Lafleur in the WHA

[ForsbergForever]

I read somewhere that Guy Lafleur said that if the Habs hadn't drafted him he would have signed with the Nordiques in the WHA rather than play for any othe NHL team. So the question is, what kind of numbers would he have put up playing in the WHA? 200 pts maybe? Fire when ready...

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[KOVALEV10*]

Ya well... its impossible to guess. I mean what if Gretzky had stayed in the WHA as when he first signed he thought he would be playin there forever? Oh and Im 99% sure Guy would've been drafted by Montreal anyway or would've been signed by Montreal after all as he was the best player in the Quebec league along with Dionne.

 

[billybob]

I read somewhere that Guy Lafleur said that if the Habs hadn't drafted him he would have signed with the Nordiques in the WHA rather than play for any othe NHL team. So the question is, what kind of numbers would he have put up playing in the WHA? 200 pts maybe? Fire when ready...

My god if he didnt play for the Habs, he might not of ben reconized as one of the best ever, im glad(and im sure the habs are) that he Montreal drafted him. Just a great player.

 

[BM67]

Lafleur was a rookie in 71-72, and the WHA started in 72-73, so he would have had to wait a year.

The original Nordiques weren't a powerhouse, so he probably would have a couple of "off" years to start, just like he did in the NHL. When Tardif joined them a couple of years later, he would likely easily match the success that Real Cloutier had with him. So yeah 200 points might have been thinkable for a few years, but 160-180 is more likely.

77 goals (Hull 74-75), 106 assists (Lacroix 74-75) and 154 points (Tardif 77-78) were the WHA records.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

Imagine just imagine if Lafleur had turned out to be in the Edmonton Oilers wha team who in 79 joined the NHL... Imagine Lafleur and Gretzky together on the same line! That would've been

 

[Lard_Lad]

Imagine just imagine if Lafleur had turned out to be in the Edmonton Oilers wha team who in 79 joined the NHL... Imagine Lafleur and Gretzky together on the same line! That would've been

Could've happened the other way...Montreal had the 1981 #1 pick (used on Wickenheiser) and that would've been Gretzky's draft year if he hadn't gone to the WHA.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

Could've happened the other way...Montreal had the 1981 #1 pick (used on Wickenheiser) and that would've been Gretzky's draft year if he hadn't gone to the WHA.

Im not sure about that... I think Gretzky's draft year was 1980... thats what they said on TSN this week when they were showing the Canada Cup 1981 game where Gretzky and Lafleur did play together.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

Could've happened the other way...Montreal had the 1981 #1 pick (used on Wickenheiser) and that would've been Gretzky's draft year if he hadn't gone to the WHA.

Im not sure about that... I think Gretzky's draft year was 1980... thats what they said on TSN this week when they were showing the Canada Cup 1981 game where Gretzky and Lafleur did play together.

The Habs had the #1 pick in 1980, and picked Wickenheiser.

 

[PK*]

Was the age limit 18 in 1979 ? If it was, it would have been Gretzky's draft year.

 

[Lard_Lad]

It was 1980, I mistyped. That was the first year 1961-born guys were eligible. The draft age was 19 for that year, then went to 18 in 1981.

 

[espo*]

The Habs had the #1 pick in 1980, and picked Wickenheiser.

Please don't remind me of that.Denis Savard available and we pick Wickenheiser,man...sad day.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

Please don't remind me of that.Denis Savard available and we pick Wickenheiser,man...sad day.

Actually suprisingly the Habs logic made sense way back then. The Habs thought they already had their Dennis Savard in Guy Charbonneau, who was a huge scorer in junior. They really thought Charbonneau would be a big time point getter in the NHL. Therefore they felt they needed somebody who would better compliment Charbonneau and instead picked the Junior Player of the year in Wickenheiser because he was bigger, stronger and grittier than Savard or Charbonneau, and also excellent offensively. Funny how Charbonneau developed into a completely different player than they had originally envisioned, but still became a star.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Please don't remind me of that.Denis Savard available and we pick Wickenheiser,man...sad day.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

Sure, now I obviously wish they chose Savard...or Coffee. But, Wick was the consensus #1 that year...heck, he had almost 90 goals in his final year in the WHL.

Also, Savard didn't get chosen until the 3rd pick. I think Babych went second.

 

[Chili]

But would Denis Savard put up the same numbers he did with the Habs? His stay with the team was short and the trade of Chelios for him pretty much a forgettable one.

Wickenheiser was expected to replace Guy Lafleur, which was not possible. The expectation level in Mtl at the time was incredible. Ken Dryden was literally booed into retirement after 6 cups in 8 years.

 

[mcphee]

I loved Denis Savard as a Jr. and was disappointed to learn that some kid out west I'd never heard of was going to be their choice. In Fairness to their GM Grundman [who has other problems these days] every other GM in the league was going to take Wick. Now a creative GM would have let Chicago move up for their pick and whatever else they could have gotten at the time.

 

[Darz]

As far as the Wick-Savard thing goes, there wasn't a scout on the planet who had Savard rated ahead of Wickenheiser in 1980. It would of been like Washington taking Malkin instead of Ovechkin this past draft year. Unforunately it didn't pan out the way it was predicted for the habs and Wickenheiser, but they didn't have the hindsight we have now when they made the pick.

The reason the habs were trading for the top pick in 1980 was to try and secure Gretzky. Sam Pollack figured his draft year would be 1980 and was making the moves so the habs would of landed Gretzky. Too bad the WHA came into existance (which is the reason the league lower the draft age from 19 to 18) and ruined the habs chances of landing the Great One. Oh well.