# 1991–92 Quebec Nordiques season

The 1991–92 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques 13th season in the National Hockey League.

## Off-season

Quebec once again had the first overall draft pick heading into the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, as this marked the third consecutive season the Nordiques had the first overall selection. With the pick, Quebec selected Eric Lindros of the Oshawa Generals. Lindros scored 71 goals and 149 points with the Generals during the 1990–91 season, however, he let the Nordiques know that he was not interested in playing for Quebec. Despite this, the Nordiques drafted him, however, the club was unable to sign Lindros. Rather than playing for Quebec for the 1991–92 season, Lindros played for the Canadian national men's hockey team, and then returned to the Generals for the rest of the season.
The Nordiques did make a big signing, as they signed Russian hockey player Valeri Kamensky to a four-year contract to bring him to North America. Kamensky had played with CSKA Moscow since 1985, and had represented the Soviet Union at the 1988 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal. In 1990–91 with CSKA, Kamensky 20 goals and 46 points in 46 games.
Quebec made a couple of free agent signings, as Doug Smail joined the team from the Minnesota North Stars. Smail split the 1990–91 season between the North Stars and Winnipeg Jets, scoring eight goals and 23 points in 72 games. The Nordiques also signed tough guy John Kordic from the Washington Capitals. Kordic appeared in only ten games during the 1990–91 season, splitting time between the Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, as he had no points, however, he recorded 110 penalty minutes.
The team named Mike Hough the captain, replacing Steven Finn and Joe Sakic who were co-captains of the club in the 1990–91 season.

## Regular season

After winning their season opener against the Hartford Whalers, Quebec would endure a nine-game winless streak, and quickly fell into last place in the Adams Division with a 1–8–1 record. The team would eventually fall to 3–14–1, and head coach Dave Chambers was relieved of his duties, as general manager Pierre Page took over the coaching duties.
Under Page, the losses would continue to pile up, however, the team did have a five-game unbeaten streak in early December, as they went 4–0–1 during that span. However, the team did go through some very bad losing streaks, as the club went 1–16–2 during a nineteen-game span in January and February, and fell out of the playoff race. The club finished the year with a 20–48–12 record, earning 52 points, which was a six-point improvement from the previous season. The 52 points was the highest total by Quebec since they had 61 points in the 1988–89 season. Also, for the first time since 1987–88, the Nordiques did not finish in last place in the overall standings, as they had 13 more points than the expansion San Jose Sharks.
Joe Sakic had another impressive season, scoring 29 goals and 94 points in 69 games, to lead the team in points. Owen Nolan had a breakout season, scoring a team high 42 goals, while earning 73 points. Mats Sundin also saw improvement in his point totals, as he finished with 33 goals and 76 points in his second NHL season. Greg Paslawski had a surprising season, scoring 28 goals and 45 points for the team.
On defense, Mikhail Tatarinov, who came over to the Nordiques from the Washington Capitals in the off-season, led the team with 11 goals and 38 points. Alexei Gusarov was steady on the blueline, earning 23 points, while Curtis Leschyshyn had 17 points despite missing 38 games due to injuries.
In goal, Ron Tugnutt played the most, as he appeared in 30 games, earning six wins with a GAA of 4.02. Stephane Fiset led the club with seven victories, and had a 3.76 GAA. Jacques Cloutier had six wins and a 3.93 GAA, while John Tanner had a club best 3.47 GAA, however, he had only one victory in fourteen games.

### Final standings

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 41 | 28 | 11 | 267 | 207 | 93 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 36 | 32 | 12 | 270 | 275 | 84 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 31 | 37 | 12 | 289 | 299 | 74 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 26 | 41 | 13 | 247 | 283 | 65 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 20 | 48 | 12 | 255 | 318 | 52 |

