# 1990–91 Quebec Nordiques season

The 1990–91 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques 12th season in the National Hockey League.

## Offseason

After finishing in last place in the NHL in 1989–90 with only 31 points, Quebec hired Pierre Page to become the general manager, as Maurice Filion finished the previous season on an interim basis. Page had spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the Minnesota North Stars, helping them to the playoffs in each season with the team.
Page then fired head coach Michel Bergeron, and named his assistant coach from the North Stars, Dave Chambers, to be his head coach in Quebec. This would be Chambers first time as a head coach at the NHL level.
The Nordiques had the first overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, and the club drafted Owen Nolan from the Cornwall Royals of the OHL. Nolan had 51 goals and 110 points with the Royals in 59 games, as well as recording 240 penalty minutes. The team also signed Mats Sundin, their first overall pick from the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, and would have him on the club for the 1990–91 season.

## Regular season

Quebec began the season with a 3-3-3 record in their first nine games, however, the rebuilding team hit a rough patch, and would fall into last place in the Adams Division as they went on a 17-game winless streak. The Nordiques began to make some trades, as Michel Petit, Aaron Broten and Lucien DeBlois were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Scott Pearson, the Leafs second round pick in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, and the Leafs second rounder in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.
As the season continued on, the losses continued to pile up, and more trades were made. Joe Cirella was traded to the New York Rangers for Aaron Miller and the Rangers fifth round draft pick in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Tony McKegney was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jacques Cloutier, Darin Kimble was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Herb Raglan, Tony Twist and Andy Rymsha, and Paul Gillis and Dan Vincelette were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan McGill and Mike McNeill.
The Nordiques finished the season in last place once again, however, there was moderate improvement, as the club had a 16-50-14 record, earning 46 points, which was a 15-point improvement over the 1989–90 season.
Leading the team offensively was Joe Sakic, as he had 48 goals and 61 assists for 109 points in 80 games to lead the club in those categories. Rookie Mats Sundin had a very successful season, scoring 23 goals and 59 points while playing in all 80 games. Guy Lafleur had 12 goals and 28 points in 59 games in his last season, as he announced his retirement.
On defense, Bryan Fogarty rebounded from a poor rookie season, and led the Nordiques blueline with 31 points in only 45 games. Steven Finn had 19 points, while Craig Wolanin had 18 points from the Quebec defense.
In goal, Ron Tugnutt was the starter, earning a team high 12 wins and a team best 4.05 GAA. In a game against the Boston Bruins on March 21, 1991, Tugnutt made a club record 70 saves on 73 shots, as Quebec tied the Bruins 3-3.
The Nordiques finished the regular season having allowed the most goals of all 21 teams, with 354. They also tied the New York Islanders for the fewest power-play goals scored (51), had the lowest power-play percentage (15.55%), allowed the most power-play goals (98) and had the lowest penalty-killing percentage (73.37%).

### Final standings

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 299 | 264 | 100 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 273 | 249 | 89 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 292 | 278 | 81 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 238 | 276 | 73 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 236 | 354 | 46 |
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.
Wales Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | ADM | 80 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 299 | 264 | 100 |
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | ADM | 80 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 273 | 249 | 89 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PTK | 80 | 41 | 33 | 6 | 342 | 305 | 88 |
| 4 | New York Rangers | PTK | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 297 | 265 | 85 |
| 5 | Washington Capitals | PTK | 80 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 258 | 258 | 81 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | ADM | 80 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 292 | 278 | 81 |
| 7 | New Jersey Devils | PTK | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | 272 | 264 | 79 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | PTK | 80 | 33 | 37 | 10 | 252 | 267 | 76 |
| 9 | Hartford Whalers | ADM | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 238 | 276 | 73 |
| 10 | New York Islanders | PTK | 80 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 223 | 290 | 60 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | ADM | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 236 | 354 | 46 |
Divisions: PTK – Patrick, ADM – Adams
bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results

