1971 Memorial Cup

Quebec won the series in two games, both held at the Colisée de Québec, to win the first Memorial Cup championship in the city's history.

The national playdowns were marred by controversy as the Remparts advanced to the championship series when the Ontario Hockey Association's (OHA) St. Catharines Black Hawks forfeited the eastern championship series after five games rather than return to Quebec City for a sixth game in the face of a hostile and violent crowd and threats from the Front de libération du Québec.

[4] In a best-of-seven series for the Eastern championship, they faced OHA champion St. Catharines, led by Marcel Dionne, who was the Ontario league's top scorer with 143 points.

[6] The crowd grew increasingly hostile towards the visitors, pelting the players with eggs, potatoes and golf balls, while one fan threw a knife.

[6] The Black Hawk players were escorted out of the building by police following the game as a mob of angry fans threw bottles at them and then milled around the team's motel until the early hours of the following morning.

[7] Threats were made against the players by the Quebec Liberation Front, a group that precipitated the October Crisis of 1970 that resulted in the Canadian government invoking the War Measures Act.

[9] Oil Kings' owner, general manager and coach, Bill Hunter, implored the eastern leagues to participate in a championship series calling it the "burning ambition" of all Canadian junior players while invoking the actions of the government during the October Crisis: "If the Prime Minister wants to do something right for the west for a change, he'll use the War Measures Act to enforce a Memorial Cup final.

"[9] The Oil Kings and the Remparts agreed to a shortened best-of-three series for the Memorial Cup, with all games in Quebec as approved by the CAHA and Earl Dawson.

[16] Lafleur was hailed by the fans in Quebec as the best junior player in the world,[9] and was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft three weeks after winning the Memorial Cup.

[16] Marcel Dionne was selected second overall by the Detroit Red Wings from the St. Catharines Black Hawks in 1971 and played 18 years before joining Lafleur in the Hall of Fame.