1977-78 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur Jersey

After beginning he career with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Junior Hockey League in the 1966-67 season with eight games, Guy Lafleur played two more seasons for the Aces, scoring 30 goals and 49 points in 43 games in 1967-68, but really turned heads in 1968-69 with 50 goals and 110 points in 49 games of the 1968-69 season, averaging more than a goal and more than an assist per game.

A young Lafleur with the Quebec Aces

He then progressed up the ladder to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he blossomed with a league leading 103 goals and 170 points in 56 games in 1969-70. Then, in just 15 playoff games, Lafleur scored 43 points from 25 goals and 18 assists.

With Lafleur looking to be a can't miss NHL prospect available in the 1971 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens General Manager Sam Pollock, looking to replace the aging Jean Beliveau, who would play just one more NHL season, fleeced the California Golden Seals by sending them Montreal's first choice in the 1970 draft and Ernie Hicke for not only the Golden Seals first pick in the 1971 draft, but a player, Francois Lacombe, as well.

Lafleur announced his readiness for the NHL with a stellar second season with the Remparts, when he again led the league with an astonishing 130 goals on his way to a 209 points to earn the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the QMJHL scoring champion. Lefleur then duplicated his playoff performance from 1970 when he scored an identical 43 points, only now in one game less than the previous year, 14. The Remparts then advance to the Memorial Cup playoffs, where the prolific Lafleur averaged 2 points per game with 9 goals and 5 assists in 7 games as Quebec won the Memorial Cup.

Lafleur celebrates winning the 1971 Memorial Cup

Hoping the Golden Seals would come through by finishing last, Pollock was alarmed when the Los Angeles Kings began playing quite poorly in 1970-71. In an effort to shore up the Kings, Pollock sent veteran Ralph Backstrom to Los Angeles. The addition of Backstrom ensured that the Kings would avoid the cellar and secured the first pick of Lafleur for Montreal.

With Lafleur safely now a part of the bleu, blanc et rouge, he produced 29 goals and 64 points as an NHL rookie in 73 games in 1971-72. His next two seasons were similar, with 28 goals and 55 points in 1972-73 and a drop in goals to 21 in 1973-74, but an increase in assists saw his point total increase to 56. During the 1973 playoffs, Lafleur contributed 3 goals and 8 points in 17 games as the Canadiens won the first Stanley Cup of his career.

A Guy Lafleur rookie card

As if someone flipped a switch, Lafleur took his game to another level for the 1974-75 season when he scored the first of his six consecutive 50 or more goal seasons when he scored 53 goals and 66 assists for 119 points to lead the Canadiens in scoring for the first time.

The 1975-76 season saw Lafleur lead not only the Canadiens, but all of the NHL with 56 goals and 69 assists for 125 points for his first Art Ross Trophy. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Lafleur would score the cup winning goal for Montreal as they defeated the two-time champion Philadelphia Flyers, whose slug it until you win it style could not overcome the speed and skill of the Canadiens. Following the season, Lafleur was voted as the winner of the Pearson Award as the Most Valuable Player by his fellow players.

Lafleur with the Canadiens in 1975-76

Before the 1976-77 season began, Lafleur made his international hockey debut as a part of Team Canada that would win the inaugural Canada Cup tournament over Czechoslovakia.

Lafleur won the Canada Cup in 1976 against the Czechs

Lafleur would dominate the 1976-77 NHL season when he won his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy with a career high 136 points from 56 goals and 80 assists. He would finish the season a +89 and win not only the Pearson Award, but also his first Hart Trophy as NHL MVP as voted on my the NHL Hockey Writers Association. His 9 goals and 17 assists would lead all players in playoff scoring as the Canadiens would win the 1977 Stanley Cup over the rival Boston Bruins. His efforts would earn Lafleur the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. In recognition of his outstanding NHL season, he was the recipient of both the Lionel Conacher Award as Canada's Top Male Athlete and the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Top Athlete.

Lafleur being presented the Art Ross Trophy by Ted Lindsay

Still fully on top of his game, the fluid skating right winger continued to dominate the NHL in 1977-78. He set a career high by hitting the 60 goal plateau and added 72 assists for 132 points to claim his third consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. He would also win his second consecutive Hart Trophy and third straight Pearson Award as league MVP. The Canadiens, led by Lafleur's 21 points in 15 games, would defeat the Bruins again for their third straight Stanley Cup, the fourth of Lafleur's career.

