauvé's second scoring championship, Guy Rouleau became the next player to win consecutive Jean-Béliveau Trophies.
Rouleau recorded 163 points with the Longueuil Chevaliers in 1984-85, finishing 15 points ahead of future Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille.
The following season, Rouleau moved to the Hull Olympiques and found himself in a much tighter scoring race with Robitaille. Both players finished the 1985-86 season with an incredible 191 points. Rouleau was awarded the scoring championship after finishing with more goals.
Rouleau's QMJHL career was remarkable. He accumulated 543 points in just 260 regular-season games. Despite those enormous junior numbers, he never appeared in an NHL game.
Instead, Rouleau enjoyed a lengthy professional career that took him around the hockey world. In North America, he played in leagues including the AHL, ECHL and WCHL, while his European career included stops in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
Sidney Crosby: 2003-04 and 2004-05
The most famous name on the list is Sidney Crosby. Before becoming one of the defining NHL players of his generation, Crosby dominated the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic.
As a 16-year-old rookie in 2003-04, Crosby recorded 135 points and captured his first Jean-Béliveau Trophy. He finished 18 points ahead of Rimouski teammate Dany Roussin.
Crosby took his offensive production to another level in 2004-05. He amassed 168 points, finishing an incredible 52 points ahead of Roussin, who once again placed second in league scoring.
Crosby's final season in Rimouski was memorable beyond his individual numbers. The Océanic finished first overall during the regular season and won the QMJHL playoff championship. Rimouski then advanced to the championship game of the 2005 Memorial Cup before falling to the London Knights.
Just weeks later, Crosby was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, beginning one of the great careers in modern NHL history.
Conor Garland: 2014-15 and 2015-16
A decade after Crosby, Conor Garland became the fourth player to win consecutive Jean-Béliveau Trophies. Garland accomplished the feat while playing for the Moncton Wildcats.
In 2014-15, his third season with Moncton, Garland exploded for 129 points with 35 goals and 94 assists. He finished 27 points ahead of the next-highest scorer and added another 25 points in 16 playoff games.
Garland successfully defended his QMJHL scoring title in 2015-16 despite playing five fewer games. He finished with 128 points, giving him a 20-point advantage over the runner-up. His consecutive QMJHL scoring titles also made him the CHL's top scorer in both seasons.
Despite his tremendous junior production, Garland lasted until the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected by the Arizona Coyotes.
Garland proved to be one of the better value selections from that draft. After beginning his NHL career with Arizona, he spent five seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. In March 2026, Vancouver traded Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets, continuing an NHL career that once seemed far from guaranteed for the undersized fifth-round pick.
A Rare Achievement in QMJHL History
The Jean-Béliveau Trophy has been won by some of the greatest offensive players to pass through Quebec major junior hockey. Yet consecutive scoring championships have remained remarkably uncommon.
J.F. Sauvé, Guy Rouleau, Sidney Crosby and Conor Garland are linked by an achievement that required not just one dominant season, but two. Their careers after junior hockey took dramatically different paths, but each spent two consecutive seasons at the very top of the QMJHL scoring race.
And the trophy remains an important part of QMJHL history. The Jean-Béliveau Trophy continues to recognize the league's regular-season points leader, while the Mario-Lemieux Trophy, introduced in 2024, honours the league's leading goal scorer.
