Bob Hartley: 4 Leagues, 4 Championships

2014-15 is Bob Hartley's third season as head coach of the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League. While behind the Calgary bench, the Flames have yet to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, if anyone is going to turn this NHL franchise around, it’s Hartley. Since 1992-93, in four different leagues, Bob has led four different teams to playoff championships.

1992-93 Laval Titan – QMJHL

In his second of two years coaching Laval, Hartley led the team to a second overall placing with 43 wins and 88 points over the 70 game regular season schedule. The Titan led the QMJHL with 367 goals scored.

In the playoffs, Laval lost just one game. In the opening round, they swept Verdun College-Francais. In the semi-finals, they swept the Drummondville Voltigeurs. In the finals against the Sherbrooke Faucons, Laval let one get away but won the series in five games to capture the President’s Cup.

The 1993 Memorial Cup tournament was held in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The Titan went 1-2 in the round robin. Laval beat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in the tie-breaker game before losing 3-1 to the Peterborough Petes in the semi-final matchup.

 

1996-97 Hershey Bears – AHL

In his first year coaching Hershey, Bob Hartley led the team to a second place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Division and second place overall in the American Hockey League. The Bears won 43 games and totalled 101 points over 80 games. Hershey had the least goals against in the AHL with 220.

In the opening round of the playoffs, the Bears ousted the Kentucky Thoroughblades, three games to one. The next two best of seven series both went the distance with Hershey beating the Philadelphia Phantoms 4-3 followed by a 4-3 victory over the Springfield Falcons to earn a place in the finals. The Bears met the Hamilton Bulldogs and dispatched their opponents in five games to capture the Calder Cup championship.

2000-01 Colorado Avalanche – NHL

In his third of five years as head coach of the Avalanche, it was now or never for Hartley to win a Stanley Cup championship. Colorado was led by Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy, all now in the Hockey Hall of Fame and, at the time, nearing the end of their playing careers. 

The Avalanche finished first overall in the NHL with 52 wins and 118 points in 82 games. Joe Sakic scored 54 goals and finished second to Pavel Bure’s 59 goals with the Florida Panthers. Sakic’s 118 points placed him second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, behind Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 121 points.

In the opening round, Colorado swept the Vancouver Canucks in four games. In the Western Conference semi-finals, the Los Angeles Kings took Colorado to the seven game limit before allowing them to advance. In the Conference finals, the Avalanche eliminated the St. Louis Blues in five games. In the finals, Colorado met the New Jersey Devils and won their second Stanley Cup championship, winning four games to three.

2011-12 ZSC Lions – NLA

Bob coached in Switzerland for the 2011-12 season with the ZSC (Zurich) Lions of the elite National League A. The team finished the regular season in seventh place in the twelve team league with just eight playoff spots up for grabs. In a post season of upsets in Switzerland, the Lions defeated the fifth place SC Bern in the finals. It was Hartley’s only year coaching in Europe.

 

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.

3 Memorial Cup Championships Of The Cornwall Royals

The Sarnia Sting have been members of the Ontario Hockey League since 1994-95. Before that, the franchise was known as the Newmarket Saints. Even before that, there was the Cornwall Royals. The Royals were in the OHL from 1981-82 but before that, they played in the QMJHL since its inception in 1969-70.

The Memorial Cup is the ultimate prize in Canadian junior hockey, pitting the best teams from the QMJHL, OHL and WHL to determine the best team in the country. The Cornwall Royals won the Memorial Cup three times as a team in the QMJHL.

In 1971-72, just their third season, the Royals finished first overall in the ten team QMJHL, ten points ahead of the next competitor, the Drummondville Rangers. Cornwall powered past the Verdun Maple Leafs, Shawinigan Bruins and Quebec Remparts to win the President’s Cup.

The 1972 Memorial Cup was held in Ottawa, Ontario and featured the Peterborough Petes and Edmonton Oil Kings, along with the Royals. Cornwall met Peterborough in the final game, winning 2-1 to become Memorial Cup champions for the first time. Cornwall goaltender Richard Brodeur was named tournament MVP, earning the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy.

Cornwall was led by several players that went on to play in the National Hockey League, including Bob Murray, Blair MacDonald, John Wensink and Al Sims. The team was coached by Orval Tessier. Orval would lead the New Brunswick Hawks to a Calder Cup victory in the American Hockey League in 1981-82. The following season, as coach of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, Tessier was honoured with the Jack Adams Award as the league’s coach of the year.

In 1979-80, the Royals finished first in the Lebel Division and second overall, behind only the Sherbrooke Castors. A kid named Dale Hawerchuk played for the Royals and was named rookie of the year. Hawerchuk would go on to have a Hockey Hall of Fame worthy NHL career. Cornwall took out the Shawinigan Cataractes, Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Sherbrooke to capture the President’s Cup.

