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Michel Goulet
Michel Alain Goulet (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl alɛ̃ ɡulɛ]; goo-LAY; born April 21, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. He also played one season in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Birmingham Bulls. He was a two-time Canada Cup champion with Team Canada. Goulet collected 58 points as an 18-year-old rookie in the WHA before becoming eligible to be drafted in the 1979 NHL draft, which saw him picked by Quebec. Goulet had four consecutive seasons from 1982 to 1986 with 50 goals each, becoming the first Nordique to do so in the NHL; he had four 100-point seasons for the team while leading them to the Conference Finals twice (1982, 1985). After the team started declining in 1987, Goulet was traded to the Blackhawks in 1990. He achieved his 1,000th point in 1991 and the following year saw him score his 500th career goal and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in his playing career. Goulet sustained a severe concussion on a collision in 1994 that ultimately forced him to retire in early 1995. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.
He subsequently worked for the Colorado Avalanche in their front office, and his name was engraved on the Cup when the team won it in 1996 and 2001; he was let go from the Avalanche in 2009 and soon became a scout that saw him serve for three different teams from 2009 to 2020.
Goulet excelled in midget and minor league hockey in the 1970s in Quebec, which saw him play with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL from 1976 to 1978. As a midget player, Goulet was reportedly so amped to play hockey that he stole the key to the local arena in Mistassini in order to let himself skate for an hour at 5:00 in the morning, doing so roughly three times a week for over a year without getting caught.
Goulet played his first professional season with the Birmingham Bulls of the WHA during the 1978–79 season. Goulet was one of just four 18-year olds to play in the WHA that year alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri, all of whom who ended up as members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He scored 28 goals and 58 points. Following the NHL-WHA merger, Goulet was declared eligible for the 1979 entry draft and wanted to play for the Quebec Nordiques. Due to the circumstances of the WHA merger in regard to compensation, the Nordiques were required to give compensation for keeping Réal Cloutier (as they used their "priority selections" already) from going to the Chicago Black Hawks, who had drafted him in 1976. The Nordiques held the 19th pick in the 1979 draft and elected to keep the pick (Bob Pulford was later quoted as saying that chief scout Michel Dumas was ready to select Goulet) and instead traded Chicago their first-round pick in the 1980 draft. As such, Goulet was drafted by the Nordiques (as for Chicago, they used their 1980 draft pick on Denis Savard).
Reportedly, he was the first player to request a contract in French. Pierre Lacroix served as Goulet's agent during his time in Quebec. Goulet ended up as the last Bull to have played in the NHL.
In the 1979–80 season, Goulet played in 77 games for the Nordiques. He collected his first NHL point with an assist in a 2–2 tie versus the Hartford Whalers on October 24 before scoring his first goal on November 10 on the road against the New York Rangers before collecting his first game-winning goal eight days later versus Toronto. He had 22 goals and 32 assists for 54 points with 48 penalty minutes. Goulet reflected on his first-year struggles on not being able to score consistently on breakaway shots, stating that teammate Marc Tardif gave him advice to work on his technique, specifically, "Put 60 to 100 pucks between the blueline and red line and go down the wing and shoot.” And the other thing he said was, “Put the puck on the side so you can deke or shoot right away." Gradually, by working hard with the advice given, Goulet improved. The following season had him play 76 games and record 32 goals with 39 assists with 45 penalty minutes. Goulet had his first significant point streak come in the season, as he recorded a point in thirteen straight games played from November 24 to December 21 (which saw him score eight goals and record eight assists). The Nordiques reached the Stanley Cup playoffs that year for the first time in franchise history. Facing the Philadelphia Flyers in the Preliminary Round, Goulet had a three-point night in his playoff debut with a goal and two assists. He had further goals in game three and game five and recorded seven total points but Quebec lost in five games. Goulet played in all 80 games of the 1981–82 season and improved further with 42 goals and 42 assists each, which also saw him lead the league in short-handed goals with six. In the playoffs, Goulet had six of his eight goals in the Division finals as Quebec beat Boston to reach their first ever Conference Finals, but they were swept in four games by the New York Islanders; Goulet had thirteen points in 16 total games.
