For many moons, the future stars of the National Hockey League had to pass through Montreal before breaking through the firmament of sports history. The Quebec metropolis was the hostess of the draft from 1963 to 1984 without interruption. Back to the beginnings of the beginnings of hockey players.
Before 1963, there was simply no draft, says hockey historian Jean-Patrice Martel, but rather a casual selection. “It was very short, very informal. »
Three rules once defined the hiring of young players. The professional team could “sponsor” a junior team and obtain precedence over its players. Otherwise, all minor teams “within 50 miles” of the NHL team were subject to this priority rule. Players who did not fall into either category could be signed by any team.
From 1917, when the league began, through the 1960s, the draft was only a minor addition to the annual NHL meetings.
This was the case of Jean Béliveau. Since he was playing young in a Victoriaville team, outside the Montreal Canadiens’ circle of influence, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs who approached him first to sign a contract. “His father didn’t want to,” attests the former president of the International Hockey Research Society.
Advantage to Quebecers
The first structured draft was held in Montreal in 1963. The governors met behind closed doors at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to discuss the selection of recruits. “At first, I think some players didn’t even know they were likely to be drafted,” notes Mr. Martel.
The system that prevails today has not yet been established. From 1963 to 1967, the original six teams took turns taking the first pick. “They didn’t have time to do all six, the expansion came in 1967.”
At that time, a famous rule gave the Montreal Canadiens the right to preserve their French-Canadian character by drafting two French-speaking players before anyone else, provided their father was of French descent.
This advantage only lasted from 1963 to 1969 and was used only twice. In total, only three Quebec players have played in the national league thanks to this preferential treatment: Michel Plasse, Réjean Houle and Marc Tardif. ” [Les responsables de la ligue] wondered if it was reasonable to keep the system that had allowed the team to win the Stanley Cup four years in five years… Then they abandoned the idea. »
This priority for Francophones is however neither the only nor even the main explanation for the glorious years of the Habs. “I have seen very good hockey historians who are neither French-speaking nor Quebecois who have refuted this thesis. The Canadiens’ recruiters have done their homework, analyzed the system and established a roadmap to have a dominant team. They made a plan and followed it,” explains Jean-Patrice Martel, who particularly praises the efforts of general manager Frank J. Selke and his “empire” of school clubs.
Montreal still retains control over the meeting place, which ranges from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to the league offices, via the Montreal Forum.
The road to modernity
By the 1970 expansion, which added the Buffalo Sabers and Vancouver Canucks to an already strong league of twelve teams, the current system was already in the form we know, except for the addition of the lottery, which will come in 1995.
It was not until the 1980s that the repechage became a landmark event in the world of sport, thanks to television networks.
The road to a full draft wasn’t smooth either. The limit of the number of turns took a while to be set. In 1974, there were 25 rounds, “the Washington Capitals having apparently intended to set a record”, specifies Jean-Patrice Martel.
It took until 1985 for the first NHL Draft to be held outside of Montreal. The event was presented at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
It was curiously that year that the same situation occurred for the last time as in 2022, namely that the host team of the repechage chose a prospect in the very first row.
The Maple Leafs had then retained the services of Wendel Clark.