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 5, 1991 | 4–2 | Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 8, 1991 | 5–6 | @ New Jersey Devils (1991–92) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | L | October 10, 1991 | 2–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) | 1–2–0 |
| 4 | L | October 12, 1991 | 4–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 1–3–0 |
| 5 | T | October 13, 1991 | 1–1 OT | New York Islanders (1991–92) | 1–3–1 |
| 6 | L | October 17, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) | 1–4–1 |
| 7 | L | October 19, 1991 | 1–6 | Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) | 1–5–1 |
| 8 | L | October 23, 1991 | 2–3 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 1–6–1 |
| 9 | L | October 24, 1991 | 0–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 1–7–1 |
| 10 | L | October 26, 1991 | 3–5 | New York Rangers (1991–92) | 1–8–1 |
| 11 | W | October 29, 1991 | 7–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) | 2–8–1 |
| 12 | L | October 31, 1991 | 4–5 | @ New York Rangers (1991–92) | 2–9–1 |
| 13 | W | November 2, 1991 | 6–3 | San Jose Sharks (1991–92) | 3–9–1 |
| 14 | L | November 7, 1991 | 2–4 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) | 3–10–1 |
| 15 | L | November 10, 1991 | 3–10 | Washington Capitals (1991–92) | 3–11–1 |
| 16 | L | November 12, 1991 | 4–5 | @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 3–12–1 |
| 17 | L | November 14, 1991 | 2–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 3–13–1 |
| 18 | L | November 16, 1991 | 2–6 | Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) | 3–14–1 |
| 19 | L | November 18, 1991 | 3–7 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) | 3–15–1 |
| 20 | W | November 21, 1991 | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 4–15–1 |
| 21 | L | November 23, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 4–16–1 |
| 22 | W | November 25, 1991 | 5–2 | Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 5–16–1 |
| 23 | T | November 27, 1991 | 4–4 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 5–16–2 |
| 24 | L | November 28, 1991 | 2–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1991–92) | 5–17–2 |
| 25 | W | November 30, 1991 | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 6–17–2 |
| 26 | W | December 3, 1991 | 3–0 | Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) | 7–17–2 |
| 27 | T | December 5, 1991 | 2–2 OT | @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 7–17–3 |
| 28 | W | December 7, 1991 | 7–5 | Los Angeles Kings (1991–92) | 8–17–3 |
| 29 | W | December 10, 1991 | 5–2 | Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 9–17–3 |
| 30 | L | December 12, 1991 | 1–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) | 9–18–3 |
| 31 | L | December 14, 1991 | 2–4 | St. Louis Blues (1991–92) | 9–19–3 |
| 32 | L | December 17, 1991 | 1–3 | @ Washington Capitals (1991–92) | 9–20–3 |
| 33 | T | December 19, 1991 | 5–5 OT | @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) | 9–20–4 |
| 34 | L | December 21, 1991 | 1–4 | @ San Jose Sharks (1991–92) | 9–21–4 |
| 35 | T | December 22, 1991 | 6–6 OT | @ Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) | 9–21–5 |
| 36 | L | December 26, 1991 | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 9–22–5 |
| 37 | W | December 28, 1991 | 4–1 | Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 10–22–5 |
| 38 | W | December 30, 1991 | 5–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) | 11–22–5 |
| 39 | L | January 2, 1992 | 1–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 11–23–5 |
| 40 | L | January 4, 1992 | 2–5 | @ New York Islanders (1991–92) | 11–24–5 |
| 41 | L | January 8, 1992 | 2–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 11–25–5 |
| 42 | L | January 9, 1992 | 4–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 11–26–5 |
| 43 | L | January 11, 1992 | 2–7 | New York Rangers (1991–92) | 11–27–5 |
| 44 | L | January 14, 1992 | 3–5 | Calgary Flames (1991–92) | 11–28–5 |
| 45 | L | January 21, 1992 | 3–5 | Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) | 11–29–5 |
| 46 | L | January 23, 1992 | 2–4 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) | 11–30–5 |
| 47 | W | January 25, 1992 | 2–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) | 12–30–5 |
| 48 | L | January 28, 1992 | 2–4 | Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 12–31–5 |
| 49 | L | January 29, 1992 | 2–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) | 12–32–5 |
| 50 | T | January 31, 1992 | 4–4 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) | 12–32–6 |
| 51 | L | February 2, 1992 | 2–8 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) | 12–33–6 |
| 52 | L | February 5, 1992 | 3–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) | 12–34–6 |
| 53 | L | February 8, 1992 | 0–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) | 12–35–6 |
| 54 | L | February 9, 1992 | 1–2 | New Jersey Devils (1991–92) | 12–36–6 |
| 55 | L | February 11, 1992 | 3–4 | Washington Capitals (1991–92) | 12–37–6 |
| 56 | L | February 13, 1992 | 2–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) | 12–38–6 |
| 57 | T | February 15, 1992 | 4–4 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 12–38–7 |
| 58 | W | February 18, 1992 | 4–0 | Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) | 13–38–7 |
| 59 | T | February 20, 1992 | 4–4 OT | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) | 13–38–8 |
| 60 | L | February 22, 1992 | 0–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 13–39–8 |
| 61 | T | February 23, 1992 | 3–3 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 13–39–9 |
| 62 | L | February 26, 1992 | 4–7 | @ San Jose Sharks (1991–92) | 13–40–9 |
| 63 | L | February 27, 1992 | 2–4 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1991–92) | 13–41–9 |
| 64 | T | March 3, 1992 | 4–4 OT | Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 13–41–10 |
| 65 | W | March 5, 1992 | 10–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 14–41–10 |
| 66 | T | March 7, 1992 | 4–4 OT | Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) | 14–41–11 |
| 67 | W | March 9, 1992 | 2–0 | Hartford Whalers (1991–92) | 15–41–11 |
| 68 | W | March 11, 1992 | 5–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) | 16–41–11 |
