Hockey in Québec

Christopher O’Brien (Pépé)

Information about Quebec

• Quebec is the largest province in Canada by land area, and second largest by population.

• It is the only province in which the majority of the population speaks French.

• The capital of Quebec is Quebec City, and it’s largest city of Montreal.

• Quebec was a French colony from the early 1600’s to the 1750’s.

History• James Creighton, an engineer from Ottawa, organized the

first indoor hockey game in Montreal on March 3rd, 1875.– He first discovered the game on the ponds of Nova Scotia, where it

was played by Native American tribes. – Many hockey clubs began to appear after this game.

• The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association won the first Stanley Cup in May 1893, defeating Ottawa HC. – English nobleman Lord Fredrick Arthur Stanley of Preston, 16th Earl of

Durby donated the Stanley Cup, then called the Challenge Cup, to the hockey clubs of Canada so they would have something to compete for.

• The NHL was founded in 1917. – Of the 6 teams it included, the Montreal Canadiens were the only

team from Quebec.

Professional Teams from Quebec• Quebec Athletic Club (1878-1920)

– The Athletics were formed as an amateur team, playing only exhibition games early in their history. They joined the National Hockey Association in 1910, and competed until the NHA folded in 1920.

• Montreal Wanderers (1903-1918)– The Wanderers were a very competitive team in the NHA from 1908-1918.

In 1918, the teams home rink burned down; they did not fund another one.

• Montreal Canadiens (1909 – Present)– The Canadiens were formed in 1909, playing in the National Hockey

Association until 1917. They were absorbed into the NHL when it was founded in 1917. The Canadiens have won the Cup 24 times, morethan any other team. The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the Cup 13 times.

• Montreal Maroons (1924-1938)– The Maroons were created specifically to appeal the Quebec’s English

speaking community. They faired well early in their history, winning the Stanley Cupin 1926. Ultimately, they were greatly effected by the Great Depression during the 1930’s and ceased operations after the 1937-38 season.

• Quebec Nordiques (1972-1995)– The Nordiques played in the WHA from 1972 until 1979, when they

were absorbedwith 3 other teams into the NHL. Quebec City was a monolingual Francophonecommunity, which made the Nordiques difficult to market and made players hesitant to play there.This, along with a weakening Canadian dollar, contributed to their move to Denver, Colorado in 1995.

Notable French Canadian Players

• Maurice Richard – Montreal – 1942-1960

• Mike Bossy– Sainte-Laurant – 1977-1987

• Patrick Roy– Sainte-Foy – 1985-2003

Youth Hockey• Hockey in Quebec is governed by Hockey Canada and, therefore, is

pretty uniform with the rest of the country. The age groups in Canada are different than their American counterparts. They are as follows: – Mite – 3-4– Tyke – 5-6– Novice – 7-8– Atom – 9-10– Peewee – 11-12– Bantam – 13-14– Midget – 15-17– Junior – 18-20

• Each age group is further divided by skill. The skill levels are (with the exception of junior hockey):– AE (least competitive)– A– AA– AAA (most competitive)• *Major junior is the most competitive level of junior

hockey.

• The province is divided geographically into 15 regions, all which are governed by Hockey Quebec. They are as follows:– Hockey Abitibi-Témiscamingue– Hockey Bas Sainte-Laurent– Hockey Bourassa– Hockey Estrie– Hockey Côte-Nord– Hockey Gaspésie Les Îles– Hockey Lac Sainte-Louis– Hockey Laurentides-Lanaudière– Hockey Laval – Hockey Mauricie– Hockey Montréal – Hockey Outaouais– Hockey Québec-Chaudière-Appalaches– Hockey Richelieu – Hockey Saguenay Lac St-Jean

La Ligue de Hockey Junior Majeur du Quebec

• 1 of the 3 premiere Major Junior leagues in Canada. – It is also the smallest of the 3 leagues.

• 11 of it’s 18 teams are based in Quebec. • QMJHL alumni who have been inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame:– Mario Lemieux– Guy Lafleur– Ray Bourque– Mike Bossy– Patrick Roy

Works Cited

• www.hockeycanada.ca• www.hockey.qc.ca– Translated through Google Translate

• www.hhof.com• Hockey: A People’s History– By: Michael McKinely