The 1980 Memorial Cup was jointly held in Brandon, Manitoba and Regina, Saskatchewan. Once again, the Peterborough Petes were the OHL representative with the Regina Pats representing the WHL. Recovering from an 11-2 loss to Regina in the round robin portion of the tournament, Cornwall recovered and met Peterborough in the final game and won 3-2 in overtime. Dave Ezard of the Royals was the Stafford Smythe recipient. Besides Dale Hawerchuk, the team was led by future NHLers Scott Arniel, Marc Crawford and Dan Daoust.

The following season, 1980-81, Cornwall finished first overall in the QMJHL. Hawerchuk was the league’s scoring leader with 81 goals and 183 points. The Royals beat the Quebec Remparts, Sherbrooke Castors and Trois Rivieres Draveurs to earn the President’s Cup.

The 1981 Memorial Cup was held in Windsor, Ontario. Joining Cornwall were the Kitchener Rangers and Victoria Cougars. The Royals easily handled the Rangers in the final game by a score of 8-2 to capture their third and final Memorial Cup. Dale Hawerchuk was the Stafford Smythe Trophy winner. The team was supported by mostly the same cast as the year before with Dan Daoust gone but Doug Gilmour in.

1980-81 was the final year in the QMJHL for the Royals. The team shifted to the OHL for 1981-82. Since, the franchise has yet to capture a Robertson Cup as the playoff champion in the Ontario Hockey League. Subsequently, the team has never returned to the Memorial Cup tournament.

 

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.

 

3 Two-Time Winners of the Jean Beliveau Trophy in the QMJHL

The Jean Beliveau Trophy has been awarded each season since 1969-70 to the player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the most points during the regular season. Three times in the history of this QMJHL award, a player has won in consecutive seasons.

J.F. Sauve

Jean Francois (J.F.) Sauve of the Trois Rivieres Draveurs won the Jean Beliveau Trophy in 1978-79 with 176 points and 1979-80 with 187 points. In 1978-79, Sauve finished eighteen points ahead of Denis Savard. Savard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. The Draveurs were regular season champs (Jean Rouleau Trophy) and playoff champs (President’s Cup) in 1978-79.

In 1979-80, Sauve increased his point total but finished just five points ahead of Guy Carbonneau. Carbonneau would move on to a lengthy career with the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL. J.F. Sauve played a total of 290 games in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres and Quebec Nordiques.

Guy Rouleau

Guy Rouleau won his first of two Jean Beliveau Trophies five years after J.F. Sauve won his last. In 1984-85, Rouleau totalled 163 points with the Longueuil Chevaliers, placing him 15 points ahead of future Hockey Hall of Fame member Luc Robitaille. The following season, Rouleau was traded to the Hull Olympiques and finished the season tied with Robitaille with 191 points each. Guy was awarded the Jean Beliveau because he’d scored more goals than Lucky Luc.

Over his QMJHL season, Rouleau tallied 543 points in just 260 games. He never played a game in the National Hockey League but played professionally throughout the hockey world. In North America, Guy played in the AHL, ECHL and WCHL. In Europe, he played in Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

Sidney Crosby

The last QMJHL player to win the Jean Beliveau Trophy twice was none other than Sidney Crosby. Sid the Kid won the scoring title in 2003-04 and 2004-05 with the Rimouski Oceanic. In his first season, he totalled 135 points and finished 18 points ahead of teammate Dany Roussin. The following season, Crosby increased his numbers to 168 points and finished 52 ahead of Roussin, who once again came in second.

In Crosby’s final season in Rimouski, the team won the Jean Rouleau Trophy, the President’s Cup and lost in the final game of the Memorial Cup tournament to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Sidney, of course, was the first overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, shortly after that Memorial Cup game. He has been the leader of the NHL team since.

 

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.

 

1982-83 QMJHL Scoring Leaders

1982-83 was the only year Pat Lafontaine played in the QMJHL and the second of three years in the Q for Mario Lemieux. That combination was a catalyst for an extreme season of offense in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Pat Lafontaine – Verdun Juniors

Pat Lafontaine led the league with 234 points, playing 70 games for the Verdun Juniors. Lafontaine scored 104 goals and assisted on 130 more. The New York Islanders quickly picked him up third overall at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Pat was drafted behind just Brian Lawton (Minnesota North Stars) and Sylvain Turgeon (Hartford Whalers).

