The 1985β86 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques seventh season in the
National Hockey League. The Nordiques, led by their new captain
Peter Stastny, captured their first division title since the
1976β77 season but were swept of the first round of the playoffs by the
Hartford Whalers.
Offseason
The Nordiques had a pretty quiet off-season, with the only trade during the summer was acquiring
John Anderson from the
Toronto Maple Leafs for
Brad Maxwell. Anderson was second in Leafs scoring with 32 goals and 63 points in
1984β85. Quebec also made a trade late in the pre-season, as the Nordiques acquired
Gilbert Delorme from the
St. Louis Blues for
Bruce Bell. Delorme, a stay-at-home defenseman, had two goals and 14 points in 74 games with the Blues.
The Nordiques started the season with a seven-game winning streak, however, the club fell into a slump, and had a 3-10-1 record in their next fourteen games to fall to 10β10β1. Quebec returned to their winning ways, going unbeaten in their next eight games, and found themselves battling with the
Boston Bruins and
Montreal Canadiens for first place in the
Adams Division. The Nordiques fell into another slump, losing five of their next six games, however, the team then won seven in a row to improve to 25β15β2, and had a narrow two point lead over the Canadiens for first in the division. The Nordiques and Canadiens would continue to battle for the division title for the remainder of the season, and it was the Nordiques, who finished the year 43β31β6, earning 92 points, who came out of top to win the Adams Division for the first time in team history.
Offensively, Quebec was led by
Peter Stastny, who led the club with 122 points, as he scored 41 goals and added 81 assists, to finish sixth in
NHL scoring. Stastny also became the Nordiques captain in November, when the club traded away former captain
Mario Marois to the
Winnipeg Jets.
Michel Goulet had his fourth consecutive 50+ goal season, as he finished in fifth in the league with 53 goals. Goulet added 51 assists to earn 104 points, breaking the 100 point barrier for the third time in four seasons.
Anton Stastny had a solid season, scoring 31 goals and 74 points, while
Dale Hunter earned 28 goals and 70 points, along with a club high 265 penalty minutes.
On defense, the Nordiques were led by
Robert Picard, who earned 34 points in 48 games with Quebec after being acquired in the
Mario Marois trade. Twenty-one-year-old
David Shaw, in his first full NHL season, had seven goals and 26 points.
In goal,
Clint Malarchuk emerged as the starter, as he won 26 games, a 3.21 GAA, and four shutouts, all team highs, in his first full NHL season.
[1]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.
The 1985β86 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques seventh season in the
National Hockey League. The Nordiques, led by their new captain
Peter Stastny, captured their first division title since the
1976β77 season but were swept of the first round of the playoffs by the
Hartford Whalers.
Offseason
The Nordiques had a pretty quiet off-season, with the only trade during the summer was acquiring
John Anderson from the
Toronto Maple Leafs for
Brad Maxwell. Anderson was second in Leafs scoring with 32 goals and 63 points in
1984β85. Quebec also made a trade late in the pre-season, as the Nordiques acquired
Gilbert Delorme from the
St. Louis Blues for
Bruce Bell. Delorme, a stay-at-home defenseman, had two goals and 14 points in 74 games with the Blues.
The Nordiques started the season with a seven-game winning streak, however, the club fell into a slump, and had a 3-10-1 record in their next fourteen games to fall to 10β10β1. Quebec returned to their winning ways, going unbeaten in their next eight games, and found themselves battling with the
Boston Bruins and
Montreal Canadiens for first place in the
Adams Division. The Nordiques fell into another slump, losing five of their next six games, however, the team then won seven in a row to improve to 25β15β2, and had a narrow two point lead over the Canadiens for first in the division. The Nordiques and Canadiens would continue to battle for the division title for the remainder of the season, and it was the Nordiques, who finished the year 43β31β6, earning 92 points, who came out of top to win the Adams Division for the first time in team history.
Offensively, Quebec was led by
Peter Stastny, who led the club with 122 points, as he scored 41 goals and added 81 assists, to finish sixth in
NHL scoring. Stastny also became the Nordiques captain in November, when the club traded away former captain
Mario Marois to the
Winnipeg Jets.
Michel Goulet had his fourth consecutive 50+ goal season, as he finished in fifth in the league with 53 goals. Goulet added 51 assists to earn 104 points, breaking the 100 point barrier for the third time in four seasons.
Anton Stastny had a solid season, scoring 31 goals and 74 points, while
Dale Hunter earned 28 goals and 70 points, along with a club high 265 penalty minutes.
On defense, the Nordiques were led by
Robert Picard, who earned 34 points in 48 games with Quebec after being acquired in the
Mario Marois trade. Twenty-one-year-old
David Shaw, in his first full NHL season, had seven goals and 26 points.
In goal,
Clint Malarchuk emerged as the starter, as he won 26 games, a 3.21 GAA, and four shutouts, all team highs, in his first full NHL season.
[1]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.