Yvon Lambert, Yvan Cournoyer and Guy Lafleur

hoisting the Stanley Cup in 1978

Despite a 52 goal, 129 point season, Lafleur would finally have to relinquish his standing at the NHL's top scorer, finishing third behind Bryan Trottier (134) and Marcel Dionne (130). Al l was not lost, however, as the Canadiens would capture their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup and 5th for Lafleur, when they defeated the New York Rangers as Lafleur led the team in scoring with 23 playoff points.

During the 1978-79 season, Lafleur was also named as a member of the NHL All-Star team that took part in the 1979 Challenge Cup, a three game series against the Soviet Union that took the place of the traditional NHL All-Star Game that season.

Lafleur's sixth and final 50 goal season came in 1979-80 when he led the Canadiens for the sixth consecutive season with 125 points, which was again good for third in the league behind NHL newcomer Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne, who tied with 137 points. His feat made him the first player to ever have six consecutive 50 goal, 100 point seasons in league history.

Age and injuries would begin to take their toll on Lafleur beginning with the 1980-81 season, as he was limited to 51 games, never having played less than 70 during his previous nine NHL seasons. He did score his 1,000th point on March 4, 1981, setting a then NHL record for the fastest player to 1,000 points, having done so in just 720 games.

Lafleur acknowledging the fans after scoring his 1000th point

In 1981-82 he saw action in 66 games followed by 68 in 1982-83. During each of those shortened campaigns, Lafleur scored an identical 27 goals, with 84 points in 1981-82 being his best. In 1982-83, Montreal was a shadow of it's former self, and Lafleur's 76 points were enough to lead the team in scoring for the seventh time.

During that time period, Lafleur competed in his only World Championships for Canada in 1981, scoring a goal in 7 games as well as taking part in his second Canada Cup later that fall as the Canadians finished as runner up to the Soviets despite Lafleur scoring 11 points in 7 games.

Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur chatting during the 1981 Canada Cup

He played in all 80 of Montreal's games in 1983-84, scoring 30 goals and 70 points as the Canadiens team leader once more. Mind you, Gretzky led the league with 205 that season... After three consecutive first round postseason exits, the Canadiens did go on a nice run, making it to the third round of the playoffs, but Lafleur only contributed 3 assists in 12 of Montreal's 15 games.

His final season with Montreal saw him play just 19 games, scoring just 2 goals and 5 points, before he decided to retire. In front of 18,000 fans, he took one last skate around the ice and received a five minute standing ovation. "After 13 years, I couldn't accept to be number two. I'm proud of what I did in the past and I'm proud I played for the Canadiens, especially on five Stanley Cup winners. I was in a slump and I wasn't scoring much a the time. I was frustrated," Lafleur recalled about his decision to retire.

Lafleur became the sixth Canadien to have his number retired and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on 1988.

Lafleur on the occasion of his introduction into

the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988

However... he still believed he could play after three seasons away from the game and signed to play with the New York Rangers for the 1988-89 season. He played in 67 games for New York before being sidelined by a knee injury, becoming only the second player after Gordie Howe to play after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He totaled 18 goals and 45 points, including scoring twice during his first game back in the Montreal Forum against Patrick Roy as the fans chanted his name every time he touched the puck just as they had during the peak of his career as a Canadien.

Lafleur waves to his fans in Montreal after being named

the game's #1 Star on his return to the forum with the Rangers

Rangers head coach, and Lafleur's close friend Michel Bergeron was dismissed and joined the Quebec Nordiques, who also signed Lafleur for the 1989-90 season, who stood out on the ice, as he was allowed to play without a helmet, while all new players into the league were now required to wear one since the 1979-80 season. Lafleur reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Kings, preferring to play in his native Quebec.

During his two seasons with the Nordiques, Lafleur played in 39 games his first season, scoring 12 goals and 34 points, followed by 59 games in 1990-91, again scoring 12 goals on his way to 28 points before he retired again, this time for good.

