- 1974
- 1979
- 1991
- 1995
-
Nordiques Team Formation
The Quebec Nordiques formed as one of the original World Hockey Association teams in 1972. The franchise was not one of the eight original teams established when the league was announced on November 1, 1971. The franchise was originally awarded to a group in San Francisco, as the San Francisco Sharks. However, the San Francisco group’s funding collapsed prior to ... -
Merge NHL and WHA
As part of the NHL–WHA merger, the WHA insisted on including all of its surviving Canadian teams, including the Nordiques, among the teams taken into the NHL at the end of the 1978–79 season. As a result, the Nordiques entered the NHL along with the Whalers, Oilers, and Jets. The Nordiques would be placed in the Adams Division of the ... -
1991 First Pick in the Draft
In 1991, the Nordiques once again had the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. They picked junior star Eric Lindros, even though he had let it be known well in advance that he would never play for Quebec. Among the reasons, Lindros cited distance, lack of marketing potential, and having to speak French. After the Nordiques selected him ... -
Nordiques Move to Denver
Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec’s provincial government. However, Premier Jacques Parizeau turned the request down, as few in Quebec were willing to be seen as subsidizing a hockey club that paid multimillion-dollar salaries. Bailouts for Ottawa and Edmonton were also rejected for the same reason. In 1994, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Peter Karmanos was in talks to ...
History of the Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques in Canadian English; literally translated as “Quebec City Northmen” or “Northerners”) was a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972 – 1979) and the National Hockey League (1979 – 1995). The franchise was relocated to Denver, Colorado, in 1995, and renamed the Colorado Avalanche.
Established
1972
City
Quebec City – Denver
League History
1980 – Present / National Hockey League
1972 – 1979 / World Hockey Association
Team History
1995 – Present / Colorado Avalanche
1972 – 1995 / Quebec Nordiques
Nickname
Nordiques – They were named the Nordiques because they were one of the northernmost teams in professional sports in North America.
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
2001, 1996
Avco Cup 1
1977
Arena
1999 – Present / Pepsi Center
1995 – 1999 / McNichols Sports Arena
*Quebec*
1972 – 1995 / Colisée de Québec
Owner
2014 – Present / Ann Walton Kroenke
2000 – 2014 / E. Stanley Kroenke
1995 – 2000 / Charlie Lyons
1990 – 1995 / Marcel Aubut
1978 – 1990 / Carling – O’Keefe Brewery
1972 – 1978 / Quebec Remparts
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
3 J. C. Tremblay*
8 Marc Tardif*
16 Michel Goulet*
19 Joe Sakic
21 Peter Forsberg
23 / Milan Hejduk
26 Peter Stastny*
33 / Patrick Roy
52 / Adam Foote
77 / Ray Bourque
99 Wayne Gretzky
*Only retired by the Nordiques
*Blue is this team’s history