The Battle of Québec

npk17 · 11-07-2021, 05:57 AM

Taking the commands of the Nordiques in 1980, I plan to manage them until they move to Colorado in 1995.

My goal is to relive the historical rivalry between them and the Canadiens, well-known for its 1984 Good Friday massacre, a playoff-game brawl that resulted in 11 ejections.

I decided to take them in 1980 for two reasons : first, the newly integrated 1979 Nordiques seemed a bit fragile in their first NHL season. Secondly, I wanted to have one season to build my team and learn to know them before the Canadiens will join Adams division.

I’ll keep you updated with milestones and rivalry results as well as Stanley Cup winners and Most Valuable Gretzky awards.

NB: I’m not a die hard hockey fan nor from Québec, I don’t know a lot of hockey history but I’m hoping to learn it while playing this save, so feel free to share what you know about this decade or the rivalry, and I apologize in advance for any inaccuracy or lack of knowledge. Hope you enjoy !

npk17 · 11-07-2021, 06:21 AM

I went to check if the Nordiques and Canadiens were actually rivals in the game, they were potential ones only. Makes sense since the Nordiques joined the league one year ago, but I decided to use commish mode to make them real rivals.
It should make things interesting, the manuals say rivalry games have more physical plays (thus more penalties), and the fan happiness is more impacted by wins or losses than normal games.

EDIT : the teams are back at their original rivalry level for some reason, I'll leave the game handle this because I don't want to mess with historical settings too much. The rivalry should increase overtime if it follows history anyway.

npk17 · 11-07-2021, 06:34 AM

I had extra forwards in my roster so I put a couple on the trading block, and no other team than the Canadiens offered me a poor defenceman for Center Ron Chipperfield.
Wasn't really happy about the offer so I asked if they could send Defenceman Serge Savard instead, a life-time Canadien and 7 times champion. They accepted !

Serge Savard, 34 years old, will the join the Nordiques defense and won't be able to set foot in Montreal anymore.

Edster007 · 11-08-2021, 08:07 AM

I would imagine age and the depth of the Habs D and Savards at the time was the reason. Good deal for the Nords as I remember defense and a group of aging goaltenders were the Quebecs weakness. Savard did finish his career in Winnipeg in real life.

npk17 · 11-09-2021, 10:23 AM

First season was close to a disaster, but thanks to a good last month, the Nordiques finished in 16th position overall and gained a Playoffs appearance, which didn't last long : elimination in 1st round, in 3 games by the Islanders (Best team in NHL with 125 points).

Hartford Whalers were surprising, reaching the finals after a 59 points season and eliminating the Islanders, but they lost the cup to the Bruins.

Wayne Gretzky got MVP award of course, totalling 160 points.

The direct confrontation record with Montreal is really bad for the Nordiques, with 4 losses in 4 games.

npk17 · 11-09-2021, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster007

I would imagine age and the depth of the Habs D and Savards at the time was the reason. Good deal for the Nords as I remember defense and a group of aging goaltenders were the Quebecs weakness. Savard did finish his career in Winnipeg in real life.

Savard was useful but my defense was really bad and I couldn't sign any good defender. I had to get a better goalie though so I traded for Richard Brodeur who was decent.

11-07-2021, 05:57 AM	#1
npk17 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 102 Blog Entries: 1	The Battle of Québec Taking the commands of the Nordiques in 1980, I plan to manage them until they move to Colorado in 1995. My goal is to relive the historical rivalry between them and the Canadiens, well-known for its 1984 Good Friday massacre, a playoff-game brawl that resulted in 11 ejections. I decided to take them in 1980 for two reasons : first, the newly integrated 1979 Nordiques seemed a bit fragile in their first NHL season. Secondly, I wanted to have one season to build my team and learn to know them before the Canadiens will join Adams division. I’ll keep you updated with milestones and rivalry results as well as Stanley Cup winners and Most Valuable Gretzky awards. NB: I’m not a die hard hockey fan nor from Québec, I don’t know a lot of hockey history but I’m hoping to learn it while playing this save, so feel free to share what you know about this decade or the rivalry, and I apologize in advance for any inaccuracy or lack of knowledge. Hope you enjoy !

11-07-2021, 06:21 AM	#2
npk17 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 102 Blog Entries: 1	Settings adjustment I went to check if the Nordiques and Canadiens were actually rivals in the game, they were potential ones only. Makes sense since the Nordiques joined the league one year ago, but I decided to use commish mode to make them real rivals. It should make things interesting, the manuals say rivalry games have more physical plays (thus more penalties), and the fan happiness is more impacted by wins or losses than normal games. EDIT : the teams are back at their original rivalry level for some reason, I'll leave the game handle this because I don't want to mess with historical settings too much. The rivalry should increase overtime if it follows history anyway. Last edited by npk17; 11-07-2021 at 06:43 AM.

11-07-2021, 06:34 AM	#3
npk17 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 102 Blog Entries: 1	First betrayal ! I had extra forwards in my roster so I put a couple on the trading block, and no other team than the Canadiens offered me a poor defenceman for Center Ron Chipperfield. Wasn't really happy about the offer so I asked if they could send Defenceman Serge Savard instead, a life-time Canadien and 7 times champion. They accepted ! Serge Savard, 34 years old, will the join the Nordiques defense and won't be able to set foot in Montreal anymore.

11-09-2021, 10:23 AM	#5
npk17 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 102 Blog Entries: 1	1980-1981 season recap First season was close to a disaster, but thanks to a good last month, the Nordiques finished in 16th position overall and gained a Playoffs appearance, which didn't last long : elimination in 1st round, in 3 games by the Islanders (Best team in NHL with 125 points). Hartford Whalers were surprising, reaching the finals after a 59 points season and eliminating the Islanders, but they lost the cup to the Bruins. Wayne Gretzky got MVP award of course, totalling 160 points. The direct confrontation record with Montreal is really bad for the Nordiques, with 4 losses in 4 games.

11-08-2021, 08:07 AM	#4
Edster007 All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,707	I would imagine age and the depth of the Habs D and Savards at the time was the reason. Good deal for the Nords as I remember defense and a group of aging goaltenders were the Quebecs weakness. Savard did finish his career in Winnipeg in real life.