Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge

Last updated

Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge
Montreal red white blue.png
City Montreal, Quebec
League Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Operated1972 (1972) to 1975
Home arena Montreal Forum
ColoursBlue, White and Red
   
Franchise history
1933–72 Montreal Junior Canadiens
1972–75Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge
1975–82 Montreal Juniors
1982–84 Verdun Juniors
1984–89 Verdun Junior Canadiens
1989–96 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser
1996–present Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge (Blue, White and Red in English) were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1972 to 1975. [a] They played at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They played at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A pre-existing franchise named the Montreal Junior Canadiens that played in the Ontario Hockey Association made the switch to the QMJHL for the 1972–73 season. They finished seventh and were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Contents

History

The Montreal Junior Canadiens were one of the dominant teams of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until joining the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in 1961. During this period, the Junior Canadiens were accused by the Quebec hockey associations (including the newly formed Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)) of poaching all of the excellent junior talent in the province. [1] As a result, in 1972 the Junior Canadiens suspended operations in the OHA and joined the QMJHL, initially for one-year. [4]

The QMJHL then allowed team ownership to transfer the team and its players into the QMJHL for the 1972–73 season. The team was renamed Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge in September 1972 and played at the Montreal Forum. [5] [6] However, neither the team nor any of its players returned to the OHA. Headed by star Mario Tremblay, the team made its first major acquisition in the QMJHL when they acquired forward Robert Sirois in October from the Laval National to help their offence. They also sold the league's top goaltender, Pierre Pérousse, to the Quebec Remparts. [7] In their only season, the team won 26 games, lost 35 and drew three, earning 55 points and finished seventh in the standings. [1] [8] During the season, one of the team's goaltenders, Louis Laliberté, suffered a major eye injury after being struck by a shot and underwent two operations and never played hockey again. [9] The team advanced to the playoffs where they were eliminated by the Cornwall Royals in the quarterfinals in their only appearance. [1] [10] In some sources, the team was renamed the Montreal Juniors, [1] [2] while others continued to use the Bleu Blanc Rouge name. [3]

Players

According to Elite Prospects, the team's all-time games played, goals, points, and penalty minutes leader was André St. Laurent with 64, 52, 100, and 245 respectively. Michel Bélisle is the team's leader in assists. [11]

According to Hockeydb, if all three seasons are included, Norm Dupont is the all-time goals and points leader for the Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge. He played 142 games, scoring 139 goals and 283 points. Jean-Luc Phaneuf is the all-time games played and assists leader with 182 and 172 respectively and Robert Picard is the all time penalty minutes leader with 623. [12]

Award winners

NHL alumni

Yearly results

Regular season

SeasonGamesWonLostTiedPointsPct %Goals
for		Goals
against		Standing
1972–736426353550.4302973197th QMJHL
1973–747043243890.6364433202nd West
1974–757240257870.6044623382nd West

Playoffs

Notes

  1. ↑ Some sources [1] [2] state the team changed its name to the Montreal Juniors following the 1973 season, while other sources continued to use the Bleu Blanc Rouge name the following season. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Fontaine 2016, p. 214.
  2. 1 2 D'Auteuil & Otis 2012, p. 38.
  3. 1 2 "Drummondville ouvre la saison par un triomphe" . Le Nouvelliste (in French). October 1, 1973. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Junior league will operate with nine teams next year" . Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. May 11, 1972. p. 19. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Montreal's junior ice entry 'named'" . The Montreal Star. September 15, 1972. p. C5. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Le Club Junior de Montreal" . Le Devoir (in French). October 7, 1972. p. 27. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ D'Auteuil & Otis 2012, pp. 31–33.
  8. ↑ D'Auteuil & Otis 2012, p. 32.
  9. ↑ D'Auteuil & Otis 2012, p. 34.
  10. ↑ D'Auteuil & Otis 2012, p. 36.
  11. ↑ Elite Prospects.
  12. ↑ Hockeydb.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.