Lafleur finished his career with two seasons with the Nordiques

His final NHL totals were 560 goals and 793 assists for 1,353 points in 1,126 games with an additional 58 goals and 134 points in 128 playoff games. He won five Stanley Cups, 3 scoring titles, 2 Hart Trophies and 3 Pearson Awards as MVP, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Canada Cup. Lafleur also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1991 as well as being on the Challenge Cup team in 1979. He is the Canadiens all-time scoring leader and holds the club single season scoring record with 136.

The Guy Lafleur exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame

Today's featured jersey is a 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur jersey as worn during his career year when he set a personal best and Canadiens team record of 136 points on his way to winning the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Pearson Award as well as the Stanley Cup.

This style jersey dates back to 1941 and, aside from a version with a blue stripe around the chest for three years in the late 40's, has remained essentially unchanged ever since.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1971-72 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur jersey as worn during Lafleur's rookie season in the NHL.

The Canadiens red sweaters with the blue band around the chest date back to before the formation of the NHL in 1917 and this exact variation with the lace up collar and numbers inside the arms stripes dates back to 1966-67 and remained in use through 1974-75 when it was replaced by a new v-neck collar.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1990-91 Quebec Nordiques Guy Lafleur jersey as worn during his final season in the NHL, his second in Quebec.

Today's video section is the always excellent Legends of Hockey series profile of Lafleur.

1995-96 Quebec Nordiques Joe Sakic Prototype Jersey

On this date in 1995, the NHL gave their approval for the sale of the Quebec Nordiques which resulted in their relocation to Denver, Colorado.

Originally founded in 1972 as one of the original 12 WHA franchises, the Nordiques played seven seasons in the WHA, winning the championship once in 1977.

The 1976-77 WHA champion Quebec Nordiques

While the league folded following the 1978-79 season, four of the league's strongest and most stable franchises would enter the NHL as "expansion" franchises, which included the Nordiques.

Life in the NHL proved both exciting and difficult. The Nordiques rivalry with Quebec neighbors the Montreal Canadiens provided some of the most intense battles of the 1980's. After missing the playoffs in 1980, the Nordiques made the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, including a division title in 1986 and a pair of trips to the conference finals in 1982 and 1985.

The 1985-86 Quebec Nordiques

Sadly for fans of the Nordiques, the club fell on some very hard times after 1987, missing the playoffs six out of the next seven seasons, including a horrid run from 1988-89 to 1991-92 when the club won a total of 75 games, an average of less than 19 per season, including last place finishes in 1988-89, 1989-90 (33 points behind the second worst team, more than the 31 they actually scored!) and 1990-91.

The Nordiques used the resulting draft picks to select players such as Mats Sundin and Adam Foote (1989), Owen Nolan (1990), Eric Lindros (1991) (who they converted into Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, Jocelyn Thibault and $15 million) and Adam Deadmarsh (1993).

All this, in addition to the selection of Joe Sakic (15th overall in 1987), gave the Nordiques a very bright future on the ice, as evidenced by their record-setting turnaround from a 52 point season in 1991-92 to a 104 point season in 1992-93, an improvement of 52 points in one year!

Unfortunately, the future did not look the same off the ice. The weak Canadian dollar hampered the bottom line, as the team's revenues came in Canadian dollars but player salaries were paid in US dollars. No doubt the small size of Quebec City worked against the team and the exclusive use of French in the city both hurt it's ability to attract certain players, Lindros in particular, sponsorships and contracts with radio and TV outlets. It's home arena, the Colisee de Quebec, built in 1949 and it's smaller 15,750 capacity also limited the team's finances.

Nordiques president Marcel Aubut sought financial help from the Quebec provincial government as well as a new publicly funded arena, all of which was turned down.

Eventually the club was sold to Comsat Entertainment Group, already owners of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, who relocated the team to Denver, Colorado for the 1995-96 season - a year in which they proceeded to immediately win the Stanley Cup with a roster full of players selected to be Nordiques.

Today's featured jersey is a 1995-96 Quebec Nordiques Joe Sakic prototype jersey. The original 1972 Nordiques jerseys used light blue had a considerable amount of red on both the shoulders and waist stripe. The following season the blue was changed to a considerably darker shade and the amount of red was limited to the shoulders on the home jerseys and narrower striping.

The familiar Nordiques style was adopted in 1975 and remained in use through the Nordiques final season in Quebec twenty years later, although a new jersey with a modernized logo was unveiled on March 30, 1995 which was originally intended to be worn by the Nordiques in 1995-96. 

