1987–88 Quebec Nordiques season

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The 1987–88 Quebec Nordiques season was the team’s ninth in the NHL. A major trade at the 1987 draft sent Dale Hunter and goaltender Clint Malarchuk to Washington for Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth, and Washington’s first-round pick, which Quebec used to select future star Joe Sakic. Haworth had injury trouble the previous season but had been productive in prior years, while Duchesne posted solid scoring numbers in 1986–87. Sakic, Quebec’s second pick in the draft, came from the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos.

Head coach Michel Bergeron left to coach the New York Rangers, and Andre Savard, a former Nordique player, was hired to replace him. In a separate move, Quebec traded David Shaw and John Ogrodnick to the Rangers for Terry Carkner and Jeff Jackson.

The season started well with a three-game winning streak and a 9–5–1 first 15 games, but a slide followed, dropping to 10–13–1. Bergeron’s departure led to Ron Lapointe taking over as interim coach. Under Lapointe, the team went 6–3–1 in his first ten games to reach a .500 mark again (16–16–2). They were fighting for a playoff spot in the Adams Division but ultimately finished 32–43–5, earning 69 points and finishing last in the division, thus missing the playoffs for the first time since 1980.

Team leaders were Peter Stastny with 111 points (46 goals, 65 assists), Michel Goulet with 48 goals and 106 points, and Anton Stastny with 72 points. Gaetan Duchesne and Alan Haworth each scored over 20 goals (Duchesne 24, Haworth 23). Jeff Brown led the defense with 16 goals and 52 points. In goal, Mario Gosselin won 20 games with a 3.78 GAA in 54 games; rookie Mario Brunetta posted a 3.72 GAA in 29 games; Ron Tugnutt appeared in six games with a 3.38 GAA.

Overall, the Nordiques went 32–43–5 (69 points), with a 15–23–2 home record and a 17–20–3 road record. They scored 271 goals and allowed 306. Their 1987 draft also brought Joe Sakic, who would become a cornerstone for the franchise in the years to come.