4 1986 NHL 1st Rounders To Play 1,000 Games Or More

Just four players drafted in the first round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft went on to play 1000 or more regular season games in the National Hockey League. In fact, just three others in the entire draft were able to accomplish the feat. The first overall pick was Joe Murphy, going to the Detroit Red Wings out of Michigan State University. Murphy played 779 regular season games over his career.

Vincent Damphousse – Toronto Maple Leafs

Vincent Damphousse was the sixth overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Damphousse was selected from the Laval Titan of the QMJHL. Vinny went on to play nearly 1,400 regular season games in the NHL between 1986-87 to 2003-04 with the Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks. He totalled 1,205 points on 432 goals and 773 assists.

Brian Leetch – New York Rangers

Brian Leetch was selected ninth by the New York Rangers out of the United States High School system. Between 1987-88 and 2005-06, Leetch played in 1,205 games, contributing 1,028 points on 247 goals and 781 assists. The bulk of Brian’s career was spent with the Rangers but his final two saw him dress with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Leetch was the Calder Trophy recipient in 1988-89 as the NHL’s top rookie. Over his career, Brian won the Norris Trophy twice and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1993-94.

Scott Young – Hartford Whalers

Scott Young went eleventh overall to the Hartford Whalers after playing with Boston University. Young played nearly 1,200 games between 1987-88 and 2005-06 with the Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. He scored 342 goals and assisted on 414 for 756 career points.

Leetch and Young were teammates on the 1988 United States Olympic team that competed in Calgary. The team finished seventh in a winter Olympic games that saw the Soviet Union capture gold, Finland get the silver and Sweden take the Bronze.

Tom Fitzgerald – New York Islanders

Tom Fitzgerald was the 17^th pick, taken out of the United States high school program by the New York Islanders. Fitzgerald played three games less than 1,100 between 1988-89 and 2005-06 with the Islanders, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Fitzgerald played with Leetch over his final two seasons with the Maple Leafs and Bruins.

The other three players in the overall draft to reach the 1,000 game plateau include Adam Graves (2^nd round, 22^nd overall – Detroit Red Wings), Teppo Numminen (2^nd round, 29^th overall – Winnipeg Jets) and Lyle Odelein (7^th round, 141^st overall – Montreal Canadiens). 1986 was a draft that saw only two players from the Ontario Hockey League get selected in the first round. In contrast, eleven from the OHL went in the 2012 first round. Six of the draftees were from either the U.S. High School or College system.

Upsets Abound In 1981-82 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1981-82 National Hockey League season was the end of an evenly distributed regular season schedule. Teams now played more games against teams in their own division than the other teams in the league. The Colorado Rockies were in their last season in Denver. The following season, the franchise relocated to East Rutherford, New Jersey to become the present day New Jersey Devils. It was also the year that the record for most goals in a single season was set at an unbeatable level with Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scoring 92.

1981-82 was also a year of playoff upsets. The New York Islanders were looking for their third Stanley Cup championship in a row. The Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, were assured to challenge the Islanders for the ultimate prize. At least, that’s the way it should have played out.

Four of the eight first round matchups were upsets. The Quebec Nordiques ousted their provincial rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, three games to two. The Canadiens finished the regular season with 109 points and were first in the Adams Division. Quebec finished with 82 points and in fourth place in the Adams. That 27 point differential was wiped out in five short games.

In the Norris Division Semi-finals, the fourth place Chicago Blackhawks took out the first place Minnesota North Stars three games to one. Minnesota finished the regular season twenty-two points ahead of the Blackhawks with 94 to Chicago’s 72.

The other Norris Division Semi also ended with the underdog on top. The third place St. Louis Blues beat out the second place Winnipeg Jets in four games. This upset was not quite as dramatic as the Blues finished just eight points behind the Jets in the regular season.

The Edmonton Oilers expected run to a Stanley Cup championship ended prematurely against the Los Angeles Kings in the Smythe Division Semi-finals. The Kings finished the season winning just 24 games while losing 41 and tying 15 for just 63 points. The Oilers finished second overall to only the New York Islanders with a total of 111 points. The Kings took the series in five games. Their run would come to a halt in the next round, however, when they bowed out to eventual Stanley Cup finalist, the Vancouver Canucks.

The upsets continued in the following round. In the Adams Division final, fourth place Quebec beat out the second place Boston Bruins in seven games. In the Smythe Division, fourth place Chicago defeated third place St. Louis in six.

The magic would end for the Quebec Nordiques in the conference finals when they came up against the New York Islanders. The Islanders easily swept the Nordiques in four games. It would also come to an end for the Blackhawks as Chicago lost out to the Vancouver Canucks in five games.

Although Vancouver was always the top seed in each series until the finals when they lost out to the Islanders in four games, their run to the finals should be seen as an upset of sorts. Vancouver finished the season with a weak record of 30 wins, 33 losses and 17 ties. The only reason they ranked high is because they were in the weakest conference. They were seeded second in the Smythe and fourth in the conference. Their point total would have placed them eighth in the other conference.

The Oilers licked their wounds and came back strong the following season. The Islanders won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1982-83, the last for the franchise, but the Oilers would make it to the finals against New York this time. The following season, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup and would win it again in three of next four seasons. One dynasty had replaced another.

 

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

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.