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| Réjean Houle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1949-10-25)October 25, 1949 (age 76) | ||
| 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 professionalice hockeyforward. He played in theNational Hockey League with theMontreal Canadiens from 1969 to 1973 and again from 1976 to 1983, and in theWorld Hockey Association with theQuebec Nordiques from 1973 to 1976. After his playing career he served as thegeneral manager of the Canadiens from 1995 to 2000, and is notable for trading goaltenderPatrick Roy early in his tenure. Selectedfirst overall in the1969 NHL Amateur Draft by Montreal, Houle won theStanley Cup with the team five times during his career.
Drafted as thefirst pick overall in the1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, Houle played for the Canadiens from1970 to1973 and from1976 to1983. He won fiveStanley Cup championships with the Canadiens. In between his NHL stints, he played for theQuebec Nordiques of theWorld Hockey Association (WHA).
After retiring as a player, Houle became an executive withMolson, one of Canada's leading breweries and the then-owner of the Montreal Canadiens organization. A disastrous start to the1995–96 season resulted in then-general managerSerge 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 sentPatrick Roy andMike Keane to theColorado Avalanche in exchange forJocelyn Thibault,Martin Ručinský andAndrei Kovalenko just six weeks into the job. Following this trade, he dealt-away marquee players includingMark Recchi,Vincent Damphousse andPierre 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.[1]
Houle's drafting was considered even worse, however, as he was criticized for selecting players such asMatt Higgins,Jason Ward,Eric Chouinard andMarcel Hossa, the younger brother of then-rising talentMarián Hossa, with his first round selections. Houle was fired from his post two months into the2000–01 season.[2]
Houle also served as president of the Canadiens Alumni Association for 36 years over two stints between 1984 and 2025, relinquishing the role while he served as GM of the Canadiens.[3]
Houle and his wife Micheline have three children; two sons,Jean-François, who is the head coach of the NCAA'sClarkson University Golden Knights and Sylvain, as well as a daughter, Annie.
| 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 | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 12 | ||
| 1967–68 | Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA | 45 | 27 | 38 | 65 | 102 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 10 | ||
| 1968–69 | Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA | 54 | 53 | 55 | 108 | 76 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 13 | ||
| 1968–69 | Montreal Jr. Canadiens | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | ||
| WHA totals | 214 | 118 | 139 | 257 | 115 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 10 | ||||
| NHL totals | 635 | 161 | 247 | 408 | 395 | 90 | 14 | 34 | 48 | 66 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Canada | SS | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 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 |