Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge

This article is about the major junior hockey team. For the NHL majors professional hockey team, see Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge
City	Montreal, Quebec
League	Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Operated	1972 (1972) to 1975
Home arena	Montreal Forum
Colours	Blue, White and Red
Franchise history
1933-72	Montreal Junior Canadiens
1972-75	Montreal 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. They played at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

History

The Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge were the result of several years of disputes between the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). In 1972 the QMJHL threatened a lawsuit to force the Montreal Junior Canadiens to return to the Quebec-based league, after departing in 1961 for the OHA.

Over the summer of 1972, the Junior Canadiens ownership were granted "one-year suspension" of operations by the OHA. The QMJHL then allowed team ownership to transfer the team and its players into the QMJHL for the 1972-73 season. To avoid litigation from the OHA by using the Junior Canadiens name, the team was renamed Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge. Neither the team nor any of its players would return to the OHA, while the "suspended" franchise was reactivated by the OHA for the 1973-74 season as the Kingston Canadians.

The Bleu Blanc Rouge played for three seasons in the shadow of the Montreal Canadiens, before being renamed Montreal Juniors.

Players

Norm Dupont is the all-time points leader for the Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge. He played 142 games, scoring 139 goals and 144 assists, totalling 283 points. Jean-Luc Phaneuf is a close 2nd place. In 187 games he scored 104 goals and 172 assists for 276 points, but was deemed to be too small to play in the NHL. Nonetheless, the Bleu Blanc Rouge graduated 16 players to the NHL in only 3 years of play.

Award winners

Jean Béliveau Trophy
(Top Scorer)

• 1974-75 Normand Dupont

Frank J. Selke Commemorative Trophy
(Most Sportsmanlike Player)

• 1974-75 Jean-Luc Phaneuf

NHL alumni

• Mike Backman
• Rick Bowness
• Michel Dion
• Norm Dupont
• Dave Logan
• Gilles Lupien
• Garth MacGuigan
• Blair MacKasey
• Mike McDougall
• Pierre Mondou
• Robert Picard
• Jean Savard
• Bob Sirois
• Andre St. Laurent
• Mario Tremblay
• Mike Wong

Yearly results

Regular season

Season	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Points	Pct %	Goals for	Goals against	Standing
1972-73	64	26	35	3	55	0.430	297	319	7th QMJHL
1973-74	70	43	24	3	89	0.636	443	320	2nd West
1974-75	72	40	25	7	87	0.604	462	338	2nd West

Playoffs

• 1972-1973 Lost to Cornwall Royals 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.
• 1973-1974 Defeated Sherbrooke Castors 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals.
  Lost to Sorel Eperviers 4 games to 0 in semi-finals.
• 1974-1975 Defeated Cornwall Royals 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.
  Lost to Laval National 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.