Joseph Jude Drouin (born October 28, 1948) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward. He helped the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

reach the NHL playoff semifinals three-straight seasons from 1975 to 1977.

Early life

Drouin was born in Murdochville,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. As a youth, he played in the 1961

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with Murdochville. Drouin was drafted in the third round (17th overall) of the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. He played for their junior team, the

Montreal Junior Canadiens The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History Th ...

of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

(OHA) in the 1966–67 season, playing in 47 games and recording 32 goals and 36 assists.

Career

Drouin turned professional with the

Houston Apollos The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981. History From 1965 to 1969, they were a farm team of the NHL's Montreal ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL), scoring 68 points in 60 games, and earning his first NHL playing time with the Canadiens in the 1968–69 season. The 1969–70 season found Drouin in the minors again, this time for the powerhouse

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

, where he dominated with 106 points in 65 games, winning the

Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award The Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award is given each year to the player in the American Hockey League (AHL) determined to be the most outstanding rookie. The award is based on voting by the media and the players. It was named after Dudley "Red" G ...

for rookie of the year and leading the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) in scoring. With no place for him in the powerful Montreal lineup, Drouin was traded to the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

for the 1970–71 season, and he became one of the team's early stars, scoring 68 points and adding 12 points in 12 games in the playoffs. Drouin was a mainstay of the North Stars for four and a half seasons in all, his best season coming in

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

, when he scored career highs of 27 goals and 73 points. His production fell thereafter, and he was traded in mid-season in 1975 to the

. The trade rejuvenated Drouin, and he was an effective two-way player for three seasons with the up-and-coming Islanders. Drouin's production sharply dropped in the 1977–78 season, and disgruntled with his declining role with the Islanders, he sat out the following season in order to become a free agent. He signed with the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

thereafter, but retired early in the 1980–81 season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drouin, Jude 1948 births Living people Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Houston Apollos players Ice hockey people from Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Montreal Junior Canadiens players Minnesota North Stars players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players Montreal Voyageurs players New York Islanders players Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) coaches Verdun Maple Leafs (ice hockey) players