Habs Eyes On The Prize - Home of 24 Stanley Cups

About me. Who the heck does this guy think he is anyway?

I'm Robert Lefebvre, and for over two years now my Eyes On The Prize site has grown to become fairly well known among Canadiens fans and their blogging community. The site's content tends to apply the title as it's motto - to follow the Canadiens on their pursuit towards a Stanley Cup win.

I became a fan of the game in 1969. At seven years old, I wanted to be Bobby Orr. Oddly enough, I became a Habs fan at a Cornwall Royals game, by watching the Quebec Remparts Guy Lafleur destroy my hometown heroes. I vowed then and there, after witnessing first hand a most beautiful player, that wherever Lafleur went in the NHL, I would follow.

I barely recall watching the Canadiens win the Cup in 1969, but I saw every faceoff when they did in 1971. In all I have watched the Canadiens hoist nine Lord Stanley's. It's hard to translate to someone exactly what that means in terms of knowledge and insight, but what I often attempt to do is pass some of that on to readers.

New readers will catch on fairly quickly that sharing what I've learned is a big thing with me. To the uninitiated, that tends to make me come off as arrogant and sometimes pompous, and I apologize for that. I hardly know everything there is to know about hockey and the Canadiens - but I want to!

I've always considered myself a student of the game, as much as a fan. I seek to learn as much as I can about hockey, from every point of view possible.

I've played the game to less than stellar achievements. From 1988 to 1996 I coached boys house league hockey in the CMHA, and it was an eye opener in many respects. For a brief stint, I did some junior hockey scouting on a volunteer basis. Today I have a 13 year old daughter who is her ninth season in the game. There isn't a person in the world I envy more than her!

Since beginning the Eyes On The Prize site in July of 2006, I have posted close to a thousand entries. The most rewarding aspect of it all has been my involvment in the Canadiens fans online community. Through the Montreal Gazette's Habs Inside Out blog, I have been able to meet with fans of my site on two occasions. Most recently, I was involved in helping to raise $1,250 for the Gainey Foundation. It is something I hope to continue with over the coming years.

Moving my site to Sports Blog Nation was an easy hurdle to make. SBN has been very accomodating in many ways. As soon as I was informed that my site name and archives would follow me over, I was thrilled. As I am sure new readers will now be reached, bringing the archives along felt essential to me in allowing new friends to find out what this site is all about. I cannot even estimate how happy I am that I could do this.

To the new readers of Eyes On The Prize, I welcome you to dig deep into past posts. I believe there are many rewarding reads in the backlogs, and they will be brought forth from time to time, when the perspective calls for it.

For my old friends from the site's previous incarnation, I hope you quickly get comfortable in these new digs. You will have to sign up for a login to comment on the posts, and once that is achieved I hope to witness much lively banter in that section, and take part in it as often as I am able.

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EOTP on Rink Side Radio Tonight 9:45

For anyone interested, I will be a guest on Rink Side Radio tonight at 9:45 answering about the Bob Gainey resignation. The hosts are Joe Fortunato (Blueshirt Banter) and Brandon Worley (Defending Big D) and they have kindly asked me to come on. Should be fun!

about 15 hours ago Robert L 0 comments 0 recs

Gainey Abandons GM Role In Montreal Under Curious Circumstances

by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 6:14 PM EST Comment 9 comments

In the city where every possible hockey decision represents a potential controversy, it is difficult tell the smoke from the dry ice when it comes to today's decision by Bob Gainey to step down from the position of general manager of the Canadiens.

There will always be speculation attached to what occurred today and a certain "did he jump or was he pushed" stigma will always be tied to the things fans and reporters are not privy to.

Bob Gainey called it a personal decision, saying that he prefrerred to step down a bit sooner rather having to leave once it was too late.

Critics will suggest that time was imminent, others will note that with a trade deadline approaching, that the timing is rather odd and curious.

According to Gainey, he was asked by the organization for a commitment beyond this season, and was not prepared to make one.

There can be no doubt that Gainey leaves the team in better shape than when he took it over in the summer of 2003. There were a good number of high times and some low lights, as there is during any regime.

Of course, the speculation will reign supreme for weeks that Gainey was pressured into an early exit based on current player scenarios and team standing. That is the nature of Montreal to scope such extremities.

Two news bits heard today, from different sources unattached to today's event will linger in my mind.

Earlier this morning on radio station CKAC, commentator and play by play man on the station Martin Maguire was speaking of the Canadiens seemingly never ending goaltending controversy, when he made reference to some inside information concerning the trade market.

Maguire claimed that the Canadiens had and still were shopping goalie Jaroslav Halak, and that offers for him had not risen in return value. However, it appears GM's took Gainey's stance in not moving Halak as a sign that Carey Price could now be had. Offers for Price were pourring in, as per Maguire.

Maguire's colour man on those broadcasts, former QMJHL coach Dany Dube, after Gainey's announcement today, recalled a conversation he had with the GM this past summer, shortly after he had rebuilt the club through free agent signing. Dube quoted Gainey as saying something along the lines of "this is the team you will be left with," hinting that Gainey knew of the possiblity that this was his last season at the helm of the club even then.