It has been reported that the club missed the deadline for approval of the jerseys in time for the start of the 1995-96 season and the jersey was now scheduled to become the Nordiques new jerseys for the 1996-97 season, only to see the club relocate to Denver, Colorado, where they would be renamed the Avalanche, leaving the now orphaned jerseys to go forever unworn.

The only known photo of the original jerseys shows (not very thrilled) journalist Claude Cadorette on the left in the blue road jersey and Nordiques public relations employee Pierre Kirouac on the right in the home white jersey modeling the sweaters, failing to show even the full length of the jerseys to reveal the intended waist striping.

Claude Cadorette and Pierre Kirouac in the best known
photo of the Nordiques proposed new jersey style

None of these jerseys were ever mass produced for retail sale, although some attempts to create them have been made, but none in any great quantities and some with less accurate colors than others thanks to a widely circulated illustration which had it's origins based on a guess while viewing a black and white photo. We were fortunate to obtain one of the accurately colored ones which do show up on ebay from time to time, which is today's featured jersey.

Our video section today begins with the 1984 playoffs "Good Friday Brawl" between the Nordiques and Canadiens.

Here is a report on Lindros refusal to play for the Nordiques, a stance which would eventually lead to the long-term success of the franchise - after it moved to Denver.

Finally, a video showing how the team was playing well, but financially the club was a state of financial decline.

1978-79 Quebec Nordiques Marc Tardif Jersey

After playing two seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens, Marc Tardif was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the second overall pick in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft under some unusual circumstances.

Montreal had invoked their right to select two French Canadians under a provision created by the NHL back in 1936 in an effort to ensure good attendance in Montreal. This system remained in place until 1943. This rule was then brought back again in 1963, the year of the first NHL Draft, as long as the player had not already been signed by another team during the preceding years when teams would simply sign whatever young talent that appealed to them.

None of the players Montreal selected between 1963 and 1967 ever played in the NHL, but in 1968 goaltender Michel Plasse ended that streak. In 1969, it was determined this would be the final year of the special Canadiens provision, as well as teams sponsoring junior clubs, as going forward all players 20 and older would be eligible for a universal draft.

With one last chance to uncover some overlooked talent, the Canadiens struck gold when they chose Rejean Houle and Tardif. Houle would eventually play for the Canadiens from 1969 to 1973 and again from 1976 to 1983.

Tardif, born on this date in 1949, would play the majority of the 1969-70 season with the Montreal Voyageurs of the American Hockey League, amassing 27 goals and 58 points in 45 games. He would also make his NHL debut, seeing action with the Canadiens in 18 games, scoring 3 goals in the process.

Tardif would never play another game in the minors, as he established himself as a regular in the Montreal lineup beginning with the 1970-71 season. Playing time was at a premium in a lineup filled with future Hall of Famers and All-Stars such as Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer, Peter Mahovlich, Jacques Lemaire, Henri Richard and Frank Mahovlich, but Tardif held his own with 49 points in 76 games in a season which concluded with a Stanley Cup championship.

Tardif broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens

Tardif raised his point total to 53 in 1971-72 and nearly matched it with 50 points in 1972-73, a season which saw Tardif once again have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Change was afoot in the world of hockey however, as that same season saw the debut of the rival World Hockey Association, who made a splash by signing no less a talent than Bobby Hull.

Aggressively looking to stock their rosters, the WHA came calling and Tardif elected to join the upstarts when he signed with the Los Angeles Sharks, immediately leading them in scoring in 1973-74 with 40 goals and 30 points. Tardif was also chosen for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series against the Soviet Union, registering 2 assists in 5 games.

A rare shot of Tardif in a Sharks jersey

The Sharks finished 8th out of 12 in attendance that season, but last in the standings. For 1974-75, they were sold to new owners and the franchise was relocated to Detroit, becoming known as the Michigan Stags. The whole affair was a dismal failure, and the team folded in mid-January, as they were unable to compete with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. Fortunately for Tardif, he was gone by then, having been traded to the Quebec Nordiques in December.

Despite his late arrival, Tardif finished fourth in Nordiques team scoring with 72 points in 53 games. His 38 goals, when combined with his earlier 12 for the Stags, gave him an even 50 for the season, good for sixth in the league. Life with the Nordiques was a far cry from the Stags, as the Nordiques made it all the way to the Avco Cup Finals that season.

