# 1987–88 Quebec Nordiques season

The 1987–88 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques ninth season in the National Hockey League.

## Offseason

Quebec made a huge trade during the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, as the Nordiques traded away Dale Hunter and Clint Malarchuk to the Washington Capitals for Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth, and the Capitals first round draft pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, in which the Nordiques selected Joe Sakic. 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. Joe Sakic was the Nordiques second selection in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, as he scored 60 goals and 133 points in 72 games with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL), as Quebec selected Bryan Fogarty with their first pick. Fogarty had 70 points in 56 games with the Kingston Canadians of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Head coach Michel Bergeron left the Nordiques to take the head coaching job with the New York Rangers. As compensation, the Nordiques received the New York Rangers first round pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. 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 of the AHL.
Late in the pre-season, the Nordiques made a trade with the New York Rangers, when Quebec sent David Shaw and John Ogrodnick to the Rangers for Terry Carkner 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 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 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 and Hartford Whalers for the final two playoff spots in the Adams Division. 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 1980. 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, who recorded 111 points, which was good for a tie for fifth place in the National Hockey League (NHL). Stastny scored 46 goals, his highest total since 1983–84, while adding 65 assists. Michel Goulet once again led the club in goals, as he scored 48 times, while he added 58 assists for 106 points. Anton Stastny was solid once again, getting 27 goals and 72 points, while newcomers Gaetan Duchesne and Alan Haworth 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 Terry Carkner 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 was the backup, winning 10 games with a 3.72 GAA in 29 games. Another rookie, Ron Tugnutt, appeared in six games, earning two wins with a 3.38 GAA.

### Final standings

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 298 | 238 | 103 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 30 | 6 | 300 | 251 | 94 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 283 | 305 | 85 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 249 | 267 | 77 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 271 | 306 | 69 |
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.