Whatever spin the events of the day take on in the future, how many of you actually believe that the Canadiens would fire Gainey in the traditional sense, if ever it came to that?

Gainey, a lifelong Canadien, has endured a great deal during his tenure. A family man with very strong personal convictions, he has lost two precious family members in the past decade. This past summer, Gainey became a grandfather for the first time. This past weekend he surely spent some moments of the phone with Brian Burke, who's family suffered a tragedy of their own.

Perhaps given the choice, his future with a lighter workload, balancing babies on his knee seemed more enlightening than running a hockey team in a city that never forgives.

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Watch Canadiens Press Conference LIve

The Montreal Canadiens press conference this afternoon will be streaming live on the team's official site. You can see it here.

about 19 hours ago Robert L 0 comments 0 recs

Transactions of the Bob Gainey Regime 2003 - 2010

by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 2:20 PM EST Comment 0 comments

Seeing as the Bob Gainey era in Montreal has now come to an abrupt end, here is a look back at all player moves made by Bob Gainey since taking over the GM's chair in Montreal on June 3, 2003.

These are just the plain facts on roster moves, trades, draft picks and other transactions during the Gainey regime in Montreal from 2003 to the present July 2009. The analysis is all yours!

The chronological listing includes all moves (players acquired by trade, draft, waivers or free agent signings) on the Canadiens roster and similar relevant moves concerning the Hamilton Bulldogs roster since 2003.

Each seasonal recap will feature a final roster of all players who played for the Canadiens in that particular season, and a listing of departed players. Where possible, it will be noted the means by which a player has left the organization. Also in the recaps will be a list of players transaction for that campaign, along with the a listing of the players drafted into the organization in June of that year.

Additionally, within each individual season post you will see a hyperlink reading "Players stats / Canadiens games / NHL Season Summary" from the Hockey Reference site in which you can investigate a particular season's details more closely.

For clarification purposes, each individual season recap begins with a roster of players from the preceding season, followed by transactions completed after the final game of that season. Exceptions will include minor pro players signed for the benefit of an upcoming season.

The recaps (access each season by clicking the links) is divided into seven seperate posts, reading as follows:

The Gainey Regime 2003-04: Year One - An Organizational Recap and Look Back on 2002-03

The Gainey Regime 2004-05: Year X - The Lockout

The Gainey Regime 2005-06: Year Two

The Gainey Regime 2006-07: Year Three

The Gainey Regime 2007-08: Year Four

The Gainey Regime 2008-09: Year Five

The Gainey Regime 2009-10: Year Six - A recap of moves made from the seven previous seasons and moves from this season.

Notations for players will be included in each recapped season, and are as follows.

(*) denotes players currently on the Canadiens NHL roster.

(+H) denotes players currently on the Hamilton Bulldogs AHL roster.

(+HM) denotes players currently on the Hamilton roster who have played with Montreal.

(P) denotes prospects who have yet to sign a professional contract (NHL, AHL, or ECHL) with the organization.

(-M), (-H) and (-MH) denote players no longer in the organization who have played either in Montreal, Hamilton, or both.

(--) denotes a player who has never played in Montreal or Hamilton. The final group likely never signed a professional contract with the club and were simply not retained by the organization. A final tally of each category will follow these chronological yearly listings.

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Breaking News - Habs GM Gainey to announce resignation today

by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 12:49 PM EST Comment 17 comments

Whoa, shocker! Glad I didn't name this site in Bob we trust after all!

In an unforeseen story, TSN is reporting that Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey will be stepping down after 7 seasons at the helm of the club. Reports are that assistant GM Pierre Gauthier will assume the position on an interim basis.

A press conference has been called for 4 p.m. and you can listed to it here.

Listening to radio station CKAC this morning, french commentator Martin Maguire was speaking about the approaching trade deadline in regards to what the Canadiens would be doing in terms of their goaltending questions. Maguire had it on good sources that while Halak in the past been shopped, including very recently, that offers for him had not increased. However, Maguire pointed, offers for Carey Price were piling up.

This would be a connundrum leading to philosophical differences, one that would cause Gainey to step down.

Two scenarios: Gainey has traded goalies at this time of year, twice before. I do not think it unthinkable that at this point he would part with Price with the right offer on the table. As I see it, he was about to do one or the other, and the Molson family stepped in.

This story will use up a great deal of ink and be talked about for years. It will be curious to see how much Gainey admits.

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The Mother Of All Habs Centennial Collectibles

by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 10:27 AM EST Comment 3 comments

Ice It Authentics has come up with a Canadiens centennial item it considers to be the Mona Lisa of sports collectibles.

No, it's not an actual photo of Bob Gainey smiling, but it is surely something that would keep your smilling if you owned one.

How about one beauty of a painting, three different Habs jersey back spelling out the number 100 adorned with the signatures of a hundred Montreal Canadiens past and present?

Dandy huh?

The whole story of how it came about, the folks behind the idea, and lots of cool pics were featured at Ya! The Habs Rule a couple of days back.

