The NHL entry draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements. The NHL entry draft is held once every year, generally within two to three months after the conclusion of the previous regular season. During the draft, teams take turns selecting amateur players from junior or collegiate leagues and professional players from European leagues.
The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. As part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed after the 1994–95 NHL lockout, each team began playing 82 games per season. The Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver, Colorado, becoming the Colorado Avalanche. The Stanley Cup winners were the Avalanche, who swept the Florida Panthers in the finals, in four games.
The 1970–71 NHL season was the 54th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks made their debuts and were both put into the East Division. The Chicago Black Hawks were moved to the West Division, and the Oakland Seals were renamed the California Golden Seals. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Black Hawks in seven games in the finals.
Maxim Lapierre is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he was selected in the second round, 61st overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He spent parts of his first three professional seasons with the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), before playing his first full NHL season in 2008–09.
Benoît Robert Pouliot is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers. Pouliot was originally drafted by the Wild fourth overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
The 1993–94 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 85th season of play. The defending Stanley Cup champions could not repeat, being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by the Boston Bruins four games to three. It was the last time at the Forum that the playoffs were played. In addition, it was the first time in 11 years that the Canadiens did not advance past the first round of the playoffs.
The 1979–80 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques eighth season overall, however, it marked as their expansion season in the National Hockey League. Quebec had played their previous seven seasons in the now defunct World Hockey Association. In 1978–79, their last season in the WHA, Quebec finished the year with the second best record, as they had a 41–34–5 record, earning 87 points. The Nordiques were then swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the WHA semi-finals. In the NHL, the team finished out of the playoffs.
