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The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are the descendants of the Montreal Bleu-Blanc-Rouge that entered the QMJHL in 1972.
Shortly after the franchise's debut, the team name was changed to the "Montreal Junior" (1973-74). The team then played its games at the Paul-Sauvé Centre and the Montreal Forum.
Throughout the 1980s, the name of the team was changed a few times, going from the Junior de Verdun (1982-83) to the Canadien Junior (1984-85).
In 1974-75... Jean-Luc Phaneuf, the captain of the Montreal Junior, demonstrated his seriousness both on and off the ice as a student. He would become a doctor, and would be inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame on April 2nd 2014. During his last season as a junior: 151 points in 71 games, and only 13 penalty minutes...
Mario Tremblay - only two seasons in the QMJHL, but his passion will earn him 180 points in 102 regular season games. At 18 years old, freshly drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, he is already making the big jump to the NHL.
Normand Dupont (Montreal | 1973=>1977) - with 568 lifetime points in the regular season, he surpassed record holder Jacques Jr Locas (558). Dupont would become the monarch for 9 years in the QMJHL, before being overtaken in turn by Patrick Emond...
"THE THREE DENIS"
Montreal Junior rookies on the same trio! They are collecting points, "THE THREE DENIS": Tremblay (82), Savard (116), Cyr (101)...
Denis Savard will be the one who will have the most glorious professional career with 1338 points in the NHL, 28th in history in his last season, in addition to having won a Stanley Cup (Montreal | 1993).
American Pat LaFontaine only played one season (1982-83) in the QMJHL, at the age of 17!
A virtuoso on skates: Pat LaFontaine!
. . .
Never seen or seen again something so impressive for a rookie!
. . .
What a season it was for the St. Louis, Missouri native!
He still holds all the records for a QMJHL rookie:
234 points | 104 goals | 130 assists!
. . .
Pat LaFontaine (Verdun Junior | 1982-83)
Junior age in 1982-83: 17 years old | Height: 5′10″ | Weight: 182 lbs
Date of birth: 1965-02-22 | Place of birth: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Position: Center | Shoots: Right
NHL Draft: 1983, 1st round, NY Islanders (3rd overall)
Two top defensemen
1984 - Robert Picard was beaten by Billy Campbell
MOST POINTS BY A DEFENSEMAN, LIFETIME, IN A REGULAR SEASON | Montreal Franchise – 1972
Robert Picard - after his junior internship from 1973 to 1977, 423 points in 899 games in the NHL, including with the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques.
Billy Campbell (Montreal/Verdun | 1980=>1984) - he had four (4) seasons of more than 20 goals, quite an achievement for a QMJHL defenseman, never repeated by the way!
1985 - Claude Lemieux at his best
The Verdun Junior Canadien wins a 2nd President Cup, just after that of 1983.
In the spring of 1983, Pat Lafontaine led the franchise to its first President Cup victory against the Longueuil Chevaliers. The Montreal Forum welcomed crowds of over 17,000 spectators during this series; the best attendance figures in the history of the QMJHL.
In 1984-85, the Junior Canadien once again won top honors during the playoffs. Claude Lemieux was the team's spark plug. He also received the Guy-Lafleur Trophy as "Most Valuable Player of the playoffs." He scored 23 goals and totaled 40 points in only 14 games.
. . .
Just before the start of the 1989-90 season, the team was transferred to St-Hyacinthe where it was renamed the "Laser."
After seven seasons, the Laser could not do better than 6th place in the general ranking in 1991-92, a season during which it could count on a man named Martin Brodeur between the posts and on the three best scorers in the QMJHL in Patrick Poulin (138 points), Martin Gendron (137) and Charles Poulin (135).
A bright star is born
MARTIN BRODEUR
Martin Brodeur, the St-Hyacinthe Laser goaltender, would become a 1st round pick, selected 20th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1990 National League draft.
In the QMJHL, including the playoffs, in 3 seasons from 1989 to 1992, he would take his place in net in 163 games, winning 79 of them. His goals-against average was 3.56 and his save percentage was 0.886, signing 4 shutouts.
NHL records, as a goaltender, at the time of his retirement:
1266 games
691 wins
3 goals to his credit
125 shutouts
Martin Brodeur - an imposing 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior athlete.
Patrick Poulin - The Laser had selected him in the very first place of the QMJHL draft in 1989. Two years later, the Hartford Whalers selected him in the first round of the NHL draft. Playoffs included, 275 points in 193 games in the blue-white-red uniform of the Laser. At only 19 years old, he amazed the gallery in the NHL, collecting 51 points including 20 goals, two personal bests for him in the NHL.
Martin Gendron (1991-92 and 1992-93) - scored at least 70 goals in two consecutive seasons. In franchise history, only Normand Dupont had achieved the feat in the '70s.
Pierre Dagenais - during the 1997-98 season, his points per game average was the only one higher than 2 points per game: 133 points in 60 games! His 66 goals were a team record for a season, as Mike Ribeiro scored 67 in 1998-99.
The Laser moves to Abitibi
The Laser had 4 winning seasons during the 7 years spent in Saint-Hyacinthe.
Before the start of the 1996-97 season, the franchise was moved once again, this time to Rouyn-Noranda, where it adopted the name "Huskies".
The latter had a very good campaign during the 1997-98 regular season, when they finished in 2nd place in the general standings with a harvest of 43 victories in 70 games.
In 1998-99, Mike Ribeiro (167 points), James Tremblay (135) and James Desmarais (132) stood out.
This was the third time in the history of the QMJHL that a trio of players from the same team occupied positions 1-2-3 in the scoring rankings. Three big stars from the 1970-71 edition of the Quebec Remparts (Guy Lafleur, Michel Brière and André Savard) were the first to achieve this feat.
