The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful team in the history of the NHL. While they have not been able to add to their total of 24 Stanley Cups (23 as members of the NHL) since 1993, they have been the glamour franchise of professional hockey.
When it comes to North American sports championships, the Canadiens are in a class with Major League Baseball's New York Yankees and the NBA's Boston Celtics. No NFL team has won more than the Green Bay Packers, but 13 championships really doesn't compare with the Canadiens' impressive total.
In addition to the glory of winning the Stanley Cup, the Canadiens have had a tremendous honor roll of superstars. In this piece, we will look at the 10 best in the history of the franchise.
The large majority of the stars listed have played in the post-expansion era of 1967-68, but some of the earlier stars including Howie Morenz, Aurel Joliat, Elmer Lach, Dickie Moore and Bill Durnan deserve recognition as well. Additional stars that were just out of reach of the top 10 include Henri Richard, Steve Shutt, Jacques Plante, Bernie Geoffrion, Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard.
Canadiens championship legends, Nos. 10 and 9
No. 10 Jacques Lemaire was a brilliant player who combined all aspects of the game to play a key role on 8 Stanley Cup winning teams. He was a great set up man, often playing in the middle between the powerful shot of left wing Steve Shutt and legendary right wing Guy Lafleur.
While Lemaire was a brilliant passer and face-off man, he had a hard shot of his own as well as remarkable defensive skills. He scored 366 goals and 835 points in 853 regular-season games during his 12-year career.
Defensive stalwart Bob Gainey ranks as the ninth-ranked player in team history. Gainey is widely known as one of the best defensive players in the history of the NHL. He was a part of 5 Stanley Cup winning teams and he earned 4 Selke Trophies as the best defensive forward in the NHL. He ranks with Bruins star Patrice Bergeron as one of the two best defensive forward in the history of the league. Gainey played 16 years for the Habs and he scored 20 goals or more four times in his carrer.
A pair of netminders and an all-time great defenseman, Nos. 8, 7 and 6
When No. 8 Ken Dryden took his place as a Canadiens goaltender prior to the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs, very little was expected of him. The Canadiens were big underdogs to the high-scoring Bruins featuring Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, and the expectation was a Boston runaway. The 6-4 rookie from Cornell struggled at the start after the Habs lost the first game and fell behind 5-1 in the second game, but Montreal came all the way back. The Canadiens won the series and went on to win the Stanley Cup. Dryden would backstop Montreal to 6 Stanley Cup titles in his 8-year career, and the Hall of Famer won 5 Vezina Trophies.
No. 7 Doug Harvey was the best defenseman in the NHL throughout the 1950s. He won 7 Norris Trophies during his 19-year NHL career, 14 of which were spent with the Canadiens. Harvey was a brilliant skater and excelled at carrying the puck out of his own zone and setting up his teammates with scoring opportunities. He was widely recognized as the best defenseman in NHL history until Bobby Orr began his legendary career with the Boston Bruins.
Patrick Roy, the No. 6-ranked player on the list, is almost certainly the greatest goaltender in Montreal history. He backstopped the Canadiens to two Stanley Cups, and his remarkable instincts and athleticism allowed him to frustrate the best offensive players in the NHL. He had a 20-year NHL career that included 12 with the Habs. Roy was a 6-time All-Star and a 3-time Vezina Trophy winner.
Speed and decisiveness marked these Canadiens' stars, Nos. 5 and 4
When it came to bringing the crowd to its feet, few players in NHL history could match the explosiveness of No. 5 Yvan Cournoyer. His ability to make plays in the offensive zone with his uncanny instincts and superb stickhandling regularly defied explanation. Opponents rarely attempt to cover opponents 1-on-1, and anyone who tried to do that with Cournoyer was regularly embarrassed. He scored 428 goals and 863 points in 968 regular-season games, and he scored 40 goals or more 4 times in his career. The Hall of Famer was a part of 8 Stanley Cup winning teams.
When it comes to the best defensemen in the history of the game, few could match the talent and impact of No. 4 Larry Robinson. He may not have been able to change the game like Bobby Orr, but he was probably closer than any other defenseman. Robinson was able to shut down great offensive players with his size, reach, skating ability and intelligence. He was a part of 6 Stanley Cup-winning teams and he also won the Norris Trophy twice.
Game-changing offensive stars simply could take over, No. 3 and 2
There were few images in hockey that were more thrilling than the sight of 3rd-ranked Guy Lafleur winding up from his own end, picking up speed and then delivering a booming slap shot that found the back of the net. This was a regular occurrence in the famed Montreal Forum and the reaction of Lafleur's appreciative fans was always a long, loud roar of approval. Lafleur scored 560 goals and 1,353 points during his career that saw him celebrate 5 Stanley Cup victories, win 2 Hart Trophies (MVP), 3 Art Ross Trophies (leading scorer) and make the All-Star team 6 times.
No. 2 ranked Maurice “Rocket” Richard was the most dynamic goal scorer in the history of the franchise as he was fueled by his desire to help the Canadiens win every game that he stepped on the ice. Richard was nearly unstoppable and he scored 544 goals and 966 points during his 18-year career with the Habs. There is no doubt that he was the darling of the team's passionate French-Canadian fans. As good as Richard was during the regular season, he was even better in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored 82 goals in 132 postseason games, and 18 of those goals were game-winners.
Remarkable Jean Beliveau, the greatest of them all, No. 1
Top-ranked Jean Beliveau was the classiest player in the history of the winningest team in the history of the NHL. He was a true gentleman who played the game to win but never went outside the lines. Beliveau was a huge man at 6-3 and 205 pounds who played 20 years for the Canadiens from 1951 through 1971. The brilliant Hall of Fame center was a 10-time Stanley Cup winner, a 10-time All-Star and a 2-time Hart Trophy winner. He scored 507 goals and 712 assists, and he was able to make all of his linemates more dangerous because of his brilliant passing and playmaking. He was the personification of class and he maintained that demeanor from the first day of his career through the end of his association with the Habs.
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