Benoît Clairoux and Pierre-Yves Dumont had given themselves the mission of telling the story of the Nordiques by giving a voice to those who wore the Fleurdelisés uniform. A little over three years later, they collected the testimonies of 100 elders and published them in their work: Once upon a time… the Nordiques: 100 players tell their stories.
From behind the scenes of goaltender Michel Dion’s departure in the middle of a match in 1980-1981 to Clint Malarchuk’s emotional return to Quebec, 11 days after having his jugular vein cut by a skate, including tough guy Kim Clackson who He was seated at the end of the bench, despite both broken hands, to intimidate the opponent: the authors left nothing to chance.
In this work of 528 pages, and 190,000 words!, they tell the story of the Nordiques from their beginnings in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972, to their departure for Colorado at the end of the 1994-1995 season, through the eyes of those who experienced it.
Certainly, they look back on significant events in the history of Fleurdelisés with significant figures in their history, Peter and Anton Stastny, Marc Tardif or Michel Goulet, but also give voice to more marginal players, some of whom have only played what to spend in Quebec.
“The players were all very generous,” mentions Pierre-Yves Dumont, a Nordiques supporter who organized an event in 2017 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Nordiques’ conquest of the Avco Cup in 1977. “Michel Goulet called me “boss” during our interview. For the greatest scorer in Nordic history to call me “boss”, I found that very nice of him!” he adds with a laugh.
Touching stories
This generosity of the ancient Nordics allowed the authors to put on paper stories that were sometimes very personal and touching.
That of Dion particularly marked Benoît Clairoux. Remember that during a game against the Boston Bruins, during the 1980-1981 season, Dion left abruptly, in the middle of the game, and never returned.
In the book, he recounts his fight with mental illness and his long journey of the cross which finally allowed him, two years later, to be invited to the all-star game of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the uniform of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s quite a story and it wasn’t easy for him because he fell back after his career. Now he teaches golf in the United States and is very happy in what he does. He is an extraordinary man who confided like an open book.”
And the AMH
Benoît Clairoux and Pierre-Yves Dumont each detail the strong, and less strong, moments of the Nordiques. Their time in the AMH, although crucial to their arrival in the NHL, was not always the most prestigious.
“The rink in the state of New Jersey wasn’t even level and there were no locker rooms for the opposing team. As Claude Larochelle had already written: it was like hanging a Rembrandt in a barn!” says Clairoux.
“We realize that it is difficult to have the Nordiques back but, without the AMH in 1972, seven years later there would have been no Nordiques in the NHL, nor this great rivalry which followed,” adds as for Dumont.
Moreover, Guy Lafleur died before being able to collaborate on the project. However, a section and testimonies from former teammates are reserved for him, in the book, published by Éditions Sylvain Harvey.
