1980–81 Quebec Nordiques season

1980–81 Quebec Nordiques
Division4th Adams
Conference6th Wales
1980–81 record30–32–18
Home record18–11–11
Road record12–21–7
Goals for314
Goals against318
Team information
General managerMaurice Filion
CoachMaurice Filion (1-3-2)
Michel Bergeron (29-29-16)
CaptainMarc Tardif
Robbie Ftorek
ArenaColisée de Québec
Average attendance12,243 [1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Rochester Americans (AHL)
Team leaders
GoalsJacques Richard (52)
AssistsPeter Stastny (70)
PointsPeter Stastny (109)
Penalty minutesDale Hunter (226)
Plus/minusMario Marois (+11)
WinsDan Bouchard (19)
Goals against averageDan Bouchard (3.17)

The 1980–81 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques second season in the National Hockey League. Quebec improved on their inaugural NHL season, making the playoffs, only to lose in the first round.

Off-season

[edit]

During the off-season, the Nordiques fired head coach Jacques Demers, and general manager Maurice Filion would begin the season as the head coach. This would mark Filion's third time behind the Nordiques bench, as he was the head coach of the club in the 1972–73 WHA season, and he served as an interim head coach at the end of the 1977–78 season. Quebec was able to sign brothers Peter Šťastný and Anton Šťastný, who both defected from Czechoslovakia. The brothers would have a huge impact in the league, as Peter would win the Calder Memorial Trophy awarded to the NHL's Rookie of the Year, and both Peter and Anton would set rookie records, each earning eight points in a game on February 22, 1981, leading Quebec to an 11–7 win over the Washington Capitals.

Regular season

[edit]

The Nordiques season began with a nine-game road trip, and head coach Maurice Filion would replace himself with Michel Bergeron after the club had a 1-3-2 record in their opening six games. Quebec continued to struggle, and fifteen games into the season, they had a 1-9-5 record. The Nordiques would continue to struggle, and found themselves a season high fourteen games under .500 with an 11-26-12 record after 49 games. Quebec would then get red hot, posting a record of 19-6-6 in their remaining 31 games to finish the season at 30–32–18, earning 78 points, and their first ever berth into the NHL playoffs.

Offensively, the Nordiques were led by rookie Peter Šťastný, who set a team record with 109 points, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy. Jacques Richard became the first Nordique to score over 50 goals in a season, as he scored 52, and registered 103 points. Anton Šťastný also had a great rookie season, earning 85 points, while Robbie Ftorek and Michel Goulet had 75 and 73 points respectively. Pierre Lacroix led the Nordiques blueline, earning 39 points, while Dale Hunter had a team high 226 penalty minutes.

In goal, Dan Bouchard emerged as the number one goalie late in the season, winning a team record 19 games, while posting a team best 3.17 GAA, along with two shutouts. Michel Plasse had the most playing time, and he won 10 games with a 3.66 GAA in 33 games.

Season standings

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Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Buffalo Sabres 80 39 20 21 327 250 99
Boston Bruins 80 37 30 13 316 272 87
Minnesota North Stars 80 35 28 17 291 263 87
Quebec Nordiques 80 30 32 18 314 318 78
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 28 37 15 322 367 71

