- Jul 10, 2011
- 9,914
- 13,771
Of all the rivalries in the 1980s, was this the best one?
These 2 teams met 4 times in the Adams division playoffs between 1982 and 1987, each winning two series a piece. All but the 1984 series, which ended with the Good Friday massacre changing the tide in the Canadiens favour in game 6 of that series, ended in an elimination game. 1984, 1985 and 1987 were for the Adams division title. The Nordiques won in game 5 in 1982, and in game 7 in 1985, with OT winners by Dale Hunter and Peter Stastny. The Canadiens won game 7 in 1987 with a 2nd period onslaught, led by Ryan Walter.
But these were close and bitter rivals. Each team had their share of tough guys that battled throughout the rivalry. Peter Stastny and Guy Carbonneau had fierce and sometimes dirty confrontations. There's the Hunter brothers on each side. Michel Goulet usurped Guy Lafleur as the star of the province, and perhaps those playoffs led to Lafleur's early retirement. The goalies included Rick Wamsley, Steve Penney, Patrick Roy, who was pulled in favour of Brian Hayward after giving up 7 goals in game 1 of the 1987 series. For the Nordiques Daniel Bouchard and Mario Gosselin were the goalies who went to battle. Michel Bergeron was the coach of the Nordiques thoughout this rivalry, while the Canadiens went through Bob Berry, Jacques Lemaire, and Jean Perron in those 4 series.
I know the Battle of Alberta was fiercely contended, and the teams that won that matchup would represent the Campbell Conference in Stanley Cup. But the battle of Quebec was quite the rivalry, pitting an upstart WHA franchise against the NHL's most storied franchise, a battle between two major breweries, Molson's and O'Keefes, and the distinction of being Quebec's team, transcending political rivalries of the era.
After 1987, the Nordiques would miss the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, and disappear from the landscape. The final battle in 1993 featured none of the players who had been a part of the fierce and violent rivalry, except Carbonneau, Roy, Steven Finn and Mike Hough. And though it was contentious, as the Canadiens had once again become a French Canadien team under Sarge Savard, whereas the the Noridques had developed talent from outside the province, I don't think it was as bitter and fierce as the rivalry of the 80s. It did cement Patrick Roy's legacy, who had come back from two games down, and the risk of being pulled, to being a hero from the province.
But I'd like to hear more about what fans of this era thought of this rivalry. Was there anything like it? Was it more fierce than the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry of the 70s? I just remember that these 2 teams hated each other, more than any other teams at that time.
These 2 teams met 4 times in the Adams division playoffs between 1982 and 1987, each winning two series a piece. All but the 1984 series, which ended with the Good Friday massacre changing the tide in the Canadiens favour in game 6 of that series, ended in an elimination game. 1984, 1985 and 1987 were for the Adams division title. The Nordiques won in game 5 in 1982, and in game 7 in 1985, with OT winners by Dale Hunter and Peter Stastny. The Canadiens won game 7 in 1987 with a 2nd period onslaught, led by Ryan Walter.
But these were close and bitter rivals. Each team had their share of tough guys that battled throughout the rivalry. Peter Stastny and Guy Carbonneau had fierce and sometimes dirty confrontations. There's the Hunter brothers on each side. Michel Goulet usurped Guy Lafleur as the star of the province, and perhaps those playoffs led to Lafleur's early retirement. The goalies included Rick Wamsley, Steve Penney, Patrick Roy, who was pulled in favour of Brian Hayward after giving up 7 goals in game 1 of the 1987 series. For the Nordiques Daniel Bouchard and Mario Gosselin were the goalies who went to battle. Michel Bergeron was the coach of the Nordiques thoughout this rivalry, while the Canadiens went through Bob Berry, Jacques Lemaire, and Jean Perron in those 4 series.
I know the Battle of Alberta was fiercely contended, and the teams that won that matchup would represent the Campbell Conference in Stanley Cup. But the battle of Quebec was quite the rivalry, pitting an upstart WHA franchise against the NHL's most storied franchise, a battle between two major breweries, Molson's and O'Keefes, and the distinction of being Quebec's team, transcending political rivalries of the era.
After 1987, the Nordiques would miss the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, and disappear from the landscape. The final battle in 1993 featured none of the players who had been a part of the fierce and violent rivalry, except Carbonneau, Roy, Steven Finn and Mike Hough. And though it was contentious, as the Canadiens had once again become a French Canadien team under Sarge Savard, whereas the the Noridques had developed talent from outside the province, I don't think it was as bitter and fierce as the rivalry of the 80s. It did cement Patrick Roy's legacy, who had come back from two games down, and the risk of being pulled, to being a hero from the province.
But I'd like to hear more about what fans of this era thought of this rivalry. Was there anything like it? Was it more fierce than the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry of the 70s? I just remember that these 2 teams hated each other, more than any other teams at that time.
Last edited:
