Quebec Nordiques
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| The franchise originally destined for San Francisco was purchased and relocated to Quebec in February 1972. After splitting their first two games, coach Maurice “Rocket” Richard, quit, leaving Maurice Filion to guide the team for the rest of the season. The Nordiques missed the playoffs that year and again the following year under new coach Jacques Plante, but they would not miss the playoffs again for the rest of their time in the WHA. Under the leadership of Jean-Guy Gendron, the Nordiques finished in first place for the first time and they advanced all the way to the AVCO Cup final before being swept by the Houston Aeros. The Nordiques improved again in 1975-1976, only to fall to the Calgary Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs. That series was marred by Rick Jodzio's attack on Marc Tardif that landed Tardif in the hospital. With new coach Marc Boileau at the helm the following year, the Nordiques finished in first place for the second time in three years and advanced to their second AVCO Cup final. There, they beat the Winnipeg Jets in an epic seven-game series to capture their first and only championship before their home fans at Le Colisee. The Nordiques had good teams in each of the next two seasons, but they failed to recapture their championship form of 1977. They were eliminated by the Whalers in the second round of the 1978 playoffs and swept by the Jets the following year. After the 1978-1979 season, the Nordiques were one of the four surviving WHA teams to join the NHL. With the additions of the three Stastny brothers and prolific goal scorer Michel Goulet, they were one of the most successful former WHA teams to compete in the NHL, but they would later fall on hard times. The franchise eventually relocated to Denver, Colorado following the 1995 season. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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