Verdun Juniors

The Verdun Juniors were a short-lived major junior hockey team that hailed from the Verdun borough of Montreal, Quebec. The Juniors played at the Verdun Auditorium for the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons. The team was created when the Montreal Juniors, who played at the Forum, moved to Verdun. 

The Verdun Juniors were short lived but very successful. They were coached by Pierre Creamer, who would later coach the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Juniors would win the Presidents Trophy as playoff champions, behind the scoring prowess of Pat LaFontaine, who would be the 3rd pick in the 1983 NHL Draft. LaFontaine scored 104 goals and 234 points in only 70 games in the 1982-83 season. The team also featured Gerard Gallant who would go on to play and coach in the NHL.

Without LaFontaine in 1983-84, the Juniors took a step back but were still successful, winning 40 of 70 games and making the playoffs. In that season, they also featured future NHLers Claude Lemieux and Vincent Riendeau. After that season, the team would rename to the Verdun Jr. Canadiens.