Goulet's fourth season with Quebec saw him record his first 50-goal season with a career-high 57 while adding 48 assists for 105 total points as he was named to the All-Star Game for the first of four straight seasons. His 57 goals that season still remains a franchise record. Goulet was one of the NHL's most prolific scorers during the 1980s. He became one of the centrepieces of the Nordiques along with the Šťastný brothers (Peter, Anton, Marián). Goulet had his peak in total points with 122 in the 1983–84 season on the strength of 56 goals and a career-high 66 assists. He also had his longest streak of games with a goal with one in nine consecutive games from December 14 to January 5. In the Stanley Cup playoffs that year, the Nordiques lost in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens, with the decisive game six going down in lore as the "Good Friday Massacre" between the Quebec and Montreal players; Goulet scored the second goal of the game but took three penalties as the Nordiques lost 5–3. In September 1984, Goulet played for Canada in the Canada Cup and had five goals with six assists as Canada beat Sweden in the championship. Goulet played in 69 games in 1984 but managed another 50-goal season with 55. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Goulet had eleven goals in the first two rounds of the playoffs as Quebec marched to the Conference Finals against the Flyers, but Goulet was held in check to no goals as Philadelphia won in six games. Goulet recorded 53 goals in 75 games of the 1985–86 season that saw him record his only two four-goal games, doing so on December 14 against the New Jersey Devils and on March 17 against the Canadiens. The 1986–87 season saw Goulet narrowly miss out on a 50-goal season with 49 in 75 games played. Goulet was part of another victorious Canada Cup team in the fall of 1987 as Canada defeated the Soviet Union. He had his last 100-point campaign in the 1987–88 season on 48 goals and 58 assists in the first of three straight years that Quebec missed the playoffs, and Goulet regressed to 26 goals and 64 total points the following year.
From the start of the 1980–81 season until the end of the 1989–90 season, Goulet had 438 goals, third most among all players in that same span. He was the only Nordique to record four consecutive 50-goal seasons in their NHL history and no Avalanche player has had more than two 50-goal seasons since Goulet. During that 1989–90 season, the Nordiques went into a tailspin, going 12–42–7 that saw Goulet score 16 goals with 29 assists in 57 games. On March 5, 1990, he was traded alongside goalie Greg Millen and a sixth round pick at 1991 NHL entry draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for Everett Sanipass, Dan Vincelette and Mario Doyon. On February 23, 1991, Goulet, playing in his 878th game, recorded his 1,000th career point on a goal scored on the Minnesota North Stars at the Met Center in a 3-3 tie. In July 1991, Goulet was offered a four-year deal for $2.9 million by the St. Louis Blues, but the Blackhawks matched the offer sheet to keep him in Chicago.
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Michel Goulet
Michel Alain Goulet (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl alɛ̃ ɡulɛ]; goo-LAY; born April 21, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. He also played one season in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Birmingham Bulls. He was a two-time Canada Cup champion with Team Canada. Goulet collected 58 points as an 18-year-old rookie in the WHA before becoming eligible to be drafted in the 1979 NHL draft, which saw him picked by Quebec. Goulet had four consecutive seasons from 1982 to 1986 with 50 goals each, becoming the first Nordique to do so in the NHL; he had four 100-point seasons for the team while leading them to the Conference Finals twice (1982, 1985). After the team started declining in 1987, Goulet was traded to the Blackhawks in 1990. He achieved his 1,000th point in 1991 and the following year saw him score his 500th career goal and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in his playing career. Goulet sustained a severe concussion on a collision in 1994 that ultimately forced him to retire in early 1995. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.
He subsequently worked for the Colorado Avalanche in their front office, and his name was engraved on the Cup when the team won it in 1996 and 2001; he was let go from the Avalanche in 2009 and soon became a scout that saw him serve for three different teams from 2009 to 2020.
Goulet excelled in midget and minor league hockey in the 1970s in Quebec, which saw him play with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL from 1976 to 1978. As a midget player, Goulet was reportedly so amped to play hockey that he stole the key to the local arena in Mistassini in order to let himself skate for an hour at 5:00 in the morning, doing so roughly three times a week for over a year without getting caught.
Goulet played his first professional season with the Birmingham Bulls of the WHA during the 1978–79 season. Goulet was one of just four 18-year olds to play in the WHA that year alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri, all of whom who ended up as members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He scored 28 goals and 58 points. Following the NHL-WHA merger, Goulet was declared eligible for the 1979 entry draft and wanted to play for the Quebec Nordiques. Due to the circumstances of the WHA merger in regard to compensation, the Nordiques were required to give compensation for keeping Réal Cloutier (as they used their "priority selections" already) from going to the Chicago Black Hawks, who had drafted him in 1976. The Nordiques held the 19th pick in the 1979 draft and elected to keep the pick (Bob Pulford was later quoted as saying that chief scout Michel Dumas was ready to select Goulet) and instead traded Chicago their first-round pick in the 1980 draft. As such, Goulet was drafted by the Nordiques (as for Chicago, they used their 1980 draft pick on Denis Savard).
