Old Ties Lure Gauthier to New Challenge : Hockey: Rising star in Nordiques’ front office to team up again with Duck General Manager Ferreira.

Having helped retool the woeful Quebec Nordiques into one of the NHL’s top teams this season, Pierre Gauthier now turns his attention to creating the Mighty Ducks you’ll see on the ice in October.

This didn’t figure to be a job for the Disney special effects crew, and by hiring Gauthier, the Ducks now have one of hockey’s bright young minds in the fold.

Renowned as an astute judge of talent and an expert on international hockey, Gauthier moves from chief scout with the Nordiques to assistant general manager with the Ducks. Initially, there will be little difference between the two jobs. Gauthier’s most pressing task will be uncovering the best young players available to the Ducks.

“Pierre is somebody that I’ve known for the last 12 years,” said Jack Ferreira, who was named the Duck general manager Tuesday.

“We’ve worked together scouting and I’ve always admired his work ethic and his evaluation of talent.

“If anybody knows anything about the Quebec Nordiques team, they’re an aggressive and pro-active organization. They probably have more draft picks, especially first-round picks, currently playing on their team than anybody in the NHL.”

Indeed. When talk turns to how the Nordiques revived their sagging fortunes, most observers point to the team’s standout drafts over the past few seasons as the primary reason why.

Gauthier, the Nordiques’ chief scout for the past five seasons, is the man most responsible for selecting players such as Eric Lindros (1991), Andrei Kovalenko and Owen Nolan (1990) and Mats Sundin (1989).

Although Lindros thumbed his nose at Quebec and eventually wound up in a Philadelphia Flyer uniform, Kovalenko, Nolan and Sundin have helped the Nordiques gain a playoff berth and come within four points of Adams Division-leading Montreal. What’s more, the Nordiques have rekindled once-dormant hockey pride in Quebec City.

When Gauthier became the Nordiques’ chief scout in 1988, the team was in the midst of a downward slide to the depths of the NHL. In 1989-90, Quebec won only 12 of 80 games and looked very much like a first-year franchise.

For example, the San Jose Sharks won 17 games in their first season in 1991-92. With about two weeks left in their inaugural seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators have won 21 and nine games.

Quebec improved with each draft, winning 16 games in 1990-91 and 20 last season. This season, the Nordiques have the third-best record in the NHL and have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

“Pierre has had a lot to do with the success of that franchise,” said Ferreira, director of pro scouting for the Montreal Canadiens until Tuesday.

Gauthier leaves Quebec with mixed feelings. On one hand, he’ll miss the conclusion of the Nordiques’ finest season since 1985-86. On the other, he joins Ferreira, a longtime friend and frequent companion on European scouting trips, to create something from nothing.