The QMHL has been unveiling its top 50 players in history, celebrating the league’s 50-year anniversary, and at its awards show Wednesday night the order of the top 10 were announced.
Only a player’s accomplishments in the QMJHL were taken into consideration.
Topping the list was the namesake of the league’s playoff MVP trophy, Guy Lafleur. He still stands as the only player in ‘Q’ history to record back-to-back 100-goal seasons, scoring 103 in 1969-70 and following it up with 130 the following season, a single-season record that would stand until Mario Lemieux scored 133 times in 1983-84.
Lafleur averaged 1.98 goals per game in his two-year QMJHL career and led his Quebec Remparts to the 1971 Memorial Cup. In 1971, Lafleur also became the first QMJHL player to be chosen first overall in the NHL draft, going to the Montreal Canadiens. After a storied NHL career concluded with 560 goals and 1,353 points in 1,127 games, Lafleur also became the first QMJHL alum to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Lafleur beat out Lemieux, the highest-scoring single-season player in ‘Q’ history for top spot. Lemieux recorded an astounding 282 points in 70 games during the 1983-84 season for the Laval Voisins, in which he recorded 21 hat tricks and a 61-game point streak.
Here is how the full top 10 was ranked:
1. Guy Lafleur, Quebec Remparts
2. Mario Lemieux, Laval Voisins
3. Sidney Crosby, Rimouski Oceanic
4. Pat LaFontaine, Verdun Juniors
5. Pierre Larouche, Quebec Remparts/Sorel Black Hawks
6. Mike Bossy, Laval National
7. Dale Hawerchuck, Cornwall Royals
8. Brad Richards, Rimouski Oceanic
9. Denis Savard, Montreal Juniors
10. Patrice Lefebvre, Shawinigan Cataractes
[relatedlinks]