[2]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

League standings[3]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – New York Islanders PTK 80 48 18 14 355 260 110
2 x – St. Louis Blues SMY 80 45 18 17 352 281 107
3 y – Montreal Canadiens NRS 80 45 22 13 332 232 103
4 Los Angeles Kings NRS 80 43 24 13 337 290 99
5 x – Buffalo Sabres ADM 80 39 20 21 327 250 99
6 Philadelphia Flyers PTK 80 41 24 15 313 249 97
7 Calgary Flames PTK 80 39 27 14 329 298 92
8 Boston Bruins ADM 80 37 30 13 316 272 87
9 Minnesota North Stars ADM 80 35 28 17 291 263 87
10 Chicago Black Hawks SMY 80 31 33 16 304 315 78
11 Quebec Nordiques ADM 80 30 32 18 314 318 78
12 Vancouver Canucks SMY 80 28 32 20 289 301 76
13 New York Rangers PTK 80 30 36 14 312 317 74
14 Edmonton Oilers SMY 80 29 35 16 328 327 74
15 Pittsburgh Penguins NRS 80 30 37 13 302 345 73
16 Toronto Maple Leafs ADM 80 28 37 15 322 367 71
17 Washington Capitals PTK 80 26 36 18 286 317 70
18 Hartford Whalers NRS 80 21 41 18 292 372 60
19 Colorado Rockies SMY 80 22 45 13 258 344 57
20 Detroit Red Wings NRS 80 19 43 18 252 339 56
21 Winnipeg Jets SMY 80 9 57 14 246 400 32

Divisions: ADM – Adams, NRS – Norris, PTK – Patrick, SMY – Smythe

bold – The top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, regardless of division or conference.
x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and conference and division)

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
Adams Division record vs. opponents

Vs. Wales Conference

[edit]

Vs. Campbell Conference

[edit]


