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	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, 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.

Personal life

Houle and his wife Micheline have three children; two sons Jean-François, who is the head coach of the AHL's Laval Rocket and Sylvain, and a daughter, Annie.

Awards

• 1968–69: Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy

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

External links

• Profile from Hockey Draft Central
• Réjean Houle's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database

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 1995–2000	Succeeded by Andre Savard