If you follow Eklund on Twitter, you might already be aware that he’s preparing a best franchise of all-time bracket on NHL 19. Each franchise’s all-time line-up was chosen by one of the teams’ blogger and I was glad to help out when Eklund reached out to me. Of course, the shorter the life of the team, the less choices you have. Settling on an all-time line up for such a storied franchise was not an easy task and it did take a lot of thinking especially since comparing different eras of hockey is never a small endeavour.
In net
Patrick Roy: In my mind, he’s the ultimate clutch goalie. The only player to win 3 Conn Smythe trophies and the anchor behind the Habs’ 10 OT win in the 1993 playoffs, you cannot say that he doesn’t deserve his place on this team’s roster for such a tournament. He may not be the winningest goaltender in Habs history but who knows what would have happened if he had spent his whole career in Montreal.
Jacques Plante: A legendary goaltender who had tremendous skills and brought so much to the game and the position. Plante is second only to Price win wise and is a proven winner.
Just missed the cut
Carey Price: There’s only one thing missing to his resume but it’s the big one, no Stanley Cup. I know, he’s won everything else but I think he needs to get his hands on Lord Stanley’s mug to cement his place in history.
Ken Dryden: He was no doubt a candidate for this line-up but he was quoted himself as saying: “I was a good goalie on a great team”. It’s hard to disagree with that statement. Dryden backstopped the team in what could be called its golden era and had a lot more help at all positions than say Roy or Price did.
On the blue line
The Canadiens have so many great players in their history that it becomes really tricky to make just one team to cover 110 years of history. There are however some players or rather trios of players that you just have to keep together. I think this is particularly obvious on D where I felt compelled to pick the Big 3, they are together in the rafters and they remain together on this all-time team.
Serge Savard: First signed to a C-form by the Habs as a forward, he was later converted not a defenseman by the Junior Canadiens and the rest is history. He spent 14 years on the Habs blue line and took part in 8 Stanley Cup conquest. But above all, Le Senateur was known as the calming influence on the Habs’ blue line which is a priceless quality, especially in the playoffs when the stakes are so high.
Guy Lapointe: An expert in setting up 2 on 1 plays, Lapointe and his booming shot were always an offensive threat. To this day he still holds the goal record in a season for a Canadiens defenseman with 28.
Larry Robinson: Big Bird holds the record for the most points by a Habs d-man in a single season with 85 and is also the leader in career wise with 883 points in 1202 games. He was also a huge physical presence (6’4’’ and 225 pounds) and knew how to use his big frame. He’s also the most decorated blue liner in the team’s history with 2 Norris trophies and one Conn Smythe.
Shea Weber: Speaking of physical presence, it seemed like a must to include the Habs current captain in this line-up. Blessed with a bit of a mean streak, Weber will do anything to protect his goaltender or the lead and if his wires get crossed, a warning sign should start flashing in any wise man’s mind. His patented Weber rocket should be easy to unleash on this power play as it will no doubt be better than the Habs’ this season.
Doug Harvey: 4th in D scoring in Habs’ history, picking Doug Harvey was a no brainer. He won 6 cups with the Canadiens and took part in 13 all-star games.
P.K. Subban: Whether you liked Subban or not, the one time Norris winner did manage to lift himself in the top 10 in scoring amongst Habs’ d-men. Great skating and speed are two of his attributes and while he does have his flaws, I loved his level of involvement and the way he could bring the Bell Centre crowd to its feet.
Spare:
Andrei Markov: Tied 2nd in Habs D scoring with Guy Lapointe at 572 points, Markov needed 990 games to reach that total. With a great vision of the play, Markov made up for his lack of speed in his later years with his hockey IQ. A great puck-moving defenseman, his departure really hurt the Canadiens’ defensive corps.
Just missed the cut:
Chris Chelios: I’ll admit that this one was close, really close. Chelios, Subban and Markov all fought for the last 2 spots and the latter 2 won...perhaps the fact that their play is fresher in my mind helped. The numbers were there for sure but my heart probably to over my mind on this selection.
Up front
If scoring has been a worry for the Canadiens in recent years, it certainly won’t be an issue for the all time line-up of the franchise.
1st line: Steve Shutt - Jean Beliveau - Maurice Richard
Steve Shutt: The first left winger to score 60 goals in NHL history he was used alongside Lemaire and Lafleur on the Canadiens’ top line. Shutt was part of the dominating 70s Habs team and won 5 Stanley Cups including four consecutive ones from 1976 to 1979.
Jean Béliveau: Le Gros Bill was the obvious choice. Of all the legends that have skated for our Habs he might be the most important one or at least tied with his line mate on this team. Second in scoring only to Guy Lafleur (1246), Béliveau has marked not only a generation but the history of this franchise with 1219 points. Even after his retirement, he remained one of the best ambassador for the Canadiens and even though he has now left us, his wife still attends a lot of the home game and I would have no hesitation calling her the first lady of Habs hockey.