Schedule and results

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# Date Visitor Score Home Record Pts Attendance
1 October 9 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Calgary Flames 0–0–1 1 7,243
2 October 10 Quebec Nordiques 7–4 Edmonton Oilers 1–0–1 3 17,334
3 October 12 Quebec Nordiques 2–8 Vancouver Canucks 1–1–1 3 13,130
4 October 14 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 Colorado Rockies 1–2–1 3 4,627
5 October 16 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 Los Angeles Kings 1–3–1 3 6,490
6 October 19 Quebec Nordiques 4–4 Winnipeg Jets 1–3–2 4 12,728
7 October 22 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Minnesota North Stars 1–4–2 4 11,537
8 October 25 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Hartford Whalers 1–5–2 4 11,005
9 October 26 Quebec Nordiques 4–7 Chicago Black Hawks 1–6–2 4 8,741
10 October 29 Vancouver Canucks 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 1–6–3 5 N/A
11 November 1 Philadelphia Flyers 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 1–6–4 6 N/A
12 November 2 Colorado Rockies 5–4 Quebec Nordiques 1–7–4 6 10,400
13 November 4 Quebec Nordiques 4–5 Montreal Canadiens 1–8–4 6 16,803
14 November 9 Quebec Nordiques 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers 1–9–4 6 17,077
15 November 11 Chicago Black Hawks 6–6 Quebec Nordiques 1–9–5 7 N/A
16 November 12 Winnipeg Jets 1–5 Quebec Nordiques 2–9–5 9 N/A
17 November 16 Quebec Nordiques 1–8 Buffalo Sabres 2–10–5 9 16,433
18 November 18 Washington Capitals 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 3–10–5 11 9,023
19 November 19 Detroit Red Wings 1–2 Quebec Nordiques 4–10–5 13 9,817
20 November 22 Calgary Flames 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 4–10–6 14 10,185
21 November 24 Los Angeles Kings 4–3 Quebec Nordiques 4–11–6 14 10,690
22 November 26 Minnesota North Stars 2–5 Quebec Nordiques 5–11–6 16 10,290
23 November 30 New York Islanders 7–3 Quebec Nordiques 5–12–6 16 10,159
24 December 2 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 St. Louis Blues 5–13–6 16 9,115
25 December 4 Quebec Nordiques 4–1 Detroit Red Wings 6–13-6 18 9,212
26 December 6 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 Toronto Maple Leafs 6–14–6 18 16,485
27 December 7 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–4 Quebec Nordiques 6–14–7 19 9,330
28 December 10 Boston Bruins 6–4 Quebec Nordiques 6–15–7 19 10,693
29 December 11 Quebec Nordiques 5–3 Boston Bruins 7–15–7 21 8,241
30 December 14 Edmonton Oilers 5–6 Quebec Nordiques 8–15–7 23 9,346
31 December 17 St. Louis Blues 1–4 Quebec Nordiques 9–15–7 25 9,805
32 December 20 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 New York Islanders 9–16–7 25 14,942
33 December 21 Hartford Whalers 5–6 Quebec Nordiques 10–16–7 27 10,241
34 December 23 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 Quebec Nordiques 10–16–8 28 10,672
35 December 27 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 10–17–8 28 9,763
36 December 30 New York Rangers 6–3 Quebec Nordiques 10–18–8 28 10,868
37 January 3 Buffalo Sabres 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 10–18–9 29 10,868
38 January 4 Quebec Nordiques 2–2 New York Rangers 10–18–10 30 17,425
39 January 6 Quebec Nordiques 3–6 St. Louis Blues 10–19–10 30 12,080
40 January 7 Quebec Nordiques 1–5 Buffalo Sabres 10–20–10 30 16,433
41 January 10 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Montreal Canadiens 10–20–11 31 17,199
42 January 11 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 Quebec Nordiques 10–21–11 31 10,532
43 January 13 Winnipeg Jets 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 10–21–12 32 9,425
44 January 15 Quebec Nordiques 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers 11–21–12 34 17,077
45 January 17 Quebec Nordiques 1–7 Minnesota North Stars 11–22–12 34 14,354
46 January 18 Quebec Nordiques 2–7 Chicago Black Hawks 11-23–12 34 11,963
47 January 21 Buffalo Sabres 6–5 Quebec Nordiques 11–24–12 34 14,060
48 January 24 Quebec Nordiques 4–7 New York Islanders 11–25–12 34 15,008
49 January 26 Los Angeles Kings 7–5 Quebec Nordiques 11–26–12 34 13,653
50 January 28 Detroit Red Wings 2–2 Quebec Nordiques 11–26–13 35 14,734
51 January 31 New York Islanders 1–5 Quebec Nordiques 12–26–13 37 14,900
52 February 2 Hartford Whalers 2–4 Quebec Nordiques 13–26–13 39 12,435
53 February 4 Minnesota North Stars 2–6 Quebec Nordiques 14–26–13 41 14,852
54 February 7 Philadelphia Flyers 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 15–26–13 43 14,837
55 February 8 Quebec Nordiques 4–3 Boston Bruins 16–26–13 45 10,865
56 February 12 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Calgary Flames 16–27–13 45 7,225
57 February 13 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 Edmonton Oilers 17–27–13 47 17,490
58 February 15 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 Winnipeg Jets 17–28–13 47 13,352
59 February 17 Quebec Nordiques 6–3 Colorado Rockies 18–28–13 49 5,817
60 February 18 Quebec Nordiques 4–2 Los Angeles Kings 19–28–13 51 9,841
61 February 20 Quebec Nordiques 9–3 Vancouver Canucks 20–28–13 53 14,879
62 February 22 Quebec Nordiques 11–7 Washington Capitals 21–28–13 55 10,346
63 February 25 Boston Bruins 3–5 Quebec Nordiques 22–28–13 57 14,846
64 March 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 Quebec Nordiques 22–29–13 57 14,743
65 March 4 Washington Capitals 4–7 Quebec Nordiques 23–29–13 59 14,801
66 March 8 Chicago Black Hawks 3–2 Quebec Nordiques 23–30-13 59 14,467
67 March 10 New York Rangers 4–6 Quebec Nordiques 24–30–13 61 14,826
68 March 11 St. Louis Blues 5–5 Quebec Nordiques 24–30–14 62 14,820
69 March 14 Quebec Nordiques 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 24–30–15 63 14,836
70 March 15 Colorado Rockies 0–3 Quebec Nordiques 25–30–15 65 14,499
71 March 17 Quebec Nordiques 4-3 Detroit Red Wings 26–30-15 67 14,150
72 March 18 Quebec Nordiques 6–4 Washington Capitals 27–30–15 69 8,520
73 March 22 Quebec Nordiques 7–7 New York Rangers 27–30–16 70 17,414
74 March 23 Vancouver Canucks 3–3 Quebec Nordiques 27–30–17 71 15,002
75 March 25 Calgary Flames 2–4 Quebec Nordiques 28–30–17 73 14,970
76 March 29 Montreal Canadiens 0–4 Quebec Nordiques 29–30–17 75 15,149
77 March 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Quebec Nordiques 30–30–17 77 15,118
78 April 1 Quebec Nordiques 4–5 Hartford Whalers 30–31–17 77 10,734
79 April 4 Quebec Nordiques 5–5 Toronto Maple Leafs 30–31–18 78 16,485
80 April 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–2 Quebec Nordiques 30–32–18 78 15,100