Tardif was an All-Star with the Nordiques

Now fully settled in Quebec, Tardif tore through the WHA with a stunning 71 goals (only the second professional to ever score 70 goals in a season) and 77 assists, leading the league in both categories to win the WHA scoring title with 148 points, 25 clear of Hull.

Tardif's playoffs were ended by a violent on-ice attack by Rick Jodzio of the Calgary Cowboys, which left Tardif with serious head injuries and Jodzio charged in court with bodily harm with intent to injure, as there were fears that Tardif had suffered brain damage in the assault.

Tardif was named team captain for the 1976-77 season but being limited to 62 games that year saw his point total sag to 109, but still good enough for second on the Nordiques. In the postseason, Tardif was able to play in 12 of the team's 17 games as the Nordiques would eventually capture the WHA championship, the third championship of his career.

The WHA champion 1976-77 Quebec Nordiques

Back to full health in 1977-78, Tardif again led the WHA in scoring with a career best 154 points from 65 goals and 89 assists, again both league leading totals. The 1978-79 season saw another 40 goal season with 41 goals and 96 points in what would be the final season of the WHA.

The face of the WHA, league MVP Tardif

on the cover of the league media guide

Under some highly restrictive terms, the Nordiques became one of four surviving WHA teams granted entry as expansion franchises in the NHL. The high flying Nordiques were gutted by the terms of the expansion deal, but Tardif was one of the few players Quebec was allowed to protect.

With the Nordiques struggling to find their way in the NHL, Tardif's point totals would plummet from the stellar levels he achieved in the WHA, but were still quite respectable. Over the final four seasons of his career, Tardif would score a high of 39 goals and 70 points in 1981-82.

Tardif wearing an NHL era blue Nordiques jersey, now with a red crest

His final combined career totals were 963 games played with 510 goals and 557 assists for 1,067 points with his 316 WHA goals the most in league history and 666 points second overall. He was also named the WHA's Most Valuable Player in 1976 and 1978, the two seasons he would win the scoring championship. Tardif also played in the WHA All-Star Game as well as the NHL's All-Star Game in 1982. His #8 was retired by the Nordiques in 1983.

Today's featured jersey is a 1978-79 Quebec Nordiques Marc Tardif jersey as worn during the Nordiques final season of the WHA as Tardif scored 41 goals to finish as the league's all-time leading goal scorer.

The jerseys used by the Nordiques in the WHA were a far cry from today's high tech "systems", as they were  a lightweight mesh with screen printed cresting, names and numbers about at the level of today's beer leagues. Note the thinning of the number 8 on the back due to wear and repeated washings.

Keen eyed readers will notice the white logo with red trim rather than the more familiar red crest used from 1980-81 while as a member of the NHL.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1977 WHA Eastern Conference All-Star Marc Tardif jersey as worn during the East's 4-2 win over the West in Hartford. This would be the only time this exact style was worn, as the 1974 and 1975 versions had a blue background to the main crest and the format of the game was different in 1976, 1978 and 1979, which dictated different jersey styles.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

For our French speaking readers, a video about the Jodzio incident which left Tardif injured and Jodzio in court. Note the presence of the police on the ice at one point!

Next up, a sports report about the Nordiques winning the 1977 Avco Cup, which includes footage of the final game and their championship parade, which all begins at the 1:44 mark after the baseball news of the day.

Finally, the end of Game 7 of the 1977 Avco Cup Finals and the post game celebrations, with Tardif accepting the Avco Cup, footage worth watching just to see how many fans ran onto the ice after the championship was won!

1974-75 Quebec Nordiques Serge Bernier Jersey

Forward Serge Bernier, born on this date in 1947, began his road to professional hockey with two seasons with the Sorel Eperviers of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. During his second season in 1966-67, Bernier lit up the scoreboard with 37 goals and 46 assists for 83 points in just 33 game, an average of north of 2.5 points per game.

Bernier was then selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft and the only one taken in the first round to ever reach the NHL and the first draft pick ever by the Flyers franchise.

Before reaching the NHL, he would play the entire 1967-68 season with the Quebec Aces of the American Hockey League. Limited to 33 games, he scored 7 times. He was back with Quebec for the 1968-69 season, this time playing in 70 games, scoring 27 goals and 59 points, good for second on the Aces, who would make it all the way to the Calder Cup Finals that season.