Maurice Richard: the Rocket was just downright amazing not only for his skills and his knack for scoring but also for his intensity, I remember pulling a card of his out of Score when I was around 11 and asking my dad “Why is this guy mad?” that started a 30 minute speech about Maurice “The Rocket” Richard and that time when he scored 5 goals. In 978 career games, Richard put up 966 points 544 of which were goals. Nearly 60 years after his retirement in remain the all-time leader in goals for les Habitants. Furthermore, he was and will forever remain, the people’s hero.
whenever I see this picture of Maurice Richard I think he died and got reincarnated as Joey Barton pic.twitter.com/1iyT9jY7T2
2nd line: Dickie Moore - Henri Richard - Guy Lafleur
Dickie Moore: Winner of the Art Ross trophy twice in a 17 year career, he is 8th for power play goal scored in the Habs history with 82 and broke Gordie Howe’s 95 points in a season record. He lifted the Stanley Cup 6 times as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Determined, he once played half a season with a cast on his wrist and still managed to bag the scoring title that year.
Henri Richard: The Pocket Rocket has won a record 11 Stanley Cup as a player through his career and the odds of that record being broken one year are slim to none. Maurice’s younger brother by 15 years, he joined the Habs in 1955 and played 20 years all of them with the Habs. He remains the player who has worn the Bleu, Blanc, Rouge in the most games (1258) and is 3rd in all time scoring with 1046 points (8th in goals with 358 and 3rd in assists with 688). Number 29 on the Hockey News’ list of the NHL top 100 players of all time and it has recently been revealed that he has suffered from Alzheimer’s since 2015.
Guy Lafleur: Le démon blond was heck of a player even though it took him a few seasons to live up to the expectations but he did eventually not only meet them but exceeded them. The first player in NHL history to record at least 50 goals and 100 points in 6 consecutive seasons, he was a scoring machine. His defensive play however was no without fault and once Jacques Lemaire took over as coach and insisted everyone had to contribute defensively his ice-time plummeted which resulted in him putting in a transaction request which was denied. He then simply decided to retire and came back to play after being inducted as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1988, he decided he wasn’t quite done and played 3 more seasons with the New York Rangers and the Quebec Nordiques.
3rd line: Mats Naslund - Jacques Lemaire - Bernie Geoffrion
Mats Naslund: The little Viking was the first european born player to play for the Tricolore and as soon as he entered the league, he made some noise. In his first season, he gathered 71 points in 74 games but his best season was in 1985-1986 when he accumulated 110 points and he remains the last Montreal Canadiens to have reached the magic 100 points number. Naslund was an intricate part of the Canadiens’ 23rd Stanley Cup leading the way with 19 points but the Conn Smythe trophy eluded him as it was captured by the Habs’ rookie goaltender; Patrick Roy.
Jacques Lemaire: Coco holds the 7th position in all time scoring with the Canadiens and is 6th in plus minus with a +344. It is therefore no surprised that the team he coached were asked to be defensively responsible. While his playing career only last 12 years, he still won 8 Stanley Cup in the span and added one to his name in 17 years of coaching.
Bernie Geoffrion: Boom Boom was known for his hard slap shot and is also remembered for having “stolen” the scoring title from Maurice Richard when the Rocket was suspended for the remainder of the season after hitting a referee. Geoffrion also played a robust type of game and collected more than his share of stitches throughout his career. Second player in NHL history to get 50 goals in a season after Maurice Richard. A proud leader, was left devoted in1961 after the Canadiens decided to give the C to Jean Beliveau rather than to him even though he had been an assistant captain the previous season. He won the Stanley Cup 6 times, the Art Ross trophy twice and the Hart once.
4th line: Bob Gainey - Guy Carbonneau - Yvan Cournoyer
Bob Gainey: He could have his picture next to the Frank Selke trophy in the dictionary capturing the award given to the best defensive forward 4 times in a row from 1976 to 1979 while also winning the cup 5 times as a player. Given his defensive prowess he was a penalty killing specialist and score 20 shorthanded goals putting him on equal footing with Tomas Plekanec as 2nd in Habs history. While goals are essential to win the cup, you also need some guys who can prevent the other team from scoring.
Guy Carbonneau: Captain of the Habs for the 1993 Stanley Cup conquest, Carbo was also a PK specialist and has scored 28 shorthanded goals over his 12 years with the Canadiens. Winner of 3 Selke trophies and 2 cup with Montreal he went on to win another cup with Dallas in 1999.
Yvan Cournoyer: A speedy winger, the Roadrunner played 968 games with the Canadiens and recorded 863 points which give him the 6th rank in points. With 152 power play goals, he’s second in history only to Jean Beliveau. When he retired, he had captured the Stanley Cup 10 times, only one short of Henri Richard’s record.
Spares: Toe Blake, Vincent Damphousse
Toe Blake: Blake won the cup twice with the Habs in his 13 years with them as a player and won it 8 more times while coaching team for another 13 years. Not all players can become great coaches (Wayne Gretzky anyone?) but Blake certainly was. That kind of experience is priceless when chasing the title.
Vincent Damphousse: Part of the 1993 Stanley Cup winning team, Damphousse is probably the last real first line centre the Canadiens had, he’s also the last Canadiens player to reach the 40 goal mark (even though Max Pacioretty came pretty darn close since)
I’m aware that this list will not please everyone but I strongly believe that with all the talent this franchise has had over the years, it would have been easy to select 2 teams… Unfortunately, the assignment was to pick a single one comprising of 20 players and 3 spares so there you have it. Hopefully this line-up makes it far in Eklund’s tournament.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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