Playoffs

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The Nordiques opened the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs with a best of five preliminary round against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers finished the season with a 41-24-15 record, earning 97 points, and second place in the Patrick Division. The series opened up with two games at the Philadelphia Spectrum, and in the series opener, the Flyers took a 1–0 lead on a goal by Brian Propp early in the game. The Nordiques Anton Šťastný tied the game, however, the Flyers Bill Barber made it 2–1, and then Brian Propp added a second goal before the first period was over to give the Flyers a 3–1 lead. In the second period, Quebec fought back on goals by Michel Goulet and Dale Hunter to tie the game at 3-3. Philadelphia took control of the game in the third period, as Paul Holmgren and Al Hill made it 5-3 for the Flyers before Anton Šťastný scored his second of the game for Quebec, making it 5-4 Flyers. Bill Barber scored an empty net goal in the last minute, as the Flyers took the series opener 6–4.

In the second game, the Flyers took an early 2–0 lead in the first period on goals by Bill Barber and Mel Bridgman before Peter Šťastný responded for the Nordiques, cutting the Flyers lead to 2–1. Bill Barber added a second goal late in the first period, giving the Flyers a 3–1 lead. Anton Šťastný cut the Flyers lead to 3–2 with a goal early in the second, however, Bill Barber completed the hat trick 5:55 into the period, giving Philadelphia a 4–2 lead. The Flyers Tom Gorence made it 5-2 Philadelphia before Jacques Richard responded for the Nordiques, making it 5–3 after two periods. In the third period, Ken Linseman made it 6-3 for Philadelphia before the Nordiques fought back with two quick goals, one by Dale Hunter and another by Marc Tardif, putting the Nordiques within a goal at 6–5. Philadelphia's Mel Bridgman scored, followed by an empty net goal by Bobby Clarke, as the Flyers took a 2–0 series lead with an 8–5 victory.

The series shifted to Le Colisée for the next two games, and after two scoreless periods, the Nordiques Michel Goulet scored midway through the third to give the Nordiques a 1–0 lead. Peter Šťastný scored late in the game, as Quebec shutout the Flyers 2–0, with Dan Bouchard made 32 saves, earning the victory and shutout.

In the fourth game, the Flyers Terry Murray scored seven seconds into the game, as Philadelphia took an early 1–0 lead. Robbie Ftorek responded for the Nordiques, however, the Flyers Behn Wilson and Tom Gorence added goals in the opening period, as the Flyers took a 3–1 lead. After a scoreless second period, and with the Nordiques facing elimination, Dale Hunter cut into the Flyers lead with a goal with less than five minutes remaining in the third period, making the score 3-2 for Philadelphia. Less than two minutes later, Jacques Richard completed the comeback, as the Nordiques scored to make it 3-3, heading into overtime. In overtime, Dale Hunter scored a quick goal 37 seconds into the extra period, as Quebec stunned the Flyers with a 4–3 win, and tied the series.

The fifth game was played in Philadelphia, and the Flyers opened the scoring on a goal by Rick MacLeish late in the first period. The Nordiques Michel Goulet quickly responded before the period was over, tying the game. In the second period, the Flyers re-took the lead, when Al Hill scored ten minutes into the period, making it 2-1 Philadelphia. In the third period, the Flyers took control of the game, scoring three quick goals to make it 5–1. Quebec's Anton Šťastný scored to make it 5–2, however, that would be as close of the Nordiques got, as the Flyers won the game and took the series.

