National Lacrosse League (1975)
Tombstone
Born: 1974 – NLL founding franchise
Folded: February 1976
First Game: May 15, 1974 (W 14-8 vs. Toronto Tomahawks)
Last Game: September 29, 1975 (L 16-10 @ Quebec Caribous)
Nations Cup Championships: None
Arena
Montreal Forum (16,544)11974 Philadelphia Wings Media Guide
Branding
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Nelson Stoll & John Ferguson
Background
The Montreal Quebecois lacrosse team was one of six founding members of the National Lacrosse League in 1974. The NLL was a summer-season operation that played indoor lacrosse on wooden floors in NHL and minor league hockey arenas. The other five cities in the league in 1974 were Maryland, Philadelphia, Rochester, Syracuse and Toronto.
1974 Season
Originally the Montreal Quebecois were going to be a joint venture between Quebec investors Nelson Stoll and John Ferguson along with Sydney Salomon, owner of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Shortly before the inaugural season began though, Stoll and Ferguson bought out Salomon’s 50% interest to make the Quebecois into a fully locally-owned franchise. Ferguson was a former Montreal Canadiens ice hockey star who won five Stanley Cups during his 12-year career with the NHL team from 1959 to 1971. Ferguson was pressed into coaching the Quebecois during the 1974 season when the club’s original hire, Bill Bradley, had a change of heart and decided he wanted to play only and not manage the team.
The Quebecois’ top player was John Davis, who finished 2nd in the league in scoring in 1974 (78 goals, 105 assists) and 3rd in 1975 (79 goals, 129 assists).
In 1975, future U.S. National Soccer Team head coach Bruce Arena played for the Quebecois.
Final Season & Demise
During the 1975 season, the Quebecois acquired a provincial rival when the NLL’s Syracuse Stingers franchise moved to Quebec City and became Les Caribous de Quebec. The Quebecois and the Caribous met in the Nations Cup championship series in September 1975, with the Caribous upsetting Montreal 4 games to 2. The games drew large crowds in both cities, but they also proved to be the final lacrosse matches ever staged by the NLL.
The National Lacrosse League folded in February 1976 after membership dwindled to only three viable clubs.
Links
“It Was Provincial Indeed” – October 6, 1975 Sports Illustrated coverage of the 1975 NLL Nations Cup final.
National Lacrosse League Media Guides
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2 Responses
johnny davis was the john tavares of his day – not flashy but just had complete control of the game.
I Remember Those Days Like Yesterday. Ernie Mitchell Was My Favourite Goalie Of All Time. So Exciting Lacrosse. I Remember Those Names Davis, Roundpoint and Cook. And Sheffield. I Wish I Could Go Back In Time. Miss Those Days!!! Evans Was Also In Nets Too.