Real Cloutier Nets 3 In 1st NHL Game For The Quebec Nordiques Franchise

In the final season of the WHA, 1978-79, Real Cloutier led the league with 75 goals and 129 points. It's fitting that Cloutier provided the offense in the first game in the NHL for the Quebec Nordiques.

On October 10, 1979, Quebec hosted the Atlanta Flames in their National Hockey League debut. The home team fell 5-3 but the crowd was treated to a third period comeback attempt, fueled by Cloutier and Marc Tardif.

Over the first two periods, Atlanta jumped to a 4-0 lead on goals by Phil Russell, Kent Nilsson, Ivan Boldirev and Willi Plett. At 9:51 of the third period, Cloutier scored the first NHL goal for both him and the Nordiques on future Nordique goalie Dan Bouchard. Just over a minute later, he scored again to make the score 4-2. Eric Vail made it 5-2 Flames before Real scored his hat trick goal at 19:13. All three Cloutier goals were assisted by Marc Tardif.

He would not again see the scoring success he had in the WHA but Cloutier had a decent year in 1979-80 with 42 goals in just 67 games. He would top 20 goals three more times, twice with Quebec and once with the Buffalo Sabres. The 1979-80 Nordiques finished fifth in the Adams Division with the third worst record in the NHL.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Real Cloutier

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. In his final WHA season (1978-79), how many goals did Real Cloutier score to lead the league?

• 65
• 70
• 75
• 80

2. Who assisted on all three of Cloutier’s goals in the Quebec Nordiques’ first NHL game in 1979?

• Michel Goulet
• Marc Tardif
• Jacques Richard
• Peter Stastny

3. Which NHL team did Real Cloutier finish his career with after leaving the Nordiques?

• Buffalo Sabres
• Hartford Whalers
• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Calgary Flames

4. How many 50+ goal seasons did Real Cloutier record during his WHA career?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

5. In his first NHL season (1979-80), how many goals did Cloutier score for Quebec in just 67 games?

• 28
• 34
• 42
• 50

Dan Bouchard Of The Atlanta Flames Stands Tall for First NHL Shutout

Starting your NHL career as a goaltender on a 1970s expansion team wasn’t for the faint of heart. Just ask Dan Bouchard, the rookie netminder for the Atlanta Flames during the 1972-73 season. Bouchard routinely faced a barrage of shots that year, seeing 40 or more pucks in eight separate games. But on December 13, 1972, he not only weathered the storm, he silenced it.

In a clash at the legendary Detroit Olympia, the Flames and Red Wings entered the contest with identical records at 12 wins apiece. By the final buzzer, the rookie from Val-d'Or, Quebec had earned his first of 27 career NHL shutouts, stopping all 46 shots fired his way in a gritty 2-0 win.

It was a true test of fortitude. Marcel Dionne led the Red Wings with six shots, while Mickey Redmond, Tim Ecclestone, and Thommie Bergman each had five. Opposing goalie Roy Edwards had a solid night himself, stopping 25 of 27 shots, but Bouchard was simply unbeatable.

The Flames got all the offense they needed from Curt Bennett, who scored both goals, his first at 14:52 of the opening period and the insurance marker midway through the third. Both goals were assisted by Bill MacMillan and Keith McCreary, giving Atlanta the edge over their Original Six opponents.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first shutout in franchise history. That honor belonged to PhilMyre, who blanked the New York Islanders on November 16, 1972, making 25 saves in a 4-0 win at Atlanta’s Omni Coliseum.

About Dan Bouchard

Dan Bouchard played 655 regular season and 43 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1972-73 and 1985-86 with the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. Originally, he was a second round pick by the Boston Bruins at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft after a year of major junior with the London Knights.

Hockey Trivia Quiz Time

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our Hockey Trivia website!

The first quiz is based on the content above. The second is on Dan Bouchard's NHL career, in general.

Dan Bouchard's First NHL Shutout – Trivia Quiz

1. Who did Dan Bouchard earn his first NHL shutout against?
   New York Islanders
   Toronto Maple Leafs
   Detroit Red Wings
   Montreal Canadiens


2. How many saves did Bouchard make in that shutout?
   34
   40
   46
   50


3. Which Atlanta Flames forward scored both goals in the game?
   Bill MacMillan
   Curt Bennett
   Keith McCreary
   Rey Comeau


4. What team did Phil Myre shut out for the first Flames shutout in franchise history?
   Vancouver Canucks
   New York Islanders
   California Golden Seals
   Minnesota North Stars


5. Where was Bouchard’s shutout game played?
   The Omni Coliseum
   Montreal Forum
   Detroit Olympia
   Boston Garden

Dan Bouchard – NHL Career Trivia Quiz

1. Which team drafted Dan Bouchard in the NHL?
   Quebec Nordiques
   Boston Bruins
   Atlanta Flames
   Montreal Canadiens


2. With which NHL team did Dan Bouchard finish his career?
   Calgary Flames
   Winnipeg Jets
   Quebec Nordiques
   Boston Bruins


3. In what year did Bouchard represent Canada at the Canada Cup?
   1972
   1976
   1981
   He never played in the Canada Cup


4. What was the highest number of wins Bouchard recorded in a single NHL season?
   22
   26
   29
   31


5. Which NHL team did Dan Bouchard never play for?
   Calgary Flames
   Atlanta Flames
   Quebec Nordiques
   Vancouver Canucks

Hockey Trivia: NHL Franchise Relocations Of The 1970's, 1980's and 1990's

The 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s brought expansion to the National Hockey League. With the rapid growth, poor economy and lack of proper planning, there was quite a bit of movement among franchises in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Test and broaden your hockey knowledge with the following four trivia questions.