### Record vs. opponents

Adams Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Boston
—4–3–14–3–13–4–15–316–13–3
Buffalo
3–4–1—3–4–13–3–25–2–114–13–5
Hartford
3–4–14–3–1—2–4–22–611–17–4
Montreal
4–3–13–3–24–2−2—6–217–10–5
Quebec
3–52–5–16–22–6—13–18–1
Vs. Patrick Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Boston
2–11–21–21–22–0–11–28–9–1
Buffalo
2–0–11–23–00–30–2–12–0–18–7–3
Hartford
1–1–11–21–21–21–21–26–11–1
Montreal
1–23–01–1–11–0–21–21–1–18–6–4
Quebec
3–01–21–20–2–10–31–26–11–1
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Boston
3–01–23–01–22–110–5–0
Buffalo
2–11–21–1–13–03–010–4–1
Hartford
2–12–13–01–23–011–4–0
Montreal
2–0–12–11–1–12–13–010–3–2
Quebec
2–0–13–02–11–23–011–3–1
Vs. Smythe Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Boston
2–11–1–12–0–12–13–010–3–2
Buffalo
1–20–32–11–1–11–1–15–8–2
Hartford
0–31–23–01–0–22–17–6–2
Montreal
0–2–13–02–12–0–13–010–3–2
Quebec
0–31–1–11–20–30–2–12–11–2 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 8, 1987 | 5–1 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | W | October 10, 1987 | 6–5 OT | Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 2–0–0 |
| 3 | W | October 12, 1987 | 5–2 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 3–0–0 |
| 4 | T | October 16, 1987 | 2–2 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 3–0–1 |
| 5 | L | October 17, 1987 | 3–6 | Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 3–1–1 |
| 6 | L | October 22, 1987 | 3–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 3–2–1 |
| 7 | L | October 24, 1987 | 5–7 | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 3–3–1 |
| 8 | W | October 27, 1987 | 5–0 | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 4–3–1 |
| 9 | W | October 29, 1987 | 4–2 | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 5–3–1 |
| 10 | L | October 31, 1987 | 4–5 OT | Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 5–4–1 |
| 11 | L | November 1, 1987 | 1–5 | Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 5–5–1 |
| 12 | W | November 3, 1987 | 4–3 | St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 6–5–1 |
| 13 | W | November 6, 1987 | 4–1 | @ Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 7–5–1 |
| 14 | W | November 7, 1987 | 5–3 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 8–5–1 |
| 15 | W | November 9, 1987 | 6–4 | Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 9–5–1 |
| 16 | L | November 13, 1987 | 4–6 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 9–6–1 |
| 17 | L | November 14, 1987 | 7–8 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 9–7–1 |
| 18 | L | November 18, 1987 | 1–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 9–8–1 |
| 19 | L | November 19, 1987 | 1–9 | @ Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 9–9–1 |
| 20 | W | November 23, 1987 | 4–3 OT | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 10–9–1 |
| 21 | L | November 25, 1987 | 4–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 10–10–1 |
| 22 | L | November 28, 1987 | 3–6 | Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 10–11–1 |
| 23 | L | December 1, 1987 | 1–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 10–12–1 |
| 24 | L | December 3, 1987 | 3–6 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 10–13–1 |
| 25 | W | December 5, 1987 | 3–2 | New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 11–13–1 |
| 26 | L | December 8, 1987 | 4–5 | Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 11–14–1 |
| 27 | T | December 11, 1987 | 3–3 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1987–88) | 11–14–2 |
| 28 | W | December 12, 1987 | 5–0 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 12–14–2 |
| 29 | L | December 16, 1987 | 4–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 12–15–2 |
| 30 | W | December 20, 1987 | 4–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 13–15–2 |
| 31 | L | December 22, 1987 | 1–2 | Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 13–16–2 |
| 32 | W | December 26, 1987 | 4–2 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 14–16–2 |
| 33 | W | December 27, 1987 | 5–3 | Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 15–16–2 |
| 34 | W | December 29, 1987 | 5–1 | Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 16–16–2 |
| 35 | L | December 31, 1987 | 1–6 | @ New York Rangers (1987–88) | 16–17–2 |
| 36 | L | January 2, 1988 | 1–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 16–18–2 |
| 37 | L | January 3, 1988 | 1–2 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 16–19–2 |
| 38 | W | January 6, 1988 | 6–1 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 17–19–2 |
| 39 | L | January 9, 1988 | 2–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 17–20–2 |
| 40 | W | January 13, 1988 | 5–3 | @ New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 18–20–2 |
| 41 | L | January 14, 1988 | 5–8 | @ New York Islanders (1987–88) | 18–21–2 |
| 42 | W | January 16, 1988 | 4–1 | Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 19–21–2 |
| 43 | T | January 19, 1988 | 4–4 OT | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 19–21–3 |
| 44 | W | January 21, 1988 | 5–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 20–21–3 |
| 45 | L | January 23, 1988 | 3–5 | St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 20–22–3 |
| 46 | L | January 24, 1988 | 3–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 20–23–3 |
| 47 | W | January 26, 1988 | 5–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 21–23–3 |
| 48 | L | January 28, 1988 | 0–3 | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 21–24–3 |
| 49 | L | January 30, 1988 | 2–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 21–25–3 |
| 50 | L | February 2, 1988 | 3–6 | Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 21–26–3 |
| 51 | W | February 4, 1988 | 3–2 | New York Rangers (1987–88) | 22–26–3 |
| 52 | L | February 6, 1988 | 2–3 | Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 22–27–3 |
| 53 | T | February 7, 1988 | 5–5 OT | Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 22–27–4 |
| 54 | L | February 11, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 22–28–4 |
| 55 | W | February 13, 1988 | 7–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 23–28–4 |
| 56 | L | February 14, 1988 | 2–3 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1987–88) | 23–29–4 |
| 57 | L | February 16, 1988 | 3–7 | Winnipeg Jets (1987–88) | 23–30–4 |
| 58 | L | February 20, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 23–31–4 |
| 59 | W | February 21, 1988 | 6–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 24–31–4 |
| 60 | L | February 23, 1988 | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 24–32–4 |
| 61 | W | February 26, 1988 | 3–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 25–32–4 |
| 62 | W | February 27, 1988 | 5–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 26–32–4 |
| 63 | L | February 29, 1988 | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 26–33–4 |
| 64 | W | March 2, 1988 | 4–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 27–33–4 |
| 65 | L | March 4, 1988 | 2–6 | @ Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 27–34–4 |
| 66 | L | March 6, 1988 | 0–2 | New York Islanders (1987–88) | 27–35–4 |
| 67 | W | March 8, 1988 | 6–4 | Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 28–35–4 |
| 68 | W | March 10, 1988 | 4–3 | @ New York Islanders (1987–88) | 29–35–4 |
| 69 | L | March 12, 1988 | 3–4 | Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 29–36–4 |
| 70 | W | March 13, 1988 | 4–1 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 30–36–4 |
| 71 | W | March 15, 1988 | 3–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 31–36–4 |
| 72 | W | March 17, 1988 | 4–3 | @ New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 32–36–4 |
| 73 | L | March 19, 1988 | 4–5 OT | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 32–37–4 |
| 74 | L | March 23, 1988 | 1–4 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 32–38–4 |
| 75 | L | March 26, 1988 | 2–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 32–39–4 |
| 76 | L | March 27, 1988 | 3–6 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 32–40–4 |
| 77 | L | March 29, 1988 | 1–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 32–41–4 |
| 78 | T | March 31, 1988 | 4–4 OT | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 32–41–5 |
| 79 | L | April 2, 1988 | 4–7 | Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 32–42–5 |
| 80 | L | April 3, 1988 | 0–3 | @ New York Rangers (1987–88) | 32–43–5 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Peter Stastny | C | 76 | 46 | 65 | 111 | 69 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 2 |
| Michel Goulet | LW | 80 | 48 | 58 | 106 | 56 | -31 | 29 | 1 | 4 |
| Anton Stastny | LW | 69 | 27 | 45 | 72 | 14 | -9 | 15 | 0 | 4 |
| Alan Haworth | C | 72 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 112 | -5 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Jeff Brown | D | 78 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 64 | -25 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| Gaetan Duchesne | LW | 80 | 24 | 23 | 47 | 83 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Lane Lambert | RW | 61 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jason Lafreniere | C | 40 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 4 | -1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeff Jackson | LW | 68 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 103 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Terry Carkner | D | 63 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 159 | -8 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Tommy Albelin | D | 60 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 47 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Moller | D | 66 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 169 | -11 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alain Cote | LW | 76 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Eagles | C/LW | 76 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 74 | -18 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Paul Gillis | C | 80 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 164 | -29 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Picard | D | 65 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 103 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Marc Fortier | C | 27 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | -17 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Normand Rochefort | D | 46 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 49 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steven Finn | D | 75 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 198 | -4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gord Donnelly | D | 63 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 301 | -16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hough | LW | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ken Quinney | RW | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jean-Marc Richard | D | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Stu Kulak | RW | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 28 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor Stienburg | RW | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Tugnutt | G | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Brunetta | G | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Dollas | D | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Gosselin | G | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Guerard | D | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Latta | LW | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken McRae | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Max Middendorf | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Natyshak | RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Poudrier | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Mario Gosselin | 3002 | 54 | 20 | 28 | 4 | 189 | 3.78 | 2 | 1422 | 1233 | .867 |
| Mario Brunetta | 1550 | 29 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 96 | 3.72 | 0 | 778 | 682 | .877 |
| Ron Tugnutt | 284 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 3.38 | 0 | 123 | 107 | .870 |
| Team: | 4836 | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 301 | 3.73 | 2 | 2323 | 2022 | .870 |
    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;

