Michel Bergeron

Michel Bergeron (born June 12, 1946) is a Canadian ice hockey coach who built his reputation in Quebec junior hockey before reaching the NHL. After leading a Rosemont midget team to a national championship and guiding the Trois-Rivières Draveurs to two Memorial Cup appearances in the QMJHL, he was named head coach of the Quebec Nordiques six games into the 1980–81 season. His Nordiques teams played a high-scoring, up-tempo style and reached the postseason in all seven of his seasons, advancing to the Wales Conference Finals twice. He actively recruited European talent, including the Stastny brothers following their defection from Czechoslovakia. In 1987, Bergeron was traded to the New York Rangers for a first-round draft pick and $75,000, the first coach-for-compensation trade in NHL history.