Réjean Houle

Réjean Houle
Born (1949-10-25) October 25, 1949 (age 75)
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 1969–1983

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 Marián Hossa, with his first round selections. Houle was fired from his post two months into the 2000–01 season.

Personal life

Houle and his wife Micheline have three children; two sons Jean-François, who is the head coach of the NCAA's Clarkson University Golden Knights and Sylvain, as well as a daughter, Annie.

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 MC — — — — — 19 14 16 30 12
1967–68 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 45 27 38 65 102 11 12 8 20 10
1968–69 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 54 53 55 108 76 14 13 10 23 13
1968–69 Montreal Jr. Canadiens MC — — — — — 8 6 2 8 20
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 9 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1969–70 Montreal Voyageurs AHL 27 9 16 25 23 8 3 2 5 4
1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 10 9 19 28 20 2 5 7 20
1971–72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 11 17 28 21 6 0 0 0 2
1972–73 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 13 35 48 36 17 3 6 9 0
1973–74 Quebec Nordiques WHA 69 27 35 62 17 — — — — —
1974–75 Quebec Nordiques WHA 64 40 52 92 37 15 10 6 16 2
1975–76 Quebec Nordiques WHA 81 51 52 103 61 5 2 0 2 8
1976–77 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 22 30 52 24 6 0 1 1 4
1977–78 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 30 28 58 50 15 3 8 11 14
1978–79 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 17 34 51 43 7 1 5 6 2
1979–80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 18 27 45 68 10 4 5 9 12
1980–81 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 27 31 58 83 3 1 0 1 6
1981–82 Montreal Canadiens NHL 51 11 32 43 34 5 0 4 4 6
1982–83 Montreal 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

References

Preceded by NHL first overall draft pick
1969 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
1969 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens
1995–2000 		Succeeded by