Michel Goulet jumped from the WHA to the NHL when the two leagues merged for the 1979-80 season. However, the Quebec Nordiques were a new team for Michel, having playing his only year in the WHA with the Birmingham Bulls.
In the interesting world created by the merger, Goulet was drafted by the NHL Nordiques in the first round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, 20th overall. Prior to his year with Birmingham, Michel was a standout with the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL. In his final season of major junior, he scored 73 goals in 72 games with Quebec in 1977-78 while totaling 135 points.
He started slow with the Nordiques, scoring just 22 goals in his rookie NHL season. He steadily improved and by 1982-83, he put in 57 goals. This was good for fourth in the league, 14 behind leader Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers.
Goulet topped the 50 goal plateau for the next three campaigns but would never up his career high of 57. Just six players have scored 50 in more consecutive NHL seasons: Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito and Brett Hull.
Between 1979-80 and 1993-94, Michel Goulet scored 548 goals in 1,089 regular season NHL games with the Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. This goal total places him 32th all-time, four goals ahead of Maurice Richard and one behind Ron Francis. Michel was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.
