A native of Peribonka, Quebec, about 175 miles north of Quebec City, Goulet wasted little time in showing fans in his home province his dynamic ability to score goals.

After scoring 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 37 games of his first season with Quebec of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Goulet returned with a breakout performance in 1977-78 with a team-leading 73 goals and 135 points. At that point, he decided to forgo his final two seasons of junior eligibility and signed with Birmingham of the World Hockey Association, where he scored 28 goals and had 30 assists for 58 points.

At the conclusion of the 1978-79 season, Goulet was declared eligible for the 1979 NHL Draft and was thrilled when the Quebec Nordiques selected with the No. 20 pick. He considered the Nordiques his hometown team and called it a dream come true.

Goulet showed progression from the moment he made his NHL debut at the Atlanta Flames on Oct. 10, 1979. He scored 22 goals in his rookie season and increased his total by 10 in each of the next two, scoring 32 in 1980-81 and 42 in 1981-82.

The best was yet to come.

From 1982 to 1988 Goulet was one of the most prolific scorers in the NHL, averaging 53 goals per season. He had four consecutive 50-goal seasons starting in 1982-83 and was selected to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1983-84, 1985-86 and 1986-87.

Goulet, who had 19 hat tricks in the NHL, scored a personal single-game high four goals in Quebec's 9-3 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 14, 1985. He equaled that mark three months later in an 8-6 win against the rival Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum, the only two four-goal games of his NHL career.

Goulet's ascension also led to the opportunity to represent his country at the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments. He was one of the best players in the 1984 event with 11 points (five goals, six assists), finishing second by one point in scoring to teammate Wayne Gretzky to help Canada sweep Sweden in the best two-out-of-three final.

On March 5, 1990, Goulet's era in Quebec ended when he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with goalie Greg Millen and a sixth-round pick in the 1991 NHL Draft, for Everett Sanipass, Daniel Vincelette and Mario Doyon. His legacy included five All-Star Game appearances and a pair of trips to the Semi-Finals (1981-82, 1984-85).

Goulet averaged 22 goals in four seasons with the Blackhawks and made his only appearance in a Stanley Cup Final in 1992, when Chicago was swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Goulet's final NHL game was at the Forum on March 16, 1994, when he sustained a head injury from slamming into the boards. He officially announced his retirement Jan. 26, 1995 with 1,153 points (548 goals, 605 assists) and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame three years later.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• QMJHL Second All-Star Team (1978)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1983, 1988)
• NHL First All-Star Team (1984, 1986, 1987)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988)
• Signed as an underage free agent by Birmingham (WHA), June, 1978.
• Traded to Chicago by Quebec with Greg Millen and Quebec's 6th round pick (Kevin St. Jacques) in 1991 NHL Draft for Mario Doyon, Everett Sanipass and Dan Vincelette, March 5, 1990.