Réjean Houle

Réjean Houle
Born (1949-10-25) October 25, 1949
Rouyn, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Quebec Nordiques (WHA)
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 1st overall, 1969
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 19691983

Réjean Houle (born October 25, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played the majority of his career with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), also serving in a controversial stint as general manager for the Canadiens.

Playing career

Drafted as the first pick overall in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, Houle played for the Habs from 1970 to 1973 and from 1976 to 1983. He won five Stanley Cup championships with the Canadiens. In between his NHL stints, he played for the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association (WHA).

Management career

After retiring as a player, Houle became an executive with Molson, one of Canada's leading breweries and the then-owner of the Montreal Canadiens organization. A disastrous start to the 1995–96 season resulted in then-General Manager Serge Savard's termination, and the team saw Houle, with his business background and history with the team, as the most viable replacement candidate.

Houle then served as GM of the Canadiens from 1995 to 2000, though his tenure was largely viewed as a disaster by many fans. He initiated the infamous trade that sent Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Ručinský and Andrei Kovalenko just six weeks into the job. Following this trade, he dealt-away marquee players including Mark Recchi, Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon in exchange for players of little value to the team. He was also criticized for frequently trading with non-contending teams, being unable to land widely coveted free agents and for signing marginal players to inflated contracts.

Houle's drafting was considered even worse, however, as he was criticized for selecting players such as Matt Higgins, Jason Ward, Eric Chouinard and Marcel Hossa, the younger brother of then-rising talent and current NHL star Marián Hossa, with his first round selections, as well as trading away a top ten pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft for an underachieving Trevor Linden. Houle was fired from his post two months into the 2000–01 season and replaced by André Savard. He currently serves as an ambassador to the Canadiens organization.

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1966–67 Thetford Mines Canadiens QJHL 43 30 30 60 80 11 10 12 22 27
1966–67 Thetford Mines Canadiens M-Cup 19 14 16 30 12
1967–68 Montréal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 45 27 38 65 102 11 12 8 20 10
1968–69 Montréal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 54 53 55 108 76 14 13 10 23 13
1968–69 Montréal Jr. Canadiens M-Cup 8 6 2 8 20
1969–70 Montréal Canadiens NHL 9 0 1 1 0
1969–70 Montréal Voyageurs AHL 27 9 16 25 23 8 3 2 5 4
1970–71 Montréal Canadiens NHL 66 10 9 19 28 20 2 5 7 20
1971–72 Montréal Canadiens NHL 77 11 17 28 21 6 0 0 0 2
1972–73 Montréal Canadiens NHL 72 13 35 48 36 17 3 6 9 0
1973–74 Québec Nordiques WHA 69 27 35 62 17
1974–75 Québec Nordiques WHA 64 40 52 92 37 15 10 6 16 2
1975–76 Québec Nordiques WHA 81 51 52 103 61 5 2 0 2 8
1976–77 Montréal Canadiens NHL 65 22 30 52 24 6 0 1 1 4
1977–78 Montréal Canadiens NHL 76 30 28 58 50 15 3 8 11 14
1978–79 Montréal Canadiens NHL 66 17 34 51 43 7 1 5 6 2
1979–80 Montréal Canadiens NHL 60 18 27 45 68 10 4 5 9 12
1980–81 Montréal Canadiens NHL 77 27 31 58 83 3 1 0 1 6
1981–82 Montréal Canadiens NHL 51 11 32 43 34 5 0 4 4 6
1982–83 Montréal Canadiens NHL 16 2 3 5 8 1 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 635 161 247 408 395 90 14 34 48 66
WHA totals 214 118 139 257 115 20 12 6 18 10

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1974 Canada SS 7 1 1 2 2
Preceded by
Michel Plasse
NHL first overall draft pick
1969
Succeeded by
Gilbert Perreault
Preceded by
Michel Plasse
Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
1969
Succeeded by
Marc Tardif
Preceded by
Serge Savard
General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens
19952000
Succeeded by
Andre Savard
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