1995–96 QMJHL season
The 1995–96 QMJHL season was the 27th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league continued to expand eastward, adding an expansion team in Moncton, New Brunswick, and the Saint-Jean Lynx relocated to the eastern Quebec city of Rimouski in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Fourteen teams played 70 games each in the schedule.
The Granby Prédateurs finished first overall in the regular season winning the Jean Rougeau Trophy, and won their 1st President's Cup, defeating the Beauport Harfangs in the finals. The Prédateurs became the first QMJHL team to win the Memorial Cup in 15 years, by defeating the Peterborough Petes in the finals of the 1996 Memorial Cup tournament.
Team changes
- The Moncton Alpines join the league as an expansion franchise, playing in the Dilio Division.
- The Saint-Jean Lynx relocated to Rimouski, Quebec, becoming the Rimouski Océanic, and switch to the Dilio Division.
- The Drummondville Voltigeurs switch to the Lebel Division.
- The Sherbrooke Faucons switch to the Lebel Division.
- The Granby Bisons are renamed the Granby Prédateurs.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; Pts = Points; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against
| Dilio Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauport Harfangs | 70 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 81 | 284 | 233 |
| Chicoutimi Saguenéens | 70 | 35 | 29 | 6 | 76 | 274 | 242 |
| Shawinigan Cataractes | 70 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 75 | 289 | 259 |
| Halifax Mooseheads | 70 | 32 | 36 | 2 | 66 | 258 | 262 |
| Victoriaville Tigres | 70 | 27 | 41 | 2 | 56 | 246 | 289 |
| Rimouski Océanic | 70 | 25 | 41 | 4 | 54 | 267 | 317 |
| Moncton Alpines | 70 | 14 | 48 | 8 | 36 | 215 | 360 |
| Lebel Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granby Prédateurs | 70 | 56 | 12 | 2 | 114 | 389 | 191 |
| Hull Olympiques | 70 | 52 | 16 | 2 | 106 | 347 | 246 |
| Val-d'Or Foreurs | 70 | 39 | 24 | 7 | 85 | 302 | 244 |
| Sherbrooke Faucons | 70 | 40 | 27 | 3 | 83 | 306 | 263 |
| Drummondville Voltigeurs | 70 | 33 | 34 | 3 | 69 | 299 | 274 |
| Saint-Hyacinthe Laser | 70 | 23 | 44 | 3 | 49 | 242 | 353 |
| Laval Titan Collège Français | 70 | 14 | 54 | 2 | 30 | 219 | 404 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Briere | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 67 | 67 | 96 | 163 | 84 |
| Christian Dubé | Sherbrooke Faucons | 62 | 52 | 93 | 145 | 105 |
| Etienne Beaudry | Sherbrooke Faucons | 70 | 55 | 85 | 140 | 55 |
| Martin Menard | Hull Olympiques | 70 | 61 | 76 | 137 | 125 |
| Martin Chouinard | Granby Prédateurs | 63 | 52 | 82 | 134 | 70 |
| Allan Sirois | Rimouski Océanic | 69 | 59 | 68 | 127 | 172 |
| Jean-Guy Trudel | Hull Olympiques | 70 | 50 | 71 | 121 | 96 |
| Xavier Delisle | Granby Prédateurs | 67 | 45 | 75 | 120 | 45 |
| Frederic Chartier | Beauport Harfangs | 62 | 49 | 71 | 120 | 81 |
| Benoit Gratton | Laval / Granby | 65 | 33 | 85 | 118 | 227 |
Playoffs
Xavier Delisle was the leading scorer of the playoffs with 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists).
- Divisional round-robin
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; Pts = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against
| Dilio Division standings | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoriaville Tigres | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 21 |
| Beauport Harfangs | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 16 |
| Chicoutimi Saguenéens | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 32 | 25 |
| Rimouski Océanic | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 24 |
| Shawinigan Cataractes | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 23 |
| Halifax Mooseheads | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 29 |
| Lebel Division standings | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
| Granby Prédateurs | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 39 | 14 |
| Hull Olympiques | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 30 | 24 |
| Val-d'Or Foreurs | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 20 |
| Saint-Hyacinthe Laser ‡ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 24 |
| Sherbrooke Faucons ‡ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 31 |
| Drummondville Voltigeurs | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 43 |
‡ Saint-Hyacinthe Laser defeated Sherbrooke Faucons in a one-game playoff to determine 4th place in the round-robin standings.