1990–91 regular season :
October
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
1TOctober 4, 19903–3@ Hartford Whalers (1990–91)0–0–111,573
2LOctober 6, 19901–7@ Boston Bruins (1990–91)0–1–114,225
3LOctober 7, 19902–5Boston Bruins (1990–91)0–2–114,560
4WOctober 10, 19908–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91)1–2–116,382
5WOctober 12, 19904–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)2–2–114,958
6TOctober 13, 19904–4 OTBuffalo Sabres (1990–91)2–2–213,715
7TOctober 16, 19901–1 OTHartford Whalers (1990–91)2–2–313,940
8LOctober 18, 19904–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91)2–3–316,995
9WOctober 20, 19905–3Detroit Red Wings (1990–91)3–3–313,106
10LOctober 21, 19902–3Vancouver Canucks (1990–91)3–4–314,094
11LOctober 25, 19903–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91)3–5–315,132
12LOctober 27, 19901–4New York Rangers (1990–91)3–6–313,470
13LOctober 29, 19900–5@ New York Rangers (1990–91)3–7–314,571 :
November
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
14LNovember 1, 19902–6@ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91)3–8–317,379
15LNovember 3, 19900–2Minnesota North Stars (1990–91)3–9–313,795
16LNovember 6, 19901–4Washington Capitals (1990–91)3–10–313,027
17LNovember 8, 19902–3@ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91)3–11–35,286
18LNovember 10, 19902–5Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91)3–12–314,426
19LNovember 11, 19904–5 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)3–13–316,896
20LNovember 13, 19902–4@ St. Louis Blues (1990–91)3–14–314,304
21LNovember 15, 19900–6@ Boston Bruins (1990–91)3–15–314,002
22LNovember 17, 19902–7Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91)3–16–314,333
23LNovember 19, 19902–5Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)3–17–315,399
24TNovember 21, 19904–4 OT@ Hartford Whalers (1990–91)3–17–411,395
25LNovember 24, 19904–11Winnipeg Jets (1990–91)3–18–413,881
26TNovember 25, 19904–4 OTLos Angeles Kings (1990–91)3–18–514,739
27WNovember 28, 19904–3@ Hartford Whalers (1990–91)4–18–510,682 :
December
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
28WDecember 1, 19904–2Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)5–18–513,324
29TDecember 2, 19905–5 OTCalgary Flames (1990–91)5–18–613,682
30LDecember 5, 19902–3@ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91)5–19–615,300
31WDecember 7, 19905–3@ Calgary Flames (1990–91)6–19–619,790
32WDecember 10, 19903–2 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91)7–19–614,132
33LDecember 13, 19902–5@ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91)7–20–619,290
34LDecember 15, 19902–7New York Islanders (1990–91)7–21–613,534
35WDecember 18, 19906–4Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)8–21–615,346
36TDecember 19, 19901–1 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)8–21–716,832
37LDecember 22, 19901–4New Jersey Devils (1990–91)8–22–714,124
38LDecember 23, 19903–10@ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)8–23–714,404
39LDecember 26, 19901–4Hartford Whalers (1990–91)8–24–713,083
40WDecember 29, 19904–3Washington Capitals (1990–91)9–24–713,769
41LDecember 31, 19903–6@ New York Islanders (1990–91)9–25–711,189 :
January
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
42LJanuary 3, 19917–8@ St. Louis Blues (1990–91)9–26–717,241
43LJanuary 5, 19910–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)9–27–717,561
44WJanuary 8, 19914–2Boston Bruins (1990–91)10–27–714,348
45LJanuary 10, 19913–5@ Boston Bruins (1990–91)10–28–714,013
46TJanuary 12, 19914–4 OTSt. Louis Blues (1990–91)10–28–814,079
47LJanuary 13, 19913–4New York Islanders (1990–91)10–29–812,359
48LJanuary 17, 19911–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91)10–30–817,287
49TJanuary 22, 19914–4 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1990–91)10–30–910,861
50LJanuary 24, 19911–6@ New Jersey Devils (1990–91)10–31–910,191
51LJanuary 26, 19915–6Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91)10–32–913,834
52LJanuary 29, 19912–5Winnipeg Jets (1990–91)10–33–913,140
53WJanuary 31, 19914–1@ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)11–33–914,814 :
February
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
54LFebruary 2, 19914–6Minnesota North Stars (1990–91)11–34–914,306
55LFebruary 7, 19911–5Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)11–35–915,399
56WFebruary 9, 19913–1New Jersey Devils (1990–91)12–35–915,057
57LFebruary 10, 19914–7Boston Bruins (1990–91)12–36–915,275
58TFebruary 12, 19914–4 OTBuffalo Sabres (1990–91)12–36–1013,196
59LFebruary 14, 19911–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91)12–37–1017,347
60LFebruary 17, 19910–6@ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91)12–38–1012,798
61TFebruary 18, 19913–3 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91)12–38–1114,024
62LFebruary 20, 19911–6@ Los Angeles Kings (1990–91)12–39–1116,005
63LFebruary 23, 19918–10@ Calgary Flames (1990–91)12–40–1120,132
64LFebruary 24, 19913–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91)12–41–1116,375
65LFebruary 28, 19911–5Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)12–42–1115,060 :
March
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
66TMarch 2, 19913–3 OTHartford Whalers (1990–91)12–42–12N/A
67LMarch 5, 19913–6@ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91)12–43–1219,501
68WMarch 7, 19914–2New York Rangers (1990–91)13–43–1215,055
69LMarch 9, 19910–3Los Angeles Kings (1990–91)13–44–1215,399
70WMarch 10, 19912–1@ Hartford Whalers (1990–91)14–44–1211,508
71LMarch 12, 19913–4Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91)14–45–1215,269
72LMarch 14, 19913–5@ Washington Capitals (1990–91)14–46–1215,492
73LMarch 16, 19913–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91)14–47–1216,164
