The dominant force in North American hockey from the Stanley Cup’s inception in 1915 through to the end of the 1970s, the Montréal Canadiens long set the standard for the NHL.
Naturally, a team with 24 Stanley Cup triumphs from 35 trips to the Finals has regularly featured several of the best players in the sport in any given year, many of whom went on to become legends.
Ranking the greatest players in Montréal Canadiens history certainly isn’t an easy task, but since being founded in 1909, some all-time greats stand out above their vaunted Habs peers as deserving of additional recognition.
1) Maurice Richard
Maurice “Rocket” Richard is one of the original megastars of the NHL. A part of one of Montréal’s most prolific teams that won eight Stanley Cups from 1943 to 1960, Richard also laid waste to standing records and broke new ground.
Richard was the first to score 50 goals in one season, which only took him 50 games in one of his earliest outings (1944/45), and went on to enjoy the NHL’s first 500-goal career.
In 978 games, arguably the greatest player in Montréal Canadiens history put up 544 goals and 966 points, adding another 82 goals and 126 points in 133 postseason games.
On top of his stats, Richard was regularly honoured by the league and beloved by just about everyone in his home province.
By the end of his career, the 5’10’’ right winger was an eight-time First Team All-Star, Hart Trophy winner, and lends his name to the league’s top goalscorer trophy as well as to the Habs’ affiliate team in the AHL.
2) Jean Béliveau
Easily the top competitor to the crown of being the greatest Montréal Canadiens player in history, Jean Béliveau always makes it a very close race with Rocket Richard.
However, the argument can always come down to Richard officially, but maybe Béliveau hypothetically, as the Québécois devoted his early years to the province’s amateur league before entering the NHL.
His talent was so great that, to trigger his pro contract, the owners of the Canadiens purchased the Québec Senior Hockey League – which Béliveau was dominating as an amateur – and turned it professional to trigger Béliveau’s B-form signed years earlier.
Buying a whole amateur hockey league proved to be a sound investment for the Habs as Béliveau would be a career Canadien, scoring 1,219 points in 1,125 games – 507 of which were goals – and another 176 points in 162 playoff games.
Boasting ten Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, two Hart Memorial Trophies, and 13 appearances in the All-Star Game, Béliveau enjoyed a formidable career that placed him just 37 goals behind Richard and 27 points behind Guy Lafleur on the franchise all-time scoring charts.
Had Béliveau joined the Habs as soon as he could, it’s likely that he would have ended atop the charts for goals, assists, points, games played, and several other rankings to become Montréal’s undisputed greatest player in history.
3) Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy stands as one of the most impactful goaltenders on the sport of hockey to have ever taken to the ice, changing the way that goaltenders play entirely.
The Calder Trophy, four-time Stanley Cup, three-time Vezina Trophy, and three-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner popularised the butterfly style, bringing goalies to their knees and forcing a technique change for all in the position.
After being taken 51st overall in 1984 by the Habs, the Québec Nordiques fan broke out as a 20-year-old rookie to take over the starting job in January, guide the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup, and be named the youngest-ever winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Roy’s Habs legacy could have been even greater if the 1995/96 season didn’t see the franchise hire Mario Tremblay, who had repeatedly almost come to blows with the star goaltender in the past and notoriously left him in for nine goals in the famous 11-1 drubbing by the Detroit Red Wings in December 1995.
Traded to the Colorado Avalanche less than a week after that Red Wings game, Roy would go on to double his Stanley Cup haul to four, win the Conn Smythe again, and continue to be an All-Star while baffling opposition teams in his refined butterfly style.
Notably, Roy was also a superb puck-playing goaltender, putting up 45 assists – a tally that famed netminder Martin Brodeur would match later.
His old team, the Avs, have struggled to keep the puck out of the net at times this season, but even without a goaltender of Roy’s stature, they are still in the mix for the title at +750 in the NHL odds.
4) Guy Lafleur
Landing fourth among the greatest Montréal Canadiens players in history is the Habs’ all-time leader in assists (728) and points (1,246).
“Le Démon Blond,” as he was known, became infamous for his absurd speed down the sides of the rink, flowing blonde hair, and thunderous slap shot that would pin goalies back into the crease.
The right wing ace was the first player in NHL history to score at least 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons, with his knock of six successive seasons of 50 goals being a record on its own.
A staple of the indomitable 1970s Habs, Lafleur hung up his skates with five Stanley Cup triumphs, three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Memorial Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and six All-Stat call-ups.
After departing the NHL at the conclusion of the 1984/85 season, Lefleur made his way back for a few more seasons.
He’d feature for the New York Rangers and Québec Nordiques, the former of which is now a +650 Stanley Cup betting favourite, before finally hanging up his skates for good.
5) Larry Robinson
Standing 6’4’’, Larry Robinson was a particularly menacing defenseman to face in his day, and worst of all, he had the agility, strength, and hockey IQ to make the most of his towering presence beyond heavy body checks.
Drafted 20th overall by the Habs in 1971, “Big Bird” refined his craft with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs for a season-and-a-half before getting his NHL call-up, quickly entrenching himself in the blueline corps.
In his second full season with the Habs, Robinson established himself as a top two-way threat, putting up 14 goals and 61 points in 80 games – and 76 penalty minutes for good measure.
Robinson finished his career with an NHL stat line of 1,384 games, 207 goals, and 751 assists, but it’s impossible to escape his plus-minus line.
As much as the stat isn’t always an indicator of individual prowess, putting up a career plus-minus line of +722 to dwarf the +582 of Bobby Orr, +527 of Ray Bourque, and even Wayne Gretzky’s +520 is an incredible feat.
The Habs boast several other candidates to rank among the top five greatest Montréal Canadiens players in franchise history, but for this list, the rankings go to Richard, Béliveau, Roy, Lafleur, and Robinson.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
