The Summit in 1974




Club 1974:
Michigan Stags

 
Marc Tardif
# 22, Team CANADA 1974

Club: Michigan Stags
Position: LW  Shoots: Left
Height: 6-01 Weight: 178
Born: 6/12/1949 in Granby, Quebec

Marc Tardif made his mark in hockey history by being the most prolific goal scorer in the history of the WHA. He was the first round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969 amateur draft cracking the powerful Montreal line-up his first year. By 1971-72 Marc was a 30- goal scorer and the Canadiens were looking at him as being their top forward of the future.

In the summer of 1973 however Marc stunned Montreal by accepting a very lucrative offer from the WHA Los Angeles Sharks. He scored 40 goals in his first WHA season and was one his way to being one of the most dominant players in WHA history. The following season he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques and there playing on a line with Real Cloutier and Christian Bordeleau (and at time Serge Bernier) Marc terrorized opposing goalies. He led the WHA in scoring in 1975-76 and 1977-78. He was named to Team Canada 76 by coach Scotty Bowman however did not attend training camp due to a severe head injury he had suffered in the 1976 playoffs. Marc retired at the end of the 1982-83 season.

Marc Tardif would be a puzzle for Team Canada 74 and head coach Billy Harris. During training camp and the exhibition games against the Canadian juniors Marc looked very strong playing on the "French Selection" line with Rejean Houle and Serge Bernier. Marc played well in game 1 and narrowly missed scoring the winning goal for Team Canada when Vladislav Tretiak made a brilliant save off a point blank shot from Tardif in the final minutes. He sat out game 2 and returned to the lineup for game 3 assisting on a goal by Tom Webster. Harris removed him from the lineup for game 4 , and Marc rushed home as his wife gave birth to a baby daughter and both mother and daughter suffered complications. Marc did not make the trip to Europe with Team Canada however when he was sure his wife and daughter were fine rushed overseas and rejoined his teammates for game 6. For the final 3 games Marc and the "French Selection" would have numerous scoring opportunities. They were always a threat while on the ice, however they suffered from a litany of hit goal posts, and spectacular saves from Tretiak which robbed them of goals time after time. He would finish the series with only 1 assist.

In later years Marc would prove to be a fine international player. He led the Nordiques to an enormous 6-1 thrashing of the Soviet National team in January 1977, and in the December 1977 Izvetsia Tournament played in Moscow Marc would prove to among Quebec's most effective forwards.

 


  Career Statistics
Competitions GP G A PTS PIM
NHL Reg. Season 517 194 207 401 443
NHL Playoffs 62 13 15 28 75
WHA Reg. Season 446 316 350 666 418
WHA Playoffs 44 27 32 59 35

CAREER HIGHLIGTS:

- Played in the professional hockey leagues: 1969-83
- Pro hockey clubs:
NHL: Montreal; WHA: Los Angeles, Michigan, Quebec
- Stanley Cups (2): 1970, 1973
- AVCO Trophy (1): 1977
- WHA awards:
Gary L. Davidson Award (MVP) 1976, 1978
Bill Hunter Trophy (Scoring Leader) 1976, 1978
WHA All Star (1st Team) 1976, 1977
WHA All Star (2nd Team) 1975

PERFORMANCE IN THE 1974 SUMMIT

 Statistics
GP Goals Assists Points PIM
5 0 1 1 10

  Scoring History
GamePeriodTimeScoringNotes
Game 3212:40Assist 

  Penalties History
GamePeriodTimeDescription
Game 6104:3810-minute misconduct

 

 

 

The Summit in 1974