Career Vitals

Career NHL Statistics

Team: Montreal
Years: 1969-1973, 1976-1983. Playoffs: 1971-1983

Pre-Draft Highlights

Also played left wing. ... Played in 1967 Memorial Cup tournament with Thetford Mines Canadiens at age 17. ... Had outstanding final junior season on a prolific scoring line with Marc Tardif and Gilbert Perreault for the Montreal Junior Canadiens in the 1968-69 season -- winning the Red Tilson Trophy as OHA MVP, the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as OHA leading scorer (108 points), the Max Kaminsky Award as OHA most gentlemanly player, and earning spot on the OHA All-Star First Team.

Pro Career Highlights

Played all three forward positions throughout his pro career, but was primarily used at right wing. ... Played on 1969-70 Montreal Voyageurs team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Scored Montreal's first goal against Vancouver Canucks franchise on Oct. 31, 1970, at Montreal Forum -- the goal, scored against Charlie Hodge, was also the first of his NHL career. ... Shadowed Bobby Hull effectively for Montreal in helping Canadiens win 1971 Stanley Cup Finals series vs. Chicago. ... Represented Quebec in WHA All-Star Game in 1974, 1975, and 1976. ... Named MVP of the 1975 WHA All-Star Game at Edmonton with two goals and two assists for the league's East All-Stars, who fell 6-4 to the West. ... Represented Canada as one of WHA All-Stars who faced Soviet Union in 1974 Summit Series, appearing in seven of the eight games. ... Scored 51 goals for Quebec (WHA) in 1975-76. ... Tied for WHA postseason goal-scoring lead with 10 goals for Quebec in 1976. ... Served as Quebec player representative during his years with Nordiques. ... Named NHL Player of Week for week ending Feb. 19, 1978, after scoring five goals and adding two assists in three wins over St. Louis, Washington, and Colorado. This included a hat trick on Feb. 17 at Washington. During this time the Canadiens extended their unbeaten streak to an NHL record of 26 consecutive games. ... Given lifetime appointment in 2005 as an official ambassador of the Canadiens organization.

Transaction History

July 20, 1973 -- Signed WHA contract with Quebec. June 15, 1976 -- Signed three-year contract to rejoin Montreal after WHA contract with Quebec expired.

Significant Injuries

Missed part of 1969-70 season with a fractured ankle. ... Missed part of 1974-75 season with broken toe. ... Missed part of 1976-77 season with separated shoulder. ... Missed part of 1978-79 season with strained groin. ... Missed part of 1979-80 season with broken jaw, an injury suffered during Montreal's Jan. 30, 1980, game at Colorado. ... Missed nearly half of 1981-82 season with broken collarbone, an injury suffered during Montreal's Nov. 2, 1981, game at Quebec. ... Missed part of 1982-83 season with bruised bone in right foot, an injury suffered during Montreal's Feb. 13, 1983, practice.

Houle Goes to the WHA

Houle made headlines in July 1973 when he left Montreal to sign a three-year deal with the WHA's Quebec Nordiques. Picked by Quebec in the 1972 General Player Draft, he talked about going to the WHA as much as a year earlier. Nordiques general manager Jacques Plante had tried to lure Houle throughout the 1972-73 season, and within a week of signing Houle, had publicly claimed the team made its final offer. The deal, which took roughly two months to negotiate for Plante and Houle's agent, Gabriel Lapointe, reportedly paid Houle between $100,000 and $110,000 per season -- a big raise over his NHL salary. He was coming off a strong performance in a defensive role that helped the Canadiens win the 1973 Stanley Cup, but he said he took the Quebec offer in part because the team offered him a scoring role. In going to the WHA, Houle followed in the footsteps of riend and longtime teammate, Marc Tardif, who left the Habs for the Los Angeles Sharks just a few weeks earlier. In Quebec, Houle was reunited with two former Canadiens teammates in J.C. Tremblay, Dale Hoganson, as well as goaltender Michel Deguise, who had been playing in Montreal's farm system.  Three years later, when his contract with Quebec was due to expire, Houle and Lapointe approached Canadiens general manager Sam Pollock about returning to the team. He was unhappy about the offer he was getting from Quebec, and it didn't take long for him to get a better three-year deal with Montreal.

Life Outside the NHL

Nicknames: "Reggie", "Peanut"

Other Post-Draft Teams: Montreal (AHL); Quebec (WHA)

Career Beyond Hockey: Retired from NHL to take job as a sales representative with Molson Breweries, which owned the Montreal Canadiens, in 1983. He became Molson Director of Public Relations in 1986 and was working in that role when Molson merged with Carling O'Keefe in 1989. He remained with Molson until taking position as Montreal Canadiens executive in 1995.

Family: Father for former college player and minor-leaguer Jean-Francois Houle.

Non-Playing Career

Miscellaneous:

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