Reportedly, he was the first player to request a contract in French. Pierre Lacroix served as Goulet's agent during his time in Quebec. Goulet ended up as the last Bull to have played in the NHL.
In the 1979–80 season, Goulet played in 77 games for the Nordiques. He collected his first NHL point with an assist in a 2–2 tie versus the Hartford Whalers on October 24 before scoring his first goal on November 10 on the road against the New York Rangers before collecting his first game-winning goal eight days later versus Toronto. He had 22 goals and 32 assists for 54 points with 48 penalty minutes. Goulet reflected on his first-year struggles on not being able to score consistently on breakaway shots, stating that teammate Marc Tardif gave him advice to work on his technique, specifically, "Put 60 to 100 pucks between the blueline and red line and go down the wing and shoot.” And the other thing he said was, “Put the puck on the side so you can deke or shoot right away." Gradually, by working hard with the advice given, Goulet improved. The following season had him play 76 games and record 32 goals with 39 assists with 45 penalty minutes. Goulet had his first significant point streak come in the season, as he recorded a point in thirteen straight games played from November 24 to December 21 (which saw him score eight goals and record eight assists). The Nordiques reached the Stanley Cup playoffs that year for the first time in franchise history. Facing the Philadelphia Flyers in the Preliminary Round, Goulet had a three-point night in his playoff debut with a goal and two assists. He had further goals in game three and game five and recorded seven total points but Quebec lost in five games. Goulet played in all 80 games of the 1981–82 season and improved further with 42 goals and 42 assists each, which also saw him lead the league in short-handed goals with six. In the playoffs, Goulet had six of his eight goals in the Division finals as Quebec beat Boston to reach their first ever Conference Finals, but they were swept in four games by the New York Islanders; Goulet had thirteen points in 16 total games.
Goulet's fourth season with Quebec saw him record his first 50-goal season with a career-high 57 while adding 48 assists for 105 total points as he was named to the All-Star Game for the first of four straight seasons. His 57 goals that season still remains a franchise record. Goulet was one of the NHL's most prolific scorers during the 1980s. He became one of the centrepieces of the Nordiques along with the Šťastný brothers (Peter, Anton, Marián). Goulet had his peak in total points with 122 in the 1983–84 season on the strength of 56 goals and a career-high 66 assists. He also had his longest streak of games with a goal with one in nine consecutive games from December 14 to January 5. In the Stanley Cup playoffs that year, the Nordiques lost in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens, with the decisive game six going down in lore as the "Good Friday Massacre" between the Quebec and Montreal players; Goulet scored the second goal of the game but took three penalties as the Nordiques lost 5–3. In September 1984, Goulet played for Canada in the Canada Cup and had five goals with six assists as Canada beat Sweden in the championship. Goulet played in 69 games in 1984 but managed another 50-goal season with 55. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Goulet had eleven goals in the first two rounds of the playoffs as Quebec marched to the Conference Finals against the Flyers, but Goulet was held in check to no goals as Philadelphia won in six games. Goulet recorded 53 goals in 75 games of the 1985–86 season that saw him record his only two four-goal games, doing so on December 14 against the New Jersey Devils and on March 17 against the Canadiens. The 1986–87 season saw Goulet narrowly miss out on a 50-goal season with 49 in 75 games played. Goulet was part of another victorious Canada Cup team in the fall of 1987 as Canada defeated the Soviet Union. He had his last 100-point campaign in the 1987–88 season on 48 goals and 58 assists in the first of three straight years that Quebec missed the playoffs, and Goulet regressed to 26 goals and 64 total points the following year.
From the start of the 1980–81 season until the end of the 1989–90 season, Goulet had 438 goals, third most among all players in that same span. He was the only Nordique to record four consecutive 50-goal seasons in their NHL history and no Avalanche player has had more than two 50-goal seasons since Goulet. During that 1989–90 season, the Nordiques went into a tailspin, going 12–42–7 that saw Goulet score 16 goals with 29 assists in 57 games. On March 5, 1990, he was traded alongside goalie Greg Millen and a sixth round pick at 1991 NHL entry draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for Everett Sanipass, Dan Vincelette and Mario Doyon. On February 23, 1991, Goulet, playing in his 878th game, recorded his 1,000th career point on a goal scored on the Minnesota North Stars at the Met Center in a 3-3 tie. In July 1991, Goulet was offered a four-year deal for $2.9 million by the St. Louis Blues, but the Blackhawks matched the offer sheet to keep him in Chicago.
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