Q. The franchise that is now known as the New Jersey Devils came into the NHL in 1974-75 as what team?

A. The Kansas City Scouts are the origin of the New Jersey Devils. The Scouts lasted just two seasons in Kansas City before a short stint in Denver as the Colorado Rockies before moving east to become the Devils.

Over the two years, 1974-75 and 1975-76, the Scouts won a total of 27 of 160 regular season games. In the first year, they were second last in the NHL, ahead of only their expansion partners, the Washington Capitals. In 1975-76, Kansas City once again finished ahead of only the Capitals.

Simon Nolet served as team captain until midway through the second season when he was replaced by Guy Charron. The Scouts drafted Wilf Paiement second overall at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. NHL legend Sid Abel had a brief three game stint as the team’s head coach.

Q. In 1976-77, what franchise moved to Cleveland and became the Barons?

A. The California Seals were a product of the first expansion boom in 1967-68. They left California to become the Barons and then merged with the Minnesota North Stars after just two seasons. In both those years, the Barons placed fourth in the Adams Division and did not qualify for the post season.

Despite having an arena that would seat 18,500 in Richfield Coliseum, the Barons averaged around 6,000 fans per game over the two years. At the time, Richfield Coliseum had the largest seating capacity of any National Hockey League venue.

Q. The Calgary Flames were born into the NHL as what team?

A. The Atlanta Flames joined the league in 1972-73 along with the New York Islanders. The deep south wasn’t ready for hockey and the Flames made the move to Calgary for the 1980-81 season. The Flames were a decent team, on the upper end of mediocrity.

Over their eight years in Atlanta, the team reached the post season in six, including their last five. However, they were never able to win a series in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

While in Atlanta, the Flames drafted some good talent in Tom Lysiak, Brad Marsh and Paul Reinhart. The four captains in Atlanta Flames history include Keith McCreary, Pat Quinn, Tom Lysiak and Jean Pronovost.

Q. The franchise currently known as the Dallas Stars originally was located in what northern U.S. city?

A. The Stars franchise was born in the 1967-68 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars. The team uprooted and headed to the Lone Star State for the 1993-94 season. The move was not made due to a poor on-ice product. The North Stars reached the Stanley Cup finals twice in their time in Minnesota. In 1980-81, the team fell to the mighty New York Islanders 4-1 in the finals. In 1990-91, they reached the finals again but fell in six games to Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

The 4 Captains In Atlanta Flames History

The Atlanta Flames joined the National Hockey League, along with the New York Islanders, for the 1972-73 season. The Flames lasted eight years in Atlanta before moving to Calgary for 1980-81. The team was fairly successful in that they reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in six of the eight years. However, they never won a series and only won two games in the post season, one against the Los Angeles Kings in 1976-77 and one against the New York Rangers in 1979-80.

Over their eight years in the NHL before moving to Alberta, the Flames had four team captains. Two finished their careers in Atlanta, one was a second overall pick by the Flames in 1973 and one played just two games shy of 1,000 over his NHL career.

Keith McCreary

Atlanta’s first team captain wore the ‘C’ from 1972-73 to 1974-75, the final three years of his NHL career. McCreary was picked up 18^th overall by the Flames in the 1972 Expansion Draft. Five years earlier, he was involved in another NHL Expansion Draft, picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967, 52^nd overall.

It was expansion that made the NHL career of Keith McCreary. Previous to 1967-68, he played just one playoff game with the Montreal Canadiens in 1961-62 and nine regular season games with the Habs in 1964-65. He went on to play 532 regular season games in the NHL, scoring 131 and assisting on 112 for 243 points. McCreary played an additional 16 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, four with Atlanta, adding four points.

Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn was team captain in Atlanta for the 1975-76 and 1976-77 season, also his final two in the NHL. Quinn was with the Flames right from the start, taken 34^th overall in the 1972 Expansion Draft. Pat also was part of another expansion draft, taken eighth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1970.

Quinn, more noted for his work behind the bench and in the front office, played 606 regular season games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver and Atlanta. The defenseman scored 18 goals and totalled 131 points. Pat played in just 11 playoff games, adding one assist. The year after retiring as a player, Pat immediately jumped behind the bench as assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tom Lysiak

At the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, Lysiak was taken second overall by the Flames behind Denis Potvin who went to the Islanders. He was a promising offensive threat that had led the WHL in scoring the previous two seasons.

Tom played with the Flames from 1973-74 to 1978-79 and was captain in his final two years with the club until an eight player trade sent him to the Chicago Blackhawks on March 13, 1979. Lysiak continued on with Chicago until retiring after the 1985-86 season.

Over 919 regular season National Hockey League games, Tom scored 292 and assisted 551 for 843 points. In 76 Stanley Cup playoff games, mostly with Chicago, he added another 63 points. As a Flame, Lysiak played for Canada at the 1978 IIHF World Championships held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Canada finished third behind the Soviets and Czechs.

Jean Pronovost

Jean Pronovost played two years with Atlanta and was captain in his final season with the club, 1979-80. Like the other three, he would not play for the Flames in Calgary. Jean was with the Washington Capitals when the team moved to Canada.

His NHL career started in 1968-69 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and ended after the 1981-82 season. Pronovost was unfortunate to play for just the Penguins, Flames and Capitals in an era when those teams just weren’t very good. He appeared in 998 NHL regular season games, scoring 391 goals and assisting on 383 for 774 points. Jean played in just 35 playoff games, adding 20 points.