74LMarch 19, 19916–7 OTEdmonton Oilers (1990–91)14–48–1215,194
75TMarch 21, 19913–3 OT@ Boston Bruins (1990–91)14–48–1314,448
76WMarch 23, 19917–3Hartford Whalers (1990–91)15–48–1315,293
77LMarch 26, 19914–7Boston Bruins (1990–91)15–49–1315,375
78TMarch 28, 19914–4 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91)15–49–1415,324
79LMarch 30, 19913–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)15–50–1417,664
80WMarch 31, 19914–1Montreal Canadiens (1990–91)16–50–1415,399 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Joe Sakic | C | 80 | 48 | 61 | 109 | 24 | -26 | 12 | 3 | 7 |
| Mats Sundin | C | 80 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 58 | -24 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Hrkac | C | 70 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 16 | -22 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Morin | C | 48 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Tony McKegney | LW | 50 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 44 | -25 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Hough | LW | 63 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 111 | -7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bryan Fogarty | D | 45 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 24 | -11 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Guy Lafleur | RW | 59 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 2 | -10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Finn | D | 71 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 228 | -26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Wolanin | D | 80 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 89 | -13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Scott Pearson | LW | 35 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 86 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claude Loiselle | C | 59 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 86 | -20 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Shawn Anderson | D | 31 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Owen Nolan | RW | 59 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 109 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alexei Gusarov | D | 36 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 12 | -4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Cirella | D | 39 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 59 | -28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Velischek | D | 79 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 42 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michel Petit | D | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 47 | -15 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Gillis | C | 49 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 91 | -19 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Everett Sanipass | LW | 29 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 41 | -15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curtis Leschyshyn | D | 55 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 49 | -19 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Aaron Broten | LW/C | 20 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | -3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kip Miller | C | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Quinney | RW | 19 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Vermette | RW | 34 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darin Kimble | RW | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 114 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McNeill | RW | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Jackson | LW | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lucien DeBlois | C | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Claude Lapointe | LW/C | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herb Raglan | RW | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Fortier | C | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Baker | C | 18 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wayne Van Dorp | LW | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Vincelette | LW | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacques Cloutier | G | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Dore | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Doyon | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephane Fiset | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Gordon | G | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Lambert | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Latta | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Major | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken McRae | C | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Serge Roberge | RW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Smyth | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Tanner | G | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Tugnutt | G | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Twist | LW | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Ron Tugnutt | 3144 | 56 | 12 | 29 | 10 | 212 | 4.05 | 0 | 1851 | 1639 | .885 |
| Jacques Cloutier | 829 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 61 | 4.41 | 0 | 526 | 465 | .884 |
| John Tanner | 228 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 4.21 | 0 | 133 | 117 | .880 |
| Stephane Fiset | 186 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 3.87 | 0 | 123 | 111 | .902 |
| Scott Gordon | 485 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 48 | 5.94 | 0 | 225 | 177 | .787 |
| Team: | 4872 | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 349 | 4.30 | 0 | 2858 | 2509 | .878 |
    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 1990–91 season.