| 69 | L | March 14, 1992 | 4–5 OT | Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 16–42–11 |
| 70 | L | March 15, 1992 | 4–6 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 16–43–11 |
| 71 | L | March 17, 1992 | 3–4 OT | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) | 16–44–11 |
| 72 | L | March 19, 1992 | 3–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) | 16–45–11 |
| 73 | W | March 21, 1992 | 4–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) | 17–45–11 |
| 74 | W | March 24, 1992 | 5–2 | New York Islanders (1991–92) | 18–45–11 |
| 75 | L | March 26, 1992 | 4–5 OT | Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) | 18–46–11 |
| 76 | L | March 28, 1992 | 2–5 | @ New Jersey Devils (1991–92) | 18–47–11 |
| 77 | L | March 31, 1992 | 4–5 OT | Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 18–48–11 |
| 78 | T | April 12, 1992 | 1–1 OT | @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) | 18–48–12 |
| 79 | W | April 14, 1992 | 7–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 19–48–12 |
| 80 | W | April 15, 1992 | 4–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) | 20–48–12 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Joe Sakic | C | 69 | 29 | 65 | 94 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Mats Sundin | C | 80 | 33 | 43 | 76 | 103 | -19 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| Owen Nolan | RW | 75 | 42 | 31 | 73 | 183 | -9 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Paslawski | RW | 80 | 28 | 17 | 45 | 18 | -12 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Mike Hough | LW | 61 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 77 | -1 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Mikhail Tatarinov | D | 66 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 72 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Claude Lapointe | LW/C | 78 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 86 | -8 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Doug Smail | LW | 46 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 47 | -11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Alexei Gusarov | D | 68 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 22 | -9 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Valeri Kamensky | LW | 23 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 14 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Herb Raglan | RW | 62 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 120 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Baker | C | 52 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 32 | -5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Curtis Leschyshyn | D | 42 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 42 | -28 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Dan Lambert | D | 28 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 22 | -5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kip Miller | C | 36 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 12 | -21 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bryan Fogarty | D | 20 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 16 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Fortier | C | 39 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 33 | -7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Craig Wolanin | D | 69 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 80 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Finn | D | 65 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 194 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Morin | C | 30 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Van Dorp | LW | 24 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 109 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gino Cavallini | LW | 18 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Foote | D | 46 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 44 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Lindsay | RW | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| John Tonelli | LW | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Velischek | D | 38 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 22 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McNeill | RW | 26 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | -8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Pearson | LW | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Rucinsky | LW | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Kordic | RW | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 115 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Smyth | D | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 138 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Vermette | RW | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Klemm | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken McRae | C | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Twist | LW | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 164 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Barber | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Charbonneau | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacques Cloutier | G | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Fiset | G | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Kaminski | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Karpa | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Marcinyshyn | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Rymsha | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Tanner | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Tugnutt | G | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Stephane Fiset | 1133 | 23 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 71 | 3.76 | 1 | 646 | 575 | .890 |
| Jacques Cloutier | 1345 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 88 | 3.93 | 0 | 712 | 624 | .876 |
| Ron Tugnutt | 1583 | 30 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 106 | 4.02 | 1 | 782 | 676 | .864 |
| John Tanner | 796 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 46 | 3.47 | 1 | 394 | 348 | .883 |
| Team: | 4857 | 80 | 20 | 48 | 12 | 311 | 3.84 | 3 | 2534 | 2223 | .877 |
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Transactions

