The 1987–88 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques ninth season in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Offseason

Quebec made a huge trade during the

1987 NHL Entry Draft The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was the 25th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first draft held in the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into pr ...

, as the Nordiques traded away

Dale Hunter Dale Robert Hunter (born July 31, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and the former head coach of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and current co-owner, president, and head coach of the London Knights o ...

and

Clint Malarchuk Clint Malarchuk (born May 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1981 and 1992. He has been a coach for four NHL teams and two minor league teams, most recently the C ...

to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

for Gaetan Duchesne,

Alan Haworth Alan Joseph Gordon Haworth (born September 1, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1988. He is the son of Gordie Haworth and the brother of Carey Haworth. Pl ...

, and the Capitals first round draft pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, in which the Nordiques selected

Joe Sakic Joseph Steven Sakic (; born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain ...

. Haworth had an injury plagued season in 1986–87, appearing in only 50 games, however, he scored 25 goals and 41 points. In 1985–86, Haworth had a career high 34 goals and 73 points for the Capitals. Duchesne had a career high 52 points with Washington in 1986–87, as he scored 17 goals and had 35 assists.

was the Nordiques second selection in the

, as he scored 60 goals and 133 points in 72 games with the

Swift Current Broncos The Swift Current Broncos are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. Founded during 1967 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the Broncos played seven seasons before relocating to Lethbridge from 1974 to 1986 as the Lethbridge Broncos ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL), as Quebec selected

Bryan Fogarty Bryan Charles Fogarty (June 11, 1969 – March 6, 2002) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played for the Quebec Nordiques, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. A great star in the junior leagues and a high draft choice in the Natio ...

with their first pick. Fogarty had 70 points in 56 games with the

Kingston Canadians The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. History The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL). Head coach Michel Bergeron left the Nordiques to take the head coaching job with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

. As compensation, the Nordiques received the

first round pick in the

1988 NHL Entry Draft The 1988 NHL Entry Draft was the 26th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Teemu Selanne, who retired after the 2013–14 season. Selections by round Below ...

. Quebec hired former Nordiques player Andre Savard to replace Bergeron. Savard ended his twelve-year playing career by playing his last two seasons with Quebec from 1983 to 1985. He had been the head coach of the

Fredericton Express The Fredericton Express were a professional ice hockey team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League between 1981 and 1988. The Express were affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks o ...

of the AHL. Late in the pre-season, the Nordiques made a trade with the

, when Quebec sent David Shaw and

John Ogrodnick John Alexander Ogrodnick (born June 20, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1979–80 through 1992–93, with the Detroit Red Wings, Quebec Nordiques, and N ...

to the Rangers for

Terry Carkner Terry Kenneth Carkner (born March 7, 1966) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red ...

and Jeff Jackson. Carkner had a solid rookie season with New York in 1986–87, scoring two goals and 15 points in 52 games with the Rangers, while Jackson split the season between the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and the Rangers, scoring 13 goals and 21 points in 64 games between the two teams.

Regular season

Quebec began the season with a three-game winning streak, and continued their early season success, as they had a 9–5–1 record through their first 15 games. The Nordiques then lost eight of their next nine games, to fall to 10–13–1--a slump which cost head coach Andre Savard his job. He was replaced by assistant coach

Ron Lapointe Ron Lapointe (November 12, 1949 – March 23, 1992) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. Lapointe grew up in Verdun, Quebec. He was a product of the junior league QMJHL and served as a head coach of the Shawinigan Cataractes. He later worked as an ...

on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. Under Lapointe, the Nordiques would go 6–3–1 in his first ten games to reach the .500 level with a 16–16–2 record, and found themselves in a fight with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

and

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

for the final two playoff spots in the

Adams Division The NHL's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins. It is the forerunner of the ...

. Quebec would remain in the hunt, as after 72 games, the team had a 32–36–4 record, good for 68 points, and a three-point lead on the Whalers for the final playoff spot. Quebec then went winless in their last eight games, going 0–7–1, as the Nordiques sank to last place in the Adams Division, missing the playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 1979–80. Their record was 32–43–5, earning 69 points, which was their worst record since 1979–80, when the Nordiques were 25–44–11, getting 61 points. On offence, the club was led by

Peter Stastny Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

, who recorded 111 points, which was good for a tie for fifth place in the

(NHL). Stastny scored 46 goals, his highest total since 1983–84, while adding 65 assists.

Michel Goulet Michel Bernard Goulet (born April 21, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Birmingham Bulls in the World Hockey Association and the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League. H ...

once again led the club in goals, as he scored 48 times, while he added 58 assists for 106 points.

Anton Stastny Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

was solid once again, getting 27 goals and 72 points, while newcomers Gaetan Duchesne and

each cracked the 20 goal plateau, scoring 24 and 23 goals respectively. Jeff Brown led the Nordiques from the blueline, scoring 16 goals and 52 points, while

chipped in with 27 points in his first season in Quebec. In goal, Mario Gosselin appeared in 54 games, winning a team high 20 games, while posting a 3.78 GAA, and recording two shutouts for the team. Rookie

Mario Brunetta Mario Brunetta (born January 25, 1967) is a Canadian-born Italian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 40 games in the National Hockey League with the Quebec Nordiques between 1987 and 1989. The rest of his career, which lasted fr ...

was the backup, winning 10 games with a 3.72 GAA in 29 games. Another rookie,

Ron Tugnutt Ronald Frederick Bradley Tugnutt (born October 22, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Tugnutt played several seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Mighty Ducks of Anahei ...

, appeared in six games, earning two wins with a 3.38 GAA.

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Player statistics

Awards

* Second NHL All-Star team:

Transactions

The Nordiques were involved in the following transactions during the 1987–88 season.

Trades

Waivers

Free agents

Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the

which was held at

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to TCF Center, Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Lou ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Farm teams

– AHL

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1987-88 Quebec Nordiques Season Quebec Nordiques season, 1987-88 Quebec Nordiques seasons Que 1980s in Quebec City 1987 in sports in Quebec 1988 in sports in Quebec