Real Cloutier
Encyclopedia
Réal "Buddy" Cloutier is a retired Canadian
ice hockey
winger
. Cloutier spent his most prolific years in the World Hockey Association
(WHA) with the Quebec Nordiques
. As the WHA folded, he played the remainder of his career with the Quebec Nordiques and the Buffalo Sabres
in the National Hockey League
(NHL).
, Cloutier played junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts
, leading his team to back to back Memorial Cup
finals and winning the championship in 1974
. His final season with the Remparts saw him score 216 points to lead his squad.
In Cloutier's day, the National Hockey League
did not allow teenagers to play, so he signed with the Quebec Nordiques
of the World Hockey Association
and made an immediate impact in his 1974–75 rookie season. He scored 26 goals and helped the Nordiques to the AVCO Cup
finals.
The next season saw Cloutier break into stardom, as he scored 60 goals to begin a streak of four seasons of at least 56 goals. In 1976–77 season, he scored 66 goals and 141 points to lead the WHA in scoring, adding 14 goals and 13 assists in 17 playoff games to lead the Nordiques to their only AVCO Cup championship. His best goal scoring season came in the WHA's final season of 1978–79, when he scored 75 goals, at the time the third highest total in professional history.
Upon the time of the WHA's merger with the NHL
, Quebec traded its first round draft choice (which would turn into future superstar Denis Savard
) to the Chicago Black Hawks
, which held Cloutier's NHL rights, so the Hawks would not reclaim him before the expansion draft. He proved to be a consistent scorer in the NHL, scoring 42 goals in 1979–80, and, although he was slowed by injuries, 37 and 28 goals his last two full seasons with the Nords.
In 1983, amidst rumors of off-ice problems, Cloutier was traded to the Buffalo Sabres
. He immediately clashed with Sabres' coach Scotty Bowman
, who had a long history of benching scoring stars whom he felt were not paying sufficient attention to defensive play, and although he scored a credible 24 goals and 60 points in his only full season for the Sabres, he was sent to the minor leagues the next year, retiring thereafter at the age of 28.
Cloutier retired as the fourth leading scorer in WHA history with 283 goals, 283 assists and 566 points in 369 games, adding 33 goals and 30 assists in 48 playoff games. In 317 NHL games, he scored 344 points.
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...
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...
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...
. Cloutier spent his most prolific years in 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...
(WHA) with 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...
. As the WHA folded, he played the remainder of his career with the Quebec Nordiques and the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
in the National Hockey League
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...
(NHL).
Playing career
Touted as one of the most brilliant prospects in the history 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...
, Cloutier played junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts
Québec Remparts
There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec...
, leading his team to back to back Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
finals and winning the championship in 1974
1974 Memorial Cup
The 1974 Memorial Cup occurred May 5-May 12 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta. Participating teams were the winners of the Ontario Hockey Association, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the St. Catharines Black Hawks, Quebec Remparts and Regina Pats...
. His final season with the Remparts saw him score 216 points to lead his squad.
In Cloutier's day, the National Hockey League
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...
did not allow teenagers to play, so he signed with 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...
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...
and made an immediate impact in his 1974–75 rookie season. He scored 26 goals and helped the Nordiques to the AVCO Cup
Avco World Trophy
The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, was the championship trophy of the original World Hockey Association . The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation , a defense contractor who bought the rights to advertise their consumer finance division...
finals.
The next season saw Cloutier break into stardom, as he scored 60 goals to begin a streak of four seasons of at least 56 goals. In 1976–77 season, he scored 66 goals and 141 points to lead the WHA in scoring, adding 14 goals and 13 assists in 17 playoff games to lead the Nordiques to their only AVCO Cup championship. His best goal scoring season came in the WHA's final season of 1978–79, when he scored 75 goals, at the time the third highest total in professional history.
Upon the time of the WHA's merger with the NHL
1979 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1979 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 13, 1979. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's new teams for the 1979–80 season: the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets...
, Quebec traded its first round draft choice (which would turn into future superstar Denis Savard
Denis Savard
Denis Joseph Savard is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1980 to 1997, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000...
) to the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, which held Cloutier's NHL rights, so the Hawks would not reclaim him before the expansion draft. He proved to be a consistent scorer in the NHL, scoring 42 goals in 1979–80, and, although he was slowed by injuries, 37 and 28 goals his last two full seasons with the Nords.
In 1983, amidst rumors of off-ice problems, Cloutier was traded to the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. He immediately clashed with Sabres' coach Scotty Bowman
Scotty Bowman
William Scott "Scotty" Bowman is a retired National Hockey League head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He coached the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and...
, who had a long history of benching scoring stars whom he felt were not paying sufficient attention to defensive play, and although he scored a credible 24 goals and 60 points in his only full season for the Sabres, he was sent to the minor leagues the next year, retiring thereafter at the age of 28.
Cloutier retired as the fourth leading scorer in WHA history with 283 goals, 283 assists and 566 points in 369 games, adding 33 goals and 30 assists in 48 playoff games. In 317 NHL games, he scored 344 points.
Awards
- Named to the WHAWorld Hockey AssociationThe 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...
Second All-Star Team in 1976, 1977 and 1978. - Named to the WHA First All-Star Team in 1979.
- Won the Bill Hunter TrophyBill Hunter TrophyThe Bill Hunter Trophy was presented to the World Hockey Association's scoring leader in the regular season.It was named in honour of Bill Hunter, who founded the Alberta Oilers hockey club ....
as the WHA's scoring leader in 1977 and 1979. - Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1980.
Records
- Third all-time in the WHA for goals scored, eleventh in assists.
- Second player to score a hat trickHat TrickHat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
in his NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe 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...
debut. (After Alex SmartAlex SmartAlexander Smart was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He played one season for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League and spent the majority of his career in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, followed by Fabian BrunnströmFabian BrunnströmFabian Brunnström is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
and Derek StepanDerek StepanDerek Stepan is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League ....
.)
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 | ||
| 1972–73 1972–73 QMJHL season The 1972–73 QMJHL season was the fourth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The summer of 1972 saw the departure of the Saint-Jérôme Alouettes and the Verdun Maple Leafs from the league, reducing the circuit to eight teams... |
Quebec Remparts Québec Remparts There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec... |
QMJHL | 57 | 39 | 60 | 99 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 1973–74 QMJHL season The 1973–74 QMJHL season was the fifth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. East and west divisions resumed with the addition of two new teams, the Hull Festivals and Chicoutimi Saguenéens... |
Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 69 | 93 | 123 | 216 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 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... |
63 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 36 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1975–76 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 76 | 60 | 54 | 114 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1976–77 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 76 | 66 | 75 | 141 | 39 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 10 | ||
| 1977–78 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 73 | 56 | 73 | 129 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 15 | ||
| 1978–79 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 77 | 75 | 54 | 129 | 48 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 67 | 42 | 47 | 89 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 34 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1981–82 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 67 | 37 | 60 | 97 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 1982–83 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 68 | 28 | 39 | 67 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... |
NHL | 77 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Flint Generals Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan.They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan.... |
IHL | 40 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 1984–85 AHL season The 1984–85 AHL season was the 49th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Whalers finished first overall in the regular season... |
Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial... |
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... |
12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 317 | 146 | 198 | 344 | 119 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 20 | ||||