- Quarterfinals
- Beauport Harfangs defeated Rimouski Océanic 4 games to 0.
- Chicoutimi Saguenéens defeated Victoriaville Tigres 4 games to 2.
- Granby Prédateurs defeated Saint-Hyacinthe Laser 4 games to 1.
- Hull Olympiques defeated Val-d'Or Foreurs 4 games to 3.
- Semifinals
- Granby Prédateurs defeated Chicoutimi Saguenéens 4 games to 1.
- Beauport Harfangs defeated Hull Olympiques 4 games to 1.
- Finals
- Granby Prédateurs defeated Beauport Harfangs 4 games to 1.
All-star teams
- First team
- Goaltender - Frederic Deschenes, Granby Prédateurs
- Left defence - Denis Gauthier, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Right defence - Stephane Robidas, Shawinigan Cataractes
- Left winger - Daniel Goneau, Granby Prédateurs
- Centreman - Christian Dubé, Sherbrooke Faucons
- Right winger - Frederic Chartier, Beauport Harfangs
- Coach - Jean Pronovost, Shawinigan Cataractes
- Second team
- Goaltender - Jose Theodore, Hull Olympiques
- Left defence - Jan Nemecek, Hull Olympiques
- Right defence - DD/RD Francis Bouillon, Granby Prédateurs
- Left winger - Jean-Guy Trudel, Hull Olympiques
- Centreman - Danny Briere, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Right winger - Xavier Delisle, Granby Prédateurs
- Coach - Robert Mongrain, Hull Olympiques
- Rookie team
- Goaltender - Mathieu Garon, Victoriaville Tigres
- Left defence - Mario Larocque, Hull Olympiques
- Right defence - Colin White, Hull Olympiques
- Left winger - Pierre Dagenais, Victoriaville Tigres
- Centreman - Patrick Grandmaitre, Victoriaville Tigres
- Right winger - Pavel Rosa, Hull Olympiques
- Coach - Gaston Therrien, Rimouski Océanic
List of First/Second/Rookie team all-stars.
Trophies and awards
- Team
- President's Cup - Playoff Champions, Granby Prédateurs
- Jean Rougeau Trophy - Regular Season Champions, Granby Prédateurs
- Robert Lebel Trophy - Team with best GAA, Granby Prédateurs
- Player
- Michel Brière Memorial Trophy - Most Valuable Player, Christian Dubé, Sherbrooke Faucons
- Jean Béliveau Trophy - Top Scorer, Danny Briere, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Guy Lafleur Trophy - Playoff MVP, Jason Doig, Granby Prédateurs
- Ford Cup – Offensive - Offensive Player of the Year, Danny Briere, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Ford Cup – Defensive - Defensive Player of the Year, Christian Laflamme, Beauport Harfangs
- AutoPro Plaque - Best plus/minus total, Daniel Goneau, Granby Prédateurs
- Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy - Best GAA, Frederic Deschenes, Granby Prédateurs
- Emile Bouchard Trophy - Defenceman of the Year, Denis Gauthier, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Mike Bossy Trophy - Best Pro Prospect, Jean-Pierre Dumont, Val-d'Or Foreurs
- New Faces Cup - Rookie of the Year, not awarded
- Michel Bergeron Trophy - Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pavel Rosa, Hull Olympiques
- Raymond Lagacé Trophy - Defensive Rookie of the Year, Mathieu Garon, Victoriaville Tigres
- Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy - Most sportsmanlike player, Christian Dubé, Sherbrooke Faucons
- QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year - Humanitarian of the Year, Danny Briere, Drummondville Voltigeurs
- Marcel Robert Trophy - Best Scholastic Player, Marc Denis, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
- Paul Dumont Trophy - Personality of the Year, Christian Dubé, Sherbrooke Faucons
- Executive
- Ron Lapointe Trophy - Coach of the Year, Jean Pronovost, Shawinigan Cataractes
- John Horman Trophy - Executive of the Year, Andre Jolicoeur, Rimouski Océanic
- St-Clair Group Plaque - Marketing Director of the Year, Éric Forest, Rimouski Océanic