MONTREAL, QC.- With today’s announcement of this year’s Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, it got me thinking about my own personal HHOF.
As Habs fans, we all have that mental list we’ve assembled over the years of what we consider The Undisputables, Our Personal Favourites, Un-ignorable Non-Habs, & Future Inductees.
For readability purposes, this is a much abridged version of the actual list that exists in my head, but I thought I’d let you all in for a tour of own person Hall of Fame so you can see who I think is great, and why.
The Undisputables:
Maurice Richard: The right wing portion of the famous “Punch Line” is, in my opinion, the greatest Hab to lace a pair of skates in franchise history. The eight time Stanley Cup champion was the first player in league history to score 50 goals in 50 games, as well as the first player to reach 500 career goals. He is revered as a cultural icon in French Canadian history, and had his life story immortalized by Roy Dupuis in the 2005 film, “The Rocket”. The Rocket retired with 126 points in 133 playoff games to go along with his 965 points in 978 regular season games.
Henri Richard: The famous Habs centre man grew up in his big brother’s shadow, and was consequently nicknamed “the Pocket Rocket”. The 5’7” centre has 11 Stanley Cup wins to his name, more than any other player in league history. His 20 year hockey career saw 1256 regular season games, a feat that has yet to be matched by anyone else while wearing the bleu, blanc, et rouge.
Guy Lafleur: The first overall selection at the 1971 NHL Entry Draft still holds the prestigious honour of being the Canadiens all-time leading scorer with 1246 points over the course of his 14 years with the team. The right winger affectionately known as “The Flower” to his fans boasts six 50+ goal seasons to go with his 5 Stanley Cups.
Jean Beliveau: The classiest player in franchise history has his name on the Cup as a player 10 times and in an executive capacity seven times, making him a part of 17 of the Habs 24 Stanley Cups, an achievement that truly boggles the mind. “Le gros Bill” was captain of the storied franchise for 10 seasons, more than any other Habs captain. A true ambassador, he embodies the definition of class both on and off the ice.
Ken Dryden: Arguably the greatest net minder in Canadiens history, the “four-story-goalie” played for the Habs for eight seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in six of those, including his rookie season. A lot of people don’t know that he was initially drafted 14th overall by the Boston Bruins at the 1964 NHL Entry Draft. Fans of the bleu, blanc, rouge have been counting their lucky stars that he didn’t wind up in black & gold, instead becoming a member of the 70’s dynasty, boasting 46 shutouts and only 57 losses in his career 397 games. An intelligent and well spoken man, Dryden was also a member of Canadian parliament for seven years, almost as long as his illustrious hockey career.
Patrick Roy: “Saint Patrick” is the only undisputable inductee in my personal Habs Hall of Fame whose career highs occurred in my lifetime, making even dearer to my heart. The four time Stanley Cup champion won two with the Habs, in ’86 and ’93. Of his 551 career NHL regular season wins, he managed 61 shutouts. His superstitions, butterfly style and infamous wink are among his most memorable moments for fans, who were amused to see the latter replicated this season by the Habs current net minder, Carey Price. Habs fans can only hope that Carey will go on to achieve a similar level of greatness.
Personal Favourites:
Chris Chelios: The three time Stanley Cup champion will go down in history as one of the greatest defenseman ever. Not only did he amass 948 points over the course of his lengthy on and off 27 year NHL career spanning over four franchises, but he also earned a silver medal representing the USA at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Someone who clearly embodied a love of the game, and the ability to get a rise out of his opponents, Chelios’ was also the first hockey jersey I ever owned. Therefore my personal favourites list could not exclude him.
Doug Gilmour: He may have only spent two seasons with the Canadiens, but the impact he left was lasting. His leadership skills both on and off the ice were apparent, as he wore the CH crest late in his hockey career. His 20 year career includes 964 regular season assists (sixth most in league history), and a Stanley Cup in ’89 with the Calgary Flames (which, ironically, was won against Dougie’s future team, the Montreal Canadiens. Fun fact! The Flames are the only team to defeat the Habs for the Cup at the Forum). My all time favourite Doug Gilmour moment came during the playoffs in 2002 against the Carolina Hurricanes, when number 93 took exception to a penalty.
Jose Theodore: The 2002 Hart & Vézina winner was the main reason the Habs went on to defeat the Bruins in the conference quarterfinals that year. The only downside was that this was Théo’s career season. Regardless, he was my very first favourite player, and I remember actually crying when my mother called to inform me that he had been traded to the Colorado Avalanche. He’ll always hold a special place in my heart, and that’s why I included him.
Saku Koivu: Spending nine of his 13 seasons with the Habs as captain (surpassed only by Beliveau), Saku is famous for overcoming adversity when faced with a daunting cancer diagnosis in 2001. He made it back in the lineup for the final three games of the season, receiving an eight minute standing ovation from adoring fans at the Molson Centre. Being in that crowd was one of the most incredible and intensely emotional moments of my life, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.
Kirk Muller: Selected second overall at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft behind Mario Lemieux, the left winger won a Stanley Cup with the Habs in ’93, and was assistant coach in Montreal from 2006-2011. Intensely revered as one of the last remnants of the ’93 cup within the organization, fans were faced with the bittersweet news of his departure as he was named head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals this week (the Nashville Predators farm team). While I fear for the Habs’ special teams next season, I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Un-ignorable Non-Habs:
Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier & Steve Yzerman are my non-Hab favourites.
Future Inductee:
Sidney Crosby: Provided he recovers from the devastating concussion that ended what was on pace to be an extraordinary season. Regardless, the “golden goal” he scored for his country at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is reason enough for me to induct him.
Based on the above stats, it’s pretty clear that Habs have some of the greatest hockey players in hockey history. The standard to which Canadiens players are held to, even today, are apparent, as we continue to argue about under-producing players well into the summer (which led to me to coin the hash tag #nosuchthingasanoffseason).
Of the 50 Hockey Hall of Famers that played for the Montreal Canadiens, only 17 have had their jersey numbers retired. Playing for the Habs is a huge responsibility, as well as a huge honour, as we expect nothing but the best from our beloved bleu, blanc, rouge. When you’re joining the ranks of such company as the aforementioned players, it’s not hard to see why.
Follow me on Twitter @ladyhabs
Photo credits: Library and Archive Canada, The Bleacher Report, Getty Images & News Weasel
Great list. I would add Yvon Cournoyer to it though. His +/- was like +272 and scored 428 goals all for the Canadienes!
A sentimental favorite I would add is John Ferguson. I know his stats are not that of a “great one” but like I said, it is a sentimental thing! With him on the ice or on the bench no one was going to take shots at the stars on the tem or they would answer to Fergie, and that was almost always painful price to pay!
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