(LONGUEUIL, Thursday November 6, 2003) ---- The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Mr. Gilles Courteau, is happy to announce the names of the four new members who will be inducted in the Hall of Fame next spring, on Wednesday March 31 in Montreal.

“Three players and a coach will join the Hall of Fame of the QMJHL: they are centre player Patrick Emond, goaltenders Jacques Cloutier and Patrick Roy, and Coach Gaston Drapeau. The members of the selection committee, Messrs Michel Côté, Chairman, Denis Baillairgé, Michel Gagnon, Claude Mailhot, Bertrand Raymond and George Springate have made an excellent choice and I am very pleased.” declared Gilles Courteau.

Gaston Drapeau worked with five teams over the 15 seasons he has worked with the QMJHL. He made his debut with the Quebec Remparts in 1979-1980 and 1980-1981. He then coached amongst others Gaston Therrien, Dave Pichette and Normand Rochefort. The Remparts and their coach ended the first season with 37 wins, 25 losses and 5 ties for 79 points in 67 games. Gaston Drapeau headed the Granby Bisons from 1981 to 1983 with Patrick Roy on the roster and again from 1991 to 1993. Gaston Drapeau also worked with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens between 1986 and 1990 where he coached 280 games with 141 victories, 129 losses and 10 ties. Goaltender Félix Potvin was under Drapeau’s wing during season 1988-1989. Gaston Drapeau came back with the Sagueneens from 1993 to 1995 where he cumulated 81 victories, 53 losses and 10 ties in 144 games. He then coached the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs from 1990-1991 to 1991-1992. He got his best regular season with this organisation, recorded 45 wins, 24 lost and one tie for 91 points in 70 games in 1990-91. He ended his career with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 where he coached Daniel Brière currently with the Buffalo Sabres. Finally, Gaston Drapeau has the second best total of games in career with 943. Guy Chouinard is the only one before with 988 games in career. Drapeau also was the coach with the most wins, 442 in total. Guy Chouinard took the first rank with 515 wins in career.

Patrick Emond is the third all-time best scorer of the QMJHL. This centre player took more than one by surprise during his brilliant junior career. Born in Quebec, he began his career with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs where he played a season and a half before joining Hull Olympiques in the midst of 1982-1983 season. At the end of his first season in the QMJHL in 1981-1982, he finished with 26 goals, 32 assists for a total of 58 points in 64 games. At the time he joined the Olympiques in the midst of 1982-1983, the talented player already had 25 goals and 37 assists, totalling 62 points in only 37 games. With his new formation, the left center player collected 19 goals and 32 assists for a total of 51 points in 32 games and a grand total at the end of the season of 113 points in 69 games. He then joined the Chicoutimi Sagueneens where he ended his junior career with an impressive contribution: 33 goals and 65 assists for a total of 98 points in 68 games in 1983-1984; 57 goals, 82 assists for a total of 139 points in 68 games in 1984-1985 and 69 goals, 98 assists for a total of 167 points in 71 games in 1985-1986. Patrick Émond reigned as first scorer of his team during his last two seasons in the QMJHL. During his career in the QMJHL, Émond scored 229 goals, added 346 assists for 575 points in 340 games; an average of 1.69 point per game. He is the third best scorer of the QMJHL history behind Patrice Lefebvre (595) and Stéphan Lebeau (580). Patrick Émond is also the second best player for most assists in career with 346. Patrice Lefebvre is first with 408 assists in career. The Pittsburgh Penguins had picked him at their 6th round at the NHL draft in 1983.

Jacques Cloutier played his four junior seasons with the Trois-Rivières Draveurs from 1976-1977 to 1979-1980 under Michel Bergeron. Cloutier had his greatest season back in 1978-1979 when he had 58 wins, only 8 losses and 6 ties in 72 games. The Buffalo Sabres selected him 55th overall at their third round pick at the NHL draft in 1979. Jacques then joined the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres from 1980-1981 to 1985-1986. This Rouyn-Noranda born goaltender officially entered the NHL in 1985-1986. In 1989, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks and then moved to Quebec in 1990 to join the Nordiques where he ended his career at the conclusion of season 1993-1994. With a total of 12 seasons in the NHL, Jacques Cloutier tended the goals 255 times cumulating 82 wins, 102 losses and 24 ties, 3 shutouts and an average of 3.64. He began his career as Assistant-Coach with the Cornwall Aces from 1994 to 1996 and finally joined the Colorado Avalanche on January 24, 1996 where he is still working. He won two Stanley Cups with this prestigious organization, in 1996 and 2001.

Patrick Roy is one of the greatest goaltenders of the history of hockey if not the greatest. He tended the goals during three seasons in the QMJHL with the Granby Bisons where he tended the goals during 159 games in regular seasons. Upon his arrival in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens who had selected him 51st at the third round of the NHL draft in 1984, Roy impressed as he multiplied incredible and spectacular saves. Also, he largely contributed to the conquest of the Stanley Cup in 1986. Patrick Roy has had a brilliant career over a 20-season period as a professional, cumulating records upon records. Indeed, he is the goaltender having played the most games (1,029) with 60,235 minutes, registered the highest number of wins (551) and cumulated the most thirty-victory seasons (13). These are his statistics in regular seasons. And now, in playoffs, this astonishing goaltender also holds the record of most games played in playoffs (247), the largest number of minutes played in playoffs (15,209) as well as the highest number of shutouts in playoffs (13). He won four Stanley Cups, two with the Canadiens and two with the Avalanche. He deserved the Conn Smythe trophy three times, the Vezina trophy equally three times and the William M. Jennings trophy five times. Patrick Roy is the only player to have won the Conn Smythe trophy three times. Finally, this stunning goaltender has impacted tremendously not only on the world of hockey but also on numerous young goaltenders. He is now Co-owner and General Manager of the Quebec Remparts.

The prestigious Hall of Fame Gala will be held March 31, 2004 at the Delta Hotel Downtown Montreal, at the same time as the Golden Puck Awards.

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Source:

Claude Rompré and Madeleine Boisvert, QMJHL

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