Lafontaine spent much of the 1983-84 season with the United States Olympic team but did make his NHL debut, scoring 13 goals in just 15 regular season games for the Islanders. He also played in 16 playoff games as the Islanders reached the Stanley Cup finals before falling to the Edmonton Oilers. Lafontaine went on to play 865 regular season games in the NHL, scoring 468 goals while playing for the Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.

Claude Verret – Trois Rivieres Draveurs

Claude Verret of the Trois Rivieres Draveurs finished second with 188 points over 68 regular season games. It was his third and final season in the QMJHL. Verret topped 100 points in each of those three years. Claude was an eighth round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1982. He played a total of 14 games in the NHL, all with the Sabres. In 1983-84, Verret was rookie of the year in the American Hockey League, amassing 90 points in 65 games for the Rochester Americans.

Mario Lemieux – Laval Voisins

Mario Lemieux of the Laval Voisins finished third with 184 points in 66 games, a mere warm-up for his record setting season the following year. Super Mario was in his second of three years with Laval. In 1983-84, he would set an unreachable Canadian Hockey League record of 282 points on 133 goals and 149 assists. With playoffs added in, he totalled 334 points.

The Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed Lemieux first overall at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Mario simply became the franchise, leading the team to their first two Stanley Cup championships and leading the league in scoring on six occasions.

Sylvain Turgeon – Hull Olympiques

Sylvain Turgeon finished fourth with 163 points in 67 games for the Hull Olympiques. It was his second of two seasons with Hull. As mentioned earlier, Turgeon was taken second overall by the Hartford Whalers at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Turgeon was an immediate star for the Whalers, scoring 40 goals in his rookie season. Sylvain played 669 regular season games in the NHL from 1983-84 to 1994-95 with the Whalers, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

Paul Adey – Hull Olympiques

Paul Adey of the Hull Olympiques rounded out the top five with 162 points in 70 games. Adey is perhaps the most interesting of these five players. After playing three years in the QMJHL, Paul went undrafted and played three years of minor pro in North America. In 1988-89, he cross the Atlantic to play for the Nottingham Panthers of the BHL and he became a legend.

Scoring 1,600 points for Nottingham, Adey has his number 22 retired by the club and is a member of the British Hockey Hall of Fame. Paul is currently the Head Coach of Val Pusteria in Italy’s elite Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio.

3 QMJHL Players to Total 500 or More PIM in a Season

We’re now in an era where major attempts to eliminate fighting from Canadian major junior hockey are drastically reducing the penalty minutes totals of individual players. However, there was a time not too long ago when players were regularly sitting 300 or more PIM in a season. In the QMJHL, three players have accumulated more than 500 minutes in penalties in a single regular season.

As for the rest of the Canadian Hockey League, the Western Hockey League also has three players in league history that have accumulated 500 or more penalty minutes in a single season. The Ontario Hockey League has a much tamer record at just 384.

Joel Theriault – Halifax Mooseheads / Drummondville Voltigeurs

Theriault holds the QMJHL and CHL record for most PIM in a single season with 573 over 63 games in 1995-96, a 9.10 PIM per game average. Joel was in the last of three years in a QMJHL career that saw him play for the St. Jean Lynx, Beauport Hargangs, Halifax and Drummondville. Over his time in the QMJHL career, he played 189 games and sat 1,023 minutes in the box.

Joel was a fourth round pick of the Washington Capitals at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, 95^th overall. He played pro from 1996-97 to 2011-12 but never in the NHL. Theriault spent from 2000-01 to 2011-12 in the Quebec semi-pro leagues. In 297 combined games in the QSPHL and LNAH, Joel sat an amazing 2,899 minutes, a 9.76 PIM per game average.

Sylvain Nantel – Trois-Rivieres Draveurs

In 1983-84 with Trois-Rivieres, Nantel sat 564 PIM in just 53 games for an astounding 10.64 average. It was Sylvain’s second of three seasons in the QMJHL. Along with the Draveurs, he also played for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. In 135 QMJHL regular season games, Nantel totalled 1,208 PIM. The end of his QMJHL career was the end of his hockey career. Nantel did not advance to any form of professional hockey.

Jason Spence – Sherbrooke Faucons

As a rookie, Spence was assessed 515 penalty minutes over 64 regular season games, an 8.05 average. It was his first of two seasons in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke franchise. In his first year, the team was known as the Faucons. In his second, the team changed names, reverting back to the traditional Castors moniker. In 131 QMJHL games, Spence was in the sin bin for 763 minutes.

Jason played professional hockey from 1999-00 to 2008-09, mostly in the ECHL with the Johnstown Chiefs. His PIM totals lowered significantly as his career progressed. With Johnstown, Spence most always had a ‘C’ or ‘A’ on his jersey.