The Nordiques were involved in the following transactions during the 1991–92 season.

### Trades

| September 3, 1991 | To New York RangersCash | To Quebec NordiquesStephane Guerard |
| September 25, 1991 | To Chicago BlackhawksRyan McGill | To Quebec NordiquesMike Dagenais |
| October 22, 1991 | To Winnipeg JetsShawn Anderson | To Quebec NordiquesSergei Kharin |
| February 18, 1992 | To Chicago BlackhawksFuture Considerations | To Quebec NordiquesJohn Tonelli |
| March 7, 1992 | To San Jose SharksDon Barber | To Quebec NordiquesMurray Garbutt |
| March 8, 1992 | To Minnesota North StarsKip Miller | To Quebec NordiquesSteve Maltais |
| March 10, 1992 | To Edmonton OilersRon Tugnutt Brad Zavisha | To Quebec NordiquesMartin Rucinsky |
| March 10, 1992 | To Calgary FlamesGreg Smyth | To Quebec NordiquesMartin Simard |
| March 10, 1992 | To Pittsburgh PenguinsBryan Fogarty | To Quebec NordiquesScott Young |
| June 15, 1992 | To Detroit Red WingsCash | To Quebec NordiquesDoug Crossman Dennis Vial |
| June 19, 1992 | To Tampa Bay LightningMartin Simard | To Quebec NordiquesTim Hunter |

### Waivers

| November 12, 1991 | From Winnipeg JetsDon Barber |
| February 27, 1992 | From St. Louis BluesGino Cavallini |

### Expansion Draft

| June 18, 1992 | To Tampa Bay LightningDoug Crossman |
| June 18, 1992 | To Tampa Bay LightningSteve Maltais |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| Doug Smail | Minnesota North Stars |
| John Kordic | Washington Capitals |
| Player | New Team |
| Ken Quinney | Detroit Red Wings |
| Jeff Jackson | Chicago Blackhawks |

## Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the 1991 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 1 | Eric Lindros | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 2 | 23 | Rene Corbet | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 46 | Rich Brennan | United States | Tabor Academy (USHS-MA) |
| 4 | 68 | Dave Karpa | Canada | Ferris State University (WCHA) |
| 5 | 90 | Patrick Labrecque | Canada | Saint-Jean Lynx (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 103 | Bill Lindsay | Canada | Tri-City Americans (WHL) |
| 7 | 134 | Mikael Johansson | Sweden | Djurgårdens IF (Sweden) |
| 8 | 156 | Janne Laukkanen | Finland | Lahti (Finland) |
| 8 | 157 | Aaron Asp | Canada | Ferris State University (WCHA) |
| 9 | 178 | Adam Bartell | Canada | Niagara Scenic (NAJHL) |
| 9 | 188 | Brent Brekke | United States | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 10 | 200 | Paul Koch | United States | Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
| 11 | 222 | Doug Friedman | United States | Boston University (Hockey East) |
| 12 | 244 | Eric Meloche | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| S | 2 | Dave Trombley | Canada | Clarkson University (ECAC) |
| S | 8 | Chris Hynnes | Canada | Colorado College (WCHA) |

## Farm teams

* Halifax Citadels – American Hockey League