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Who are the top Montreal Canadiens of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Patrick Roy: in addition to being second in career regular season wins and winning three Vezina Trophies, Roy is arguably the greatest postseason performer ever at the goalie position – during his time with Montreal, he won two Conn Smythes and two Stanley Cups.
9. Ken Dryden: a dominant goalie with a relatively brief career, Dryden won five Vezina Trophies and six Stanley Cups in just eight seasons with the Canadiens; interestingly, he won the Conn Smythe in 1971 BEFORE winning the Calder Trophy for top rookie.
8. Howie Morenz: one of the NHL’s first superstars, Morenz won three Hart Trophies while leading the Canadiens to three Stanley Cup titles during the 1920s and 1930s.
7. Henri Richard: the younger brother of goal-scoring virtuoso Maurice, 5’7” Henri was a Hall of Fame player in his own right – in 20 seasons, he tallied over 1,000 career points and his 11 Stanley Cup titles are the most-ever for an individual player in league history.
6. Larry Robinson: a key part of the Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s that won six Stanley Cups, Robinson was a 2x Norris Trophy winner who holds the NHL record for best career +/- rating (+722), including an astounding +120 during his Norris-winning 1976-1977 campaign.
5. Guy Lafleur: Montreal’s career scoring leader, Lafleur won two Hart Trophies, three Ross Trophies, and three Pearson Awards and was the first NHL player with six straight seasons of 50+ goals and 100+ points, while also leading the 1970s Canadiens dynasty to five Stanley Cups.
4. Doug Harvey: arguably the greatest defenseman in NHL history pre-Bobby Orr, Harvey led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup 6x and is second all-time with seven career Norris Trophies (all won in an eight-year span during his 30s).
3. Jean Beliveau: the first Conn Smythe Trophy winner in NHL history, Beliveau was a 2x Hart Trophy winner who tallied over 1,200 career points and won 10 Stanley Cups during his 20-year playing career with the Canadiens; moreover, he won seven additional titles as an executive with the team, thus giving him a total of 17 Stanley Cup titles with Montreal.
2. Jacques Plante: the first goalie to wear a protective mask regularly, Plante won five consecutive Vezina Trophies in the late 1950s while guiding the Canadiens to six Stanley Cups and remains the NHL’s career leader with seven Vezinas.
1. Maurice Richard: the namesake of the Richard Trophy for top goal-scorer annually, Richard led the league in goal-scoring 5x and accumulated 544 career goals, becoming the first player to score 50 goals in a season (in just 50 games) and 500 goals in a career; moreover, the 1946-1947 Hart Trophy winner guided Montreal to eight Stanley Cup titles in his 18 seasons with the team.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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