### Trades

| November 10, 1990 | To Edmonton OilersMax Middendorf | To Quebec Nordiques9th round pick in 1991 - Brent Brekke |
| November 17, 1990 | To Toronto Maple LeafsMichel Petit Lucien DeBlois Aaron Broten | To Quebec NordiquesScott Pearson 2nd round pick in 1991 - Eric Lavigne 2nd round pick in 1992 - Tuomas Gronman |
| January 17, 1991 | To New York RangersJoe Cirella | To Quebec NordiquesAaron Miller 5th round pick in 1991 - Bill Lindsay |
| January 29, 1991 | To Chicago BlackhawksTony McKegney | To Quebec NordiquesJacques Cloutier |
| February 4, 1991 | To St. Louis BluesDarin Kimble | To Quebec NordiquesHerb Raglan Tony Twist Andy Rymsha |
| March 5, 1991 | To Chicago BlackhawksPaul Gillis Dan Vincelette | To Quebec NordiquesRyan McGill Mike McNeill |
| May 25, 1991 | To New York RangersStephane Guerard | To Quebec NordiquesMiloslav Horava |
| May 31, 1991 | To Minnesota North StarsAlan Haworth | To Quebec NordiquesGuy Lafleur |
| June 3, 1991 | To New Jersey DevilsBrent Severyn | To Quebec NordiquesDave Marcinyshyn |
| June 22, 1991 | To Washington Capitals2nd round pick in 1991 - Eric Lavigne | To Quebec NordiquesMikhail Tatarinov |

### Waivers

| October 1, 1990 | From Minnesota North StarsAaron Broten |
| October 1, 1990 | From Washington CapitalsShawn Anderson |
| October 1, 1990 | From Chicago BlackhawksWayne Van Dorp |
| October 3, 1990 | To St. Louis BluesMario Marois |
| March 5, 1991 | To Toronto Maple LeafsClaude Loiselle |

### Expansion Draft

| May 30, 1991 | To Minnesota North StarsGuy Lafleur |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| Serge Roberge | Montreal Canadiens |
| Stephane Charbonneau | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) |
| Denis Chasse | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| Jon Klemm | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) |
| Player | New Team |
| Bobby Dollas | Detroit Red Wings |

## Draft picks

Quebec's draft picks from the 1990 NHL Entry Draft which was held at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 1 | Owen Nolan | Canada | Cornwall Royals (OHL) |
| 2 | 22 | Ryan Hughes | Canada | Cornell Big Red (NCAA) |
| 3 | 43 | Brad Zavisha | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 6 | 106 | Jeff Parrott | Canada | Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (NCAA) |
| 7 | 127 | Dwayne Norris | Canada | Michigan State Spartans (NCAA) |
| 8 | 148 | Andrei Kovalenko | Soviet Union | CSKA Moscow (Soviet Union) |
| 8 | 158 | Alexander Karpovtsev | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow (Soviet Union) |
| 9 | 169 | Pat Mazzoli | Canada | Humboldt Broncos (SJHL) |
| 10 | 190 | Scott Davis | Canada | Manitoba Bisons (CWUAA) |
| 11 | 211 | Mika Stromberg | Finland | Jokerit (Finland) |
| 12 | 232 | Wade Klippenstein | Canada | Alaska Nanooks (NCAA) |
| S | 1 | Mike McKee | Canada | Princeton University (ECAC) |
| S | 6 | Darryl Noren | United States | University of Illinois Chicago (CCHA) |

## Farm Teams

* Halifax Citadels - AHL