QMJHL reveals names of its four new Hall of Fame inductees
Published on January 14, 2008 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) News Release
BOUCHERVILLE, Monday, January 14, 2008 - The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, today announced the names of the four new inductees who will make their way into the QMJHL Hall of Fame - presented by RDS - on Wednesday, April 2, at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel in downtown Montreal.
Three players and one builder will be honoured. "Once again this year, we will recognize four exceptional individuals," said the Commissioner. "We will have the pleasure of celebrating the careers of Ãric Desjardins, Michel Déziel, Orval Tessier and Pierre Turgeon on a very special night. I'd like to thank the members of the selection committee: Michel Côté (President), Denis Baillairgé, Michel Gagnon, Albert Ladouceur and Bertrand Raymond for their precious contribution to the QMJHL Hall of Fame selection process."
Michel Côté, the selection committee's President, added: "We looked at several deserving candidates, but we really felt that these four individuals stood out. We look forward to welcoming them into the QMJHL Hall of Fame next April 2nd."
Ãric Desjardins
Ãric Desjardins played two seasons (1986-87 & 1987-88) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Granby Bisons. He tallied 32 goals and added 73 assists for a total of 105 points in 128 games. In his first season, the Bisons won the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as the regular season champions with a total of 100 points.
He was named a QMJHL second-team All-Star in his rookie season and a first-team All-Star the following year. In 1988, he won the Ãmile-Bouchard Trophy as the League's top defenseman. Moreover, Desjardins represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Canada won the gold medal in 1987-88.
Ãric Desjardins would wear the Maple Leaf at three other international competitions over the course of his career: the Canada Cup (1991-92), the World Cup (1996-97) and the Olympics (1997-98). He was selected in the third round (38th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1987 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
At the conclusion of the 1992-93 season, his named was inscribed on the Stanley Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens; the franchises' twenty-fourth. During those same playoffs, he registered fourteen points in twenty games, including all three goals in the final and deciding game, a 3-2 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings.
His professional career lays claim to 136 goals and 439 assists for a total of 575 points in 1,143 games, which he accumulated with two organizations: the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Michel Déziel
Michel Déziel played four seasons (1970-71 to 1973-74) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Sorel Ãperviers. Over the course of his four seasons, he maintained an average of 1.9 points per game in the regular season, collecting 196 goals and 261 assists for a total of 457 points in 241 games.
He was named a QMJHL first-team All-Star at the conclusion of his final season.
During the 1973-74 campaign, Déziel tallied 92 goals and 135 assists while playing on a line with Pierre Larouche (234 points) and Jacques Cossette (214 points). The line accumulated a total of 692 points, a QMJHL record which has held the test of time. Moreover, he still holds the single season records for most goals (92), assists (135) and points (227) by a left-winger in QMJHL history.
He helped the Ãperviers win the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season champions in 1973-74. The team established two regular season records: 25 consecutive wins as well as 27 consecutive games without a loss.
In 1974, he was selected in the third round (47th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League Entry Draft and in the fourth round (56th overall) by the New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association Entry Draft.
Orval Tessier
Orval Tessier coached three Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams: the Cornwall Royals (1971-72; 1974-75 to 1977-78), the Quebec Remparts (1972-73) and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens (1978-79 & 1979-80). He won three hundred and twenty regular season games behind the bench over a span of eight seasons; an average of forty wins per season.
Tessier was named a QMJHL first team All-Star in 1971-72, 1974-75 and 1975-76; a second team All-Star in 1972-73 and 1977-78; and a third team All-Star in 1979-80.
During his first season behind the bench of the Cornwall Royals, he guided the franchise to a remarkable record of forty-seven wins, thirteen losses and two ties for a total of 96 points. In the playoffs, the Royals defeated Verdun, Shawinigan and Quebec to capture their first President Cup title. Thereafter, Cornwall won the prestigious Memorial Cup; junior hockey's most coveted trophy.
The following season, Orval Tessier led the Quebec Remparts to the top of the regular season standings with 102 points to capture the Jean-Rougeau Trophy. The Remparts would then win the President Cup by beating his former team, the Cornwall Royals, in seven games in the QMJHL final.
He would coach the Chicoutimi Saguenéens for two seasons in the late nineteen seventies before accepting the Kitchener Rangers' head coaching position in the Ontario Hockey League.
In 1980-81, Tessier would lead the Rangers to a Memorial Cup finals berth, but he would have to wait until the following year to capture the second Memorial Cup of his illustrious career with the help of all-stars Brian Bellows, Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis.
Following the Memorial Cup win, Tessier was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks. He led the team to a 104-point season to capture the Norris division title. He would become the first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League alumni to capture the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL Coach of the Year.
In 1986-87, he would return to the Ontario Hockey League as the head coach of the Cornwall Royals.
Pierre Turgeon
Pierre Turgeon played two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Granby Bisons (1985-86 & 1986-87).
During his major junior career, he scored 116 goals and added 152 assists for a total of 268 points in 128 games; an average of 2.11 points per game. In his second season in the QMJHL, the Bisons won the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as the regular season champions with a total of 100 points.
He was named a QMJHL third-team All-Star in each of his two seasons and was a member of Canada's National Junior Team in 1986-87.
Pierre Turgeon won the Michel-Bergeron Trophy as the League's top offensive rookie in 1985-86 and the Michael-Bossy Trophy as its top professional prospect the following year.
In 1987, the Buffalo Sabres made him the fourth player in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League history to be chosen first overall in the National Hockey League Entry Draft. In his first season, the Sabres made the playoffs following a three-year drought.
Over the course of his stellar NHL career, he would play in four All-Star games: 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1996. Moreover, following the 1992-93 season, he captured the Lady Bing Memorial Trophy awarded to the game's top gentleman.
He was the captain of the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise as it played its last game in the revered Montreal Forum.
His professional career lays claim to 515 goals and 812 assists for a total of 1,327 points in 1,294 games, which he accumulated with six organizations: the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens, the St. Louis Blues, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.
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