## Awards

* Second NHL All-Star team: Michel Goulet

## Transactions

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

### Trades

| September 30, 1987 | To New York RangersJohn Ogrodnick David Shaw | To Quebec NordiquesTerry Carkner Jeff Jackson |
| December 17, 1987 | To Winnipeg JetsStu Kulak | To Quebec NordiquesBobby Dollas |
| May 18, 1988 | To New York RangersHead Coach Michel Bergeron | To Quebec Nordiques1st round pick in 1988 – Daniel Dore |

### Waivers

| October 5, 1987 | To Minnesota North StarsRichard Zemlak |
| October 5, 1987 | To New Jersey DevilsRisto Siltanen |
| October 5, 1987 | From New York RangersStu Kulak |

### Free agents

| Player | New Team |
| Jimmy Mann | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Basil McRae | Minnesota North Stars |

## Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the 1987 NHL Entry Draft which was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 9 | Bryan Fogarty | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OHL) |
| 1 | 15 | Joe Sakic | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 3 | 51 | Jim Sprott | Canada | London Knights (OHL) |
| 4 | 72 | Kip Miller | United States | Michigan State Spartans (NCAA) |
| 5 | 93 | Rob Mendel | United States | Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) |
| 6 | 114 | Garth Snow | United States | Mount St. Charles Academy (USHS) |
| 7 | 135 | Tim Hanus | United States | Minnetonka High School (USHS) |
| 8 | 156 | Jake Enebak | United States | Northfield High School (USHS) |
| 9 | 177 | Jaroslav Sevcik | Czechoslovakia | ZKL Brno (Czech.) |
| 9 | 183 | Ladislav Tresl | Czechoslovakia | ZKL Brno (Czech.) |
| 10 | 198 | Darren Nauss | Canada | North Battleford North Stars (SJHL) |
| 11 | 219 | Mike Williams | United States | Ferris State Bulldogs (NCAA) |
| S2 | 11 | Mike Hiltner | United States | University of Alaska Anchorage (WCHA) |

## Farm teams

* Fredericton Express – AHL