Marc Tardif
Encyclopedia
Marc Tardif is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
left winger
who is the leading goal scorer in the history of the World Hockey Association
, principally for the Quebec Nordiques
.
, the NHL
Montreal Canadiens
- in the final year the team had the privilege to do so - invoked its right to select two French Canadian
players first and second overall to pick Tardif in the first round, second overall, of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft
. Tardif spent most of the 1969–70 NHL season with the minor league
Montreal Voyageurs, one of the leading scorers on a team studded with future NHL stars - Jude Drouin
, Guy Charron
, Guy Lapointe
and Pete Mahovlich among them. He made the Canadiens for good the following season, playing credibly for the eventual Stanley Cup
champions. 1972 was his breakout season, as he scored 31 goals.
, playing with the Los Angeles Sharks
. He was the Sharks' leading scorer that season, and was named to play for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series the following fall. The Sharks, however, finished with the league's poorest record, and moved to Detroit, where Tardif played brilliantly before a trade to the Quebec Nordiques
.
In Quebec, Tardif became one of the league's preeminent stars. He finished the 1975 season with 50 goals, and added a league-leading ten goals in the playoffs en route to the AVCO Cup finals against the eventual champion Houston Aeros
. The next season he led the WHA in goals, assists and points by wide margins and becoming only the second professional player to score seventy goals in a single season, while the Nordiques rampaged to fifty wins. Tardif's playoff was cut short after an attack by Calgary Cowboys
goon Rick Jodzio
in which he incurred serious head injuries, leading to one of the first ever cases where a hockey player was charged in a court of law for assault.
The next season Tardif was named the captain of the team, and recovered to post another hundred-point campaign while leading the Nordiques to its only WHA championship, and followed that up in 1978 with a 154-point campaign (setting a professional hockey record eventually broken by Wayne Gretzky
), for which he received his second league MVP award.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
who is the leading goal scorer in the history of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, principally for the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
.
Playing career
After two fine campaigns with the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey LeagueQuebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
, the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
- in the final year the team had the privilege to do so - invoked its right to select two French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
players first and second overall to pick Tardif in the first round, second overall, of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft
1969 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1969 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This draft is notable for being the first NHL draft to be conducted after the league ended direct sponsorship of junior hockey.-Selections by round:...
. Tardif spent most of the 1969–70 NHL season with the minor league
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Montreal Voyageurs, one of the leading scorers on a team studded with future NHL stars - Jude Drouin
Jude Drouin
Jude Drouin is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.-Playing career:Drafted in the third round of the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft, 17th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens, Drouin played for their junior team, the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Quebec Major Junior League, in the 1966 season, playing...
, Guy Charron
Guy Charron
Guy Joseph Jean Charron is a former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the NHL from 1969 – 1981...
, Guy Lapointe
Guy Lapointe
Guy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
and Pete Mahovlich among them. He made the Canadiens for good the following season, playing credibly for the eventual Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champions. 1972 was his breakout season, as he scored 31 goals.
WHA years
In 1973 Tardif signed with the World Hockey AssociationWorld Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, playing with the Los Angeles Sharks
Los Angeles Sharks
The Los Angeles Sharks were an ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1974. Their primary home arena was the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena but they sometimes played at the Long Beach Sports Arena when the Sports Arena had other contractual obligations...
. He was the Sharks' leading scorer that season, and was named to play for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series the following fall. The Sharks, however, finished with the league's poorest record, and moved to Detroit, where Tardif played brilliantly before a trade to the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
.
In Quebec, Tardif became one of the league's preeminent stars. He finished the 1975 season with 50 goals, and added a league-leading ten goals in the playoffs en route to the AVCO Cup finals against the eventual champion Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
. The next season he led the WHA in goals, assists and points by wide margins and becoming only the second professional player to score seventy goals in a single season, while the Nordiques rampaged to fifty wins. Tardif's playoff was cut short after an attack by Calgary Cowboys
Calgary Cowboys
The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
goon Rick Jodzio
Rick Jodzio
Richard Joseph Jodzio is a former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Rockies and the Cleveland Barons; additionally, he played in the World Hockey Association with the Vancouver Blazers and the Calgary Cowboys.In his NHL career, Jodzio...
in which he incurred serious head injuries, leading to one of the first ever cases where a hockey player was charged in a court of law for assault.
The next season Tardif was named the captain of the team, and recovered to post another hundred-point campaign while leading the Nordiques to its only WHA championship, and followed that up in 1978 with a 154-point campaign (setting a professional hockey record eventually broken by Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
), for which he received his second league MVP award.
Retirement
He remained a star when the Nordiques joined the NHL after the WHA folded in 1979, acting as the team's first NHL captain. Tardif retired after the 1983 season, and the Nordiques retired his number #8 jersey in tribute to their first great scoring star. He finished his career scoring 316 goals and 350 assists for 666 points in the WHA, and 194 goals and 207 assists for 401 points in the NHL. He currently owns a car dealership in Quebec City.Awards and achievements
- Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion — 19711971 Stanley Cup Finals-References:...
, 19731973 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 1973 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a rematch of the 1971 championship series. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to two.-Paths to the Final:...
(with Montreal) - Avco Cup champion — 1977 (with Quebec)
- 1st in WHA history in career goals, 2nd in points, 3rd in assists, and 20th in games played.
- Won WHA scoring titles in 1976 and 1978.
- Won the Gordie Howe TrophyGordie Howe TrophyThe Gary L. Davidson Award was given to the most valuable player of the World Hockey Association regular season, from 1973 to 1975. It was named in honour of WHA co-founder Gary Davidson, but for the 1975–76 WHA season, it was renamed the Gordie Howe Trophy in honour of one of hockey's all-time...
as the WHA's most valuable player in 1976 and 1978. - Named to the WHA's First All-Star Team in 1976, 1977 and 1978.
- Named to the WHA's Second All-Star Team in 1975.
- Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1982.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... |
54 | 32 | 34 | 66 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 51 | 31 | 41 | 72 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 1969–70 AHL season The 1969–70 AHL season was the 34th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Montreal Voyageurs became the second Canadian-based team in the league, and finished first overall in the regular season... |
Montreal Voyageurs | AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
45 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 70 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 29 | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
NHL | 18 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 133 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 81 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | ||
| 1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 48 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 1973–74 | Los Angeles Sharks Los Angeles Sharks The Los Angeles Sharks were an ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1974. Their primary home arena was the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena but they sometimes played at the Long Beach Sports Arena when the Sports Arena had other contractual obligations... |
WHA World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926... |
75 | 30 | 40 | 70 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Michigan Stags Michigan Stags The Michigan Stags were a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan that played a portion of the 1974–75 season in the World Hockey Association. On January 18, 1975, the franchise was moved to Baltimore where it was known as the Baltimore Blades. The Stags originated as the Los... /Baltimore Blades |
WHA | 23 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Quebec Nordiques Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League... |
WHA | 53 | 38 | 34 | 72 | 70 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 10 | ||
| 1975–76 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 81 | 71 | 77 | 148 | 79 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1976–77 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 62 | 49 | 60 | 109 | 65 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 8 | ||
| 1977–78 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 78 | 65 | 89 | 154 | 50 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 11 | ||
| 1978–79 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 74 | 41 | 55 | 96 | 98 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1979–80 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 58 | 33 | 35 | 68 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 63 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 75 | 39 | 31 | 70 | 55 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1982–83 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 76 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 517 | 194 | 207 | 401 | 443 | 62 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 75 | ||||
| WHA totals | 446 | 316 | 350 | 666 | 418 | 44 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 35 | ||||