Of note, Bernier did make his NHL debut that season with a lone game for Philadelphia on February 27, 1969, recording 2 penalty minutes in the boxscore.

1969-70 was another learning year in the minors for Bernier, again playing in 70 games with an increase in overall production. Although his goals dipped to 22, he playmaking increased, with his assists increasing 50% from 32 to 48. All told, he averaged a point per game with 70 total points, up from 59. He again appeared in a single game for the Flyers, this time earning his first NHL point with an assist.

A helmetless Bernier with the Flyers

He made the Flyers roster during training camp for the 1970-71 season, and had a fine rookie season with 23 goals and 51 points in 77 games while playing with Jim Johnson and Bill Lesuk.

Bernier scored 23 goals as a rookie

In 1971-72, Bernier appeared in 44 games for the Flyers, scoring 12 goals and 23 points in 44 games, but was then sent to the Los Angeles Kings in a seven player deal in late January, which involved sending the entire Bernier-Johnson-Lesuk line to the Kings intact! In 26 games for Los Angeles, he added another 11 goals and 11 assists, which allowed him to equal his 23 goals from the previous season.

Bernier was subject to some of O-Pee-Chee's finest airbrushing on this card

Playing a full season with the Kings in 1972-73, Bernier set a new personal best with 68 points from 22 goals and 46 assists.

Bernier discovered the joy of long hair and a mustache in Los Angeles

1972-73 was the season that the hockey world saw an upheaval, as the rival World Hockey Association began play. Bernier was originally selected by the short lived Ottawa Nationals, who had subsequently traded his rights to the Quebec Nordiques, who came calling with a contract offer to return Bernier to his native Quebec for the 1973-74 season.

The wide open play of the WHA suited Bernier's style of play. Bernier immediately responded to his new environs with 37 goals and 86 points in 74 games to lead the Nordiques in scoring as well as having their second-most penalty minutes with 107.

Bernier in an early Nordiques jersey

Bernier was chosen as one of the WHA stars to participate in the 1974 Summit Series, as the team representing Canada took on the Soviet National Team in an eight game series in an attempt to recapture the magic of the 1972 edition of the Summit Series. In eight games, he contributed a goal and 2 assists.

Bernier was a member of Team Canada at the 1974 Summit Series

The arrival of his offensively gifted (and French speaking) linemates Marc Tardif, from the ashes of the defunct Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades franchise, and rookie Real Cloutier for the 1974-75 campaign elevated Bernier's game to another level, as he had 54 goals and 68 assists for a team leading 122 points, 30 more than Rejean Houle and good for third overall in the WHA, behind only Andre Lacroix and Bobby Hull. Many of his goals came from parking his sizable 6' 1", 190 pound frame in front of the opposition goal and creating havoc and knocking in rebounds.

The Nordiques finished that season with the second best record in the league and made it to the Avco Cup Finals that season.

Tardif (71) and Cloutier (60) took over the goal scoring duties in 1975-76 as Bernier contributed 34 of his own on his way to 102 points.

Bernier had back to back 100 point seasons

Bernier's goal scoring increased once again in 1976-77, this time to 43 along with 53 assists for 96 points. During the playoffs, Bernier raised his game to the stratosphere, scoring 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 17 games (more than a 2 point per game average) as the Nordiques defeated the New England Whalers and the Indianapolis Racers in five games each before a seven game series with the Winnipeg Jets that ended with a celebratory 8-2 win at home to capture the Avco Cup as WHA champions with Bernier having a goal and two assists that night. After such a stellar performance, there was little doubt that Bernier would be named the WHA Playoff MVP.

The WHA champion 1976-77 Quebec Nordiques

Tardif, Cloutier and Bernier finished 1-2-3 in scoring for Quebec in 1977-78, despite Bernier being limited to just 58 games because of a knee injury. He still managed 26 goals and 78 points for 1.34 points per game while healthy.

Bernier was the WHA playoff MVP in 1977

The trio repeated that feat of finishing 1-2-3 in team scoring in 1978-79, only with Cloutier leading Tardif and Bernier, who had 36 goals and 82 points. Bernier once again played in the WHA All-Star Game for the sixth consecutive season, having appeared in it every year he was in the WHA.

