| Round | Overall |
| 3 | 29 |
 |
 |
Left-hand shot. Hockey News Pre-Draft Ranking: 12
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1968-69 | Sorel | QJHL | -- | 48 | 74 | 122 | -- |
| 1969-70 | Trois-Rivieres | QMJHL | 55 | 61 | 90 | 151 | 253 |
| 1970-71 | Trois-Rivieres | QMJHL | 59 | 56 | 76 | 132 | 195 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Played for Sorel in 1969 and 1970 Memorial Cup tournaments.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | July 31, 1971 |
| Debut: | January 11, 1973 (Boston vs. Minnesota) |
| Final NHL game: | December 11, 1980 (Quebec at Boston) |
| Retired: | 1981 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 18 (Boston); 10 (Quebec) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: Boston,
Quebec
Years: 1973-1980. Playoffs: 1974
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 4 years | 130 | 28 | 38 | 66 | 69 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 1 year | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Pre-Draft Highlights
Scored first goal in Trois-Rivieres Ducs (QMJHL) franchise history at
6:44 of the first period of Oct. 5, 1969, opener vs.
Shawinigan. ... Led QMJHL with 253 penalty minutes in 1969-70. ... Named to QMJHL
All-Star Second Team with Trois-Rivieres in 1969-70. ... Served as
Trois-Rivieres captain in 1970-71. ... Named to QMJHL
All-Star First Team with Trois-Rivieres in 1970-71. ... Had eight hat
tricks, two eight-point games, and two five-goal games during his junior
career.
Career Highlights
Played on 1971-72 Boston team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Served as Boston (AHL) alternate captain in 1972-73. ... Won Cleveland (WHA) Crusader of Year Award (fan voting) in 1974-75. ... Represented Cincinnati in WHA All-Star Game at Hartford on Jan. 18, 1977. He assisted on the game's first goal by J.C. Tremblay, helping East to 4-2 win over West. ... Named WHA Player of Week for week ending Feb. 20, 1977, after scoring four goals and 10 points for Cincinnati in five games. ... Led Cincinnati and tied for seventh in WHA with 107 points in 1976-77. ... Led Cincinnati and tied for fourth in WHA with 52 goals in 1976-77. ... Scored goal on Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey assist and point at 16:13 of the first period of Indianapolis' Oct. 18, 1978, WHA game at Quebec. Gretzky had the primary assist on Leduc's goal. ... Played on first Quebec Nordiques NHL team in 1979-80 after franchise entered league as part of 1979 merger with WHA, and appeared in the team's first NHL game on Oct. 10, 1979, vs. Atlanta. ... Inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame in 2010. ... Inducted into the WHA Hall of Fame in 2012.
Transaction History
Nov. 18, 1971 -- Loaned by California
to Boston organization to complete Nov. 17, 1971, trade in which Boston dealt Ivan
Boldirev to California in exchange for Chris Oddleifson and a player to
be named later. June 20, 1972 -- Signed
with Boston after his former contract with California expired, ending
terms of his loan to Bruins organization.
May 18, 1974 -- Signed WHA contract with Cleveland.
June 1976 -- WHA rights sold by Cleveland to Cincinnati.
Feb. 12, 1978 -- Traded by Cincinnati (WHA) with Claude Larose to Indianapolis (WHA) in exchange for Darryl Maggs and Reg Thomas.
Nov. 16, 1978 -- Traded by Indianapolis (WHA) with Kevin Morrison to Quebec (WHA) in exchange for 1979 second-round WHA pick, 1980 second-round WHA pick, and 1981 third-round WHA pick. June 9, 1979 -- NHL rights retained by Quebec prior to 1979 NHL Expansion Draft when Boston
did not reclaim him. February 1981 -- Signed with Minnesota
for balance of 1980-81 season as an unrestricted free agent and assigned
to Oklahoma City (CHL).
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Richard
Henri Leduc
Also Known as:
Richie Leduc,
Richard Leduc
Other Post-Draft Teams: Cleveland, Boston (AHL); Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Quebec (WHA); Rochester (AHL); Oklahoma City (CHL)
Significant Injuries
Missed part of 1972-73 season with hairline fracture in hand, an injury suffered during Boston Braves' Nov. 5, 1972, AHL game vs. Richmond. He did not return until a Nov. 21, 1972, game vs. Springfield. He scored two goals in that game. ... Missed part of 1973-74 season with broken collarbone, an injury suffered when he was hooked down to the ice by Steve Durbano and crashed into the boards during Boston's Oct. 23, 1973, game at St. Louis. The injury required surgery, and he did not return until Dec. 11, 1973, when he skated for the Bruins' AHL affiliate, the Boston Braves.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Quebec Nordiques in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Selected by Cleveland Crusaders in 1973 WHA draft of established professional players. | Played left wing during his first pro training camp with California in September 1971. | Loaned by California to Cleveland (AHL, Minnesota affiliate) in October 1971. |
| Had his rights sold by Cleveland to Cincinnati in 1976 as part of team's effort to stay in business. | Indianapolis offered $100,000 to Cincinnati for his WHA rights in 1978, but team refused sale. | Was one of Wayne Gretzky's first professional teammates with Indianapolis (WHA) in 1978. | Worked as an instructor at hockey schools during off-seasons of his early playing days. |
| SNAPSHOT '71 | |
| Total Selected: | 117 |
| Forwards: | 63 |
| Defense: | 45 |
| Goaltenders: | 9 |
| Major Junior: | 84 |
| College Players: | 19 |
| Canadian: | 107 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 2 |
| American: | 8 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 50 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 5 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 10 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 5 |
| Olympians: | 4 |
| Picks Traded: | 18 |
| 1971 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | California |
| Chicago | Detroit | Los Angeles |
| Minnesota | Montreal | New York |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1971