Philadelphia Flyers 3, Quebec Nordiques 2
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Attendance
1 April 8 Quebec Nordiques 4–6 Philadelphia Flyers 0-1 17,077
2 April 9 Quebec Nordiques 5–8 Philadelphia Flyers 0-2 17,077
3 April 11 Philadelphia Flyers 0–2 Quebec Nordiques 1-2 15,081
4 April 12 Philadelphia Flyers 3–4 Quebec Nordiques 2-2 15,130
5 April 14 Quebec Nordiques 2–5 Philadelphia Flyers 2-3 17,077

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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Regular season
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Peter Stastny 77 39 70 109 37
Jacques Richard 78 52 51 103 39
Anton Stastny 80 39 46 85 12
Robbie Ftorek 78 24 49 73 104
Michel Goulet 76 32 39 71 45
Playoffs
Player GP G A Pts PIM
Peter Stastny 5 2 8 10 7
Anton Stastny 5 4 3 7 2
Michel Goulet 4 3 4 7 7
Dale Hunter 5 4 2 6 34
Jacques Richard 5 2 4 6 14

Goaltending

[edit]
Regular season
Player GP Min W L T GA SO GAA
Dan Bouchard 29 1740 19 5 5 92 2 3.17
Michel Plasse 33 1933 10 14 9 118 0 3.66
Michel Dion 12 688 0 8 3 61 0 5.32
Ron Grahame 8 439 1 5 1 40 0 5.47
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA SO GAA
Dan Bouchard 5 286 2 3 19 1 3.99
Michel Plasse 1 15 0 0 1 0 4.00

Awards

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Draft picks

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Quebec's draft picks from the 1980 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal.

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
2 24 Normand Rochefort  Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
4 66 Jay Miller  United States University of New Hampshire (NCAA)
5 87 Basil McRae  Canada London Knights (OMJHL)
6 108 Mark Kumpel  United States University of Lowell (NCAA)
7 129 Gaston Therrien  Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
8 150 Michel Bolduc  Canada Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
9 171 Christian Tanguay  Canada Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
10 192 Bill Robinson  United States Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (USHS)

Transactions

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The Nordiques were involved in the following transactions during the 1980–81 season.

Trades

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August 11, 1980 To Philadelphia Flyers
Cash
To Quebec Nordiques
John Paddock
September 15, 1980 To Philadelphia Flyers
7th round pick in 1981Vladimir Svitek
Cash
To Quebec Nordiques
Andre Dupont
October 8, 1980 To Winnipeg Jets
Danny Geoffrion
To Quebec Nordiques
Cash
December 12, 1980 To Los Angeles Kings
Cash
To Quebec Nordiques
Ron Grahame
January 30, 1981 To Calgary Flames
Jamie Hislop
To Quebec Nordiques
Dan Bouchard
February 10, 1981 To Winnipeg Jets
Michel Dion
To Quebec Nordiques
Cash
March 10, 1981 To Vancouver Canucks
Garry Lariviere
To Quebec Nordiques
Mario Marois
June 9, 1981 To Minnesota North Stars
Nelson Burton
To Quebec Nordiques
Dan Chicoine

Waivers

[edit]
October 10, 1980 To Edmonton Oilers
Curt Brackenbury
October 10, 1980 From Boston Bruins
John Wensink

Free agents

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Player Former Team
Peter Šťastný Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
Louis Sleigher Syracuse Firebirds (AHL)
Michel Plasse Colorado Rockies
Pierre Aubry Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
Marian Stastny Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
Player New Team
Paul Baxter Pittsburgh Penguins
Gerry Hart St. Louis Blues

References

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  1. ^ "National Hockey League 1979-80 Attendance Graph". hockeydb.com.
  2. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. ^ "1980–81 NHL Standings". NHL.com. National Hockey League.
  4. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.