Mike Ribeiro - in his rookie season in 1997-98, he amassed 125 points, tying Normand Dupont's (Montreal | 1973-74) QMJHL record for a 16-year-old player. Sixteen years later, a man named Sidney Crosby broke the mark with 135 points with the Rimouski Oceanic...
James Desmarais - a merchant of speed! His 135 points in one season (1998-99) is the 2nd best performance in the history of the Rouyn-Noranda club, behind Mike Ribeiro's 167 (1998-99).
Jérôme Tremblay (Rouyn-Noranda | 1997=>2000) - 335 lifetime regular season points, 1st in Huskies history.
Coaches who made their reputation in Rouyn-Noranda
André Tourigny and Gilles Bouchard turned professional after their junior training in Abitibi...
André Tourigny (2002=>2013) - 11 seasons with the Huskies: 337 wins in 693 regular season games, two franchise records.
Gilles Bouchard (2013=>2018) - he succeeded André Tourigny behind the Huskies bench, and found himself at the head of the 2016 champion team, both in season and in the playoffs. His team's 54 victories in 2015-16 were a new franchise record at that time.
Chase Marchand
The Huskies and their extraordinary defense...
Led by Gilles Bouchard, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies won the President Cup for the first time in their history.
In 2016...
It was goaltender
Chase Marchand
who renewed several of the
League records during the playoffs...
1.35 - Sensational goals-against average
0.938 - Save percentage
6 - Total shutouts
223min23sec - An impressive streak without allowing a goal
Eight years after losing in the 2008 final to Gatineau, it was during their 20th season in 2015-16 that the Huskies celebrated their first conquest of the President Cup. They defeated the Shawinigan Cataractes in the final by 4 games to 1. In their quest for the Memorial Cup, they put up quite a battle with the London Knights during the championship game in the grand final, before losing in overtime, a heartbreaking setback with a score of 3 to 2.
May 12th 2016 - The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies' championship edition. This is their very first victory in the President Cup final.
THE HISTORICAL SEASON || 2018-2019
During the 2018-19 regular season, the Huskies, led by their new head coach Mario Pouliot, broke several QMJHL records, including the most wins (59) and the fewest goals allowed in a season (138).
In addition, they tied the Sorel Eperviers' 45-year-old league record (1973-74), 25 straight wins.
Meanwhile, goaltenders Zachary Emond (7 - tied league record) and Samuel Harvey (4) joined forces to ensure 11 shutouts for their team, another first in the QMJHL, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018-19.
Not to mention that Peter Abbandonato won the league's scoring championship with 111 points.
A 59-win season, including a 25-win streak in a row during the winter of 2019, and a glorious spring!
The Huskies' perfect triple crown!
After the Jean-Rougeau Trophy (regular season champions) and the President Cup (playoff champions), it was with the Memorial Cup in their arms that the members of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies organization completed their memorable 2018-19 season as champions of the Canadian Hockey League.
It was actually on Sunday, May 26th 2019, in the grand finale of the Memorial Cup tournament, the Huskies and the Mooseheads had to face each other again one last time in an ultimate game. And it was the Huskies who had the best by a score of 4-2. Joël Teasdale received the Stafford-Smythe Trophy awarded to the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Canadian Hockey League Commissioner Dave Branch presented the Memorial Cup to the champions, the Huskies. Rouyn-Noranda had just defeated the Halifax Mooseheads in the final of the competition by a score of 4-2 on May 26, 2019.
The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies defeated the Halifax Mooseheads in the 2019 QMJHL Finals. They won the series 4 games to 2. Defenseman Noah Dobson (2nd from bottom left) was awarded the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.
In 2018-19, the Huskies set a new QMJHL record with 59 wins, also tying the Sorel Eperviers' mark of 25 straight wins. They were presented with the Jean-Rougeau Trophy for their regular season championship. Captain Rafaël Harvey-Pinard proudly poses with the League's Director of Hockey Operations, Mr. Pierre Leduc.
After Mike Ribeiro 20 years ago
Two more Huskies players become league scoring champions
The names of Peter Abbandonato (2018-19) and Antonin Verreault (2023-24) are also engraved on the Jean-Béliveau Trophy.
Peter Abbandonato (Rouyn-Noranda | 2018-19) - as a 20-year-old, he amassed 111 points.
Antonin Verreault (Rouyn-Noranda | 2023-24) - Just acquired in a trade with Gatineau, the velvet-handed forward also finished first in QMJHL scoring with 108 points.
Anecdotally, the 2 attackers Abbandonato and Verreault both wore the number 22!
William Rousseau (Rouyn-Noranda | 2023-24) - in addition to having shut out the opponent 8 times, he became the very first recipient of the new Patrick-Roy Trophy, awarded to the "Goalkeeper of the Year" in the QMJHL.
WILLIAM ROUSSEAU completes his major junior internship in 2023-24 with the Huskies
First goalkeeper in League history to record 8 shutouts in one season!
From 1974-75 to 2020-21, no fewer than 7 goalies had managed to shut out opposing teams on 7 occasions in the same regular season.
William Rousseau of the Huskies rose above the fray in 2023-24, with a total of 8 shutouts, writing a new page in the record book of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
. . .
The greatest names in the history of this franchise: Eric Taylor, Mario Tremblay, Robert Picard, Normand Dupont, Denis Savard, Pat LaFontaine, Patrick Poulin, Martin Gendron, Martin Brodeur, Mike Ribeiro, Brent Aubin, Marc-André Bourdon, André Tourigny, Chase Marchand, Francis Perron, Gilles Bouchard, Samuel Harvey, Peter Abbandonato, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Noah Dobson...
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