Bernier was a six time WHA All-Star

1978-79 would prove to be the final one for the WHA, and four of the remaining six teams would be allowed into the NHL as expansion teams under some highly punitive conditions, as many in the NHL had hard feelings over the bitter battle the two leagues waged for seven seasons, which saw player salaries escalate tremendously.

The WHA teams were required to relinquish any players on their roster to their NHL rights holders, with the exception of two goalies and two skaters. Bernier, whose nickname was "Le Gros Toutou" - The Big Teddy Bear, was not reclaimed an NHL club and remained with the Nordiques.

Bernier's return to the NHL was less than spectacular however, as he only saw action in 32 games in 1979-80, with 8 goals and 22 points and another 46 in 1980-81 with only 2 goals and 10 points before he retired.

Bernier returned to the NHL in 1979

His final combined totals between the NHL and WHA were 719 games played with 308 goals and 555 assists for 763 points. He had an additional 28 goals and 74 points in 49 WHA playoff games, winning an Avco Cup championship and playoff MVP award in 1977.

In 2010, he was one of the initial group of players inducted into the WHA Hall of Fame.

Today's featured jersey is a 1974-75 Quebec Nordiques Serge Bernier jersey as worn during the finest offensive season of his career when he had 54 goals and 122 points to lead the Nordiques in scoring.

The Nordiques began in the WHA for their inaugural 1972-73 season wearing white home jerseys with a wide red waist stripe, red numbers and red shoulders with a lace up collar. A shade of powder blue was used for the widest stripe on the arm and a trim stripe under the shoulders, both front and back, separated from the shoulder by a white space. The road jerseys were powder blue with the same red striping and red numbers.

For the 1973-74 season, the heavy use of red was greatly diminished and the powder blue was changed to a much darker blue, which also became the new color for the numbers and now the main waist stripe color as well as being added to the cuffs of the sleeves while remaining the main arm stripe. The collar became a v-neck as well. Even more blue was to be found on the contrasting color nameplates, which was blue with white letters on the home white jersey.

The jerseys evolved again for 1974-75 when the fleur-de-lis appeared on the jerseys for the first time as the secondary shoulder logos. The striping on the jerseys remained the same but the names on the back became the conventional white on the white jerseys with red lettering and blue on the blue jerseys after the contrasting colors the year before. This would be the second and last year for this particular style.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1976-77 Quebec Nordiques Serge Bernier jersey as worn during the season the Nordiques won the Avco Cup as WHA champions.

For the Nordiques fourth season of 1975-76, the team debuted what would become their signature look for the remainder of their existence, which was based on the flag of the province of Quebec.

Six Fleur-de-lis now ringed the waist of the jersey and remained on the shoulders as well. The jerseys were mesh with screen printing, and as seen on the back numbers, did not hold up to wear very well.

Originally paired with red pants for the 1975-76 season, the pants became blue in 1976-77 and the Nordiques look remained the same for their final three seasons in the WHA.

 

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1979-80 Quebec Nordiques Serge Bernier jersey as worn during the season the Nordiques moved to the NHL.

For their move to the NHL, the Nordiques kept the same home and road jerseys for 1979-80, but changed the white crest to red outlined in blue to match that used on the home jerseys from 1980-81 forward.

By now the customizing of the Nordiques jerseys had change from screen printing to heat sealed vinyl numbers. The one color, heat sealed numbers were the last of their kind when they last used in 1990-91 before the club joined the modern age with sewn on twill numbers for the 1991-92 season, which were now two color numbers with the addition of red outlines, their first time with two color numbers since the 1974-75 season, 16 seasons earlier.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

In today's video section, highlights of Game 7 of the 1977 Avco Cup Finals, as the Nordiques rout Winnipeg to win the championship. The video does have some brightness issues, but is still quite watchable.

If you have some time on your hands today, here is a highly recommended film entitled "Just Another Job" despite Bernier not joining the Nordiques until their second season. The film runs 28 minutes and takes you behind the scenes of the upstart Nordiques and coach Maurice Richard and their first ever game. Richard would only last two games as the Nordiques head coach before realizing the job was not a good fit for him.

Even if you don't have a half hour to spare, we implore you to at least check out the opening theme song, which runs a minute and a half and is not to be missed.

Just Another Job by Pierre Letarte, National Film Board of Canada