Must see stuff folks!

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Kovalchuk Was Almost A Hab

by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 9:56 AM EST Comment 3 comments

Okay, don't crap yourselves! This story goes back more than eight years ago, not to last week.

Back in the summer of 2001 at the annual NHL Entry Draft, then Canadiens GM Andre Savard swung for the home run fence and pulled out all stops to aquire the Atlanta Thrashers first overall pick, which would turn out to be Ilya Kovalchuk.

He came awful close!

Savard had offered a package of 5 players that included the team's two first round picks that year, which they'd eventually use to select Mike Komisarek and Alexander Perezhogin.

At the draft table, after Atlanta selected Kovalchuk, Thrasher's GM Don Waddell admitted that the Canadiens had come closest in luring him into a deal. He later confided that had the Habs included goaltender over another he would have gone for it. Savard, at the time, never admitted who the deal included, but it was later reavealed that the player he refused to part with was goaltender Mathieu Garon. Savard was offering prospect Jose Theodore instead.

Over time, it has slipped out that the other players on the table included Richard Zednik for certain, and surprisingly Andrei Markov, who was just beginning to round out and was said to be having adaptation problems to North American lifestyle at the time.

Incredibly, future Hart Trophy winning goaltender Jose Thoedore was the stumbling block in it all!

Forward Benoit Brunet's name was also mentioned as Savard levied to make it a 6 for 1 deal, but Waddell wouldn't budge in that direction.

Hindsight is beauty ain't it?

Imagine what the Thrashers might have done as a team with the likes of Theodore, Markov, Komisarek, Zednik, Perezhogin and Brunet?

The following season, the Thrashers would likely have passed over Keri Lehtonen and selected Jay Bowmeester in the 2002 draft. Wow?

And Garon, well he starred for awhile in a few cities for short spells and stuck around long enough to be considered a serviceable journeyman goaltender.

Hindsight in Montreal's regard? Well Kovalchuk would have been adored in Montreal, but what of the Canadiens defence all these years without Markov and Komisarek?

As with many Canadiens fans, I ended up adoring the player Jose Theodore became, but for awhile I strongly considered the possibility that Garon, due to his size, might have the better upside.

Remind you of any present scenarios?

Hindsight does blur the perspective some, with Theodore going on to win the Hart Trophy winner the very next season. At the time, it must have made Waddell second guess himself some.

The whole once upon a time scenario makes for some interesting backwards speculation. It took Atlanta six seasons to achieve a winning record and seven to make the playoffs, where they have yet to win a single game.

Montreal in that time, have never quite had a sniper near the prowess and repute of Kovalchuk. He would not only have lifted fans from their seats in that span, he might have made the seats lift by themselves.

As it stands now the Thrashers have failed consistently due to the lack of a decent backline. Markov and Komisarek, had Atlanta chosen him, would surely have rectified this area.

Montreal is still in search of a gamebreaker the likes of Kovalchuk. Had they sacrificed such depth to aquire him, would they be any better off today?

Needless to say, the complexion of both teams would have been drastically altered had the deal gone down.

When one looks beyond this trade that never happened at teams like Tampa and Atlanta and their current standing, it could be underlined that one player does not make a team successful. Waddell should have made the deal, in hindsight.

In the same perspective, it might be a good things for Habs fans that Savard was so fussy in his upside assessment of Garon. Despite the fact the he, and Theodore are no longer on the scene, it's hard to perceive that the Habs would have been better off in the long run.

Looking back and placing oneself in that timeline, Savard had he made the trade, might still be the Habs GM - hardly a bad scenario!

Whether Andre Savard and his staff would have drafted well enough since then to surround Kovalchuk well enough to make the team a contender within six seasons is guesswork beyond comprehension. Perhaps the Habs fate would have had them take back steps before turning things around. Those back steps might have led to better draft picks, and then again maybe not.

We will never really know.

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Only Habs Stand In The Way Of Bruins All-Time Futility Mark

by Robert L on Feb 7, 2010 3:04 AM EST Comment 2 comments

Should the Canadiens beat the Bruins today and Boston goes on to tie their team record of 11 straight loses, it would equal a mark that began all the way back to the second game in their history.

The Bruins entered the NHL in 1924-25 and won the first game they ever played, defeating the Montreal Maroons by a 2-1 score on December 1. It was all downhill from there.

Between December 3 and January 5, the Bruins dropped 11 games in succession, losing twice to the Canadiens and Maroons, the Senators and Hamilton Tigers, and three times to the Toronto St. Patricks.

With four days rest and in Montreal for game 13 of the season on January 10, they beat the Canadiens 3-2 to end the hellish skid. However, on January 12, the futile Bruins went for another dry run, losing the next seven in a row, before this time ending the drought once more in Montreal, beating the Maroons 1-0 at the Forum on February 7, 1925.

That initial season, the Bruins finished with a 6-24 record, winning three of final five games to salvage some semblance of self respect.

Despite that brutal first season, the Bruins weren't dreadful for long. The following, they became a .500 hockey and steadily improved until the 1928-29 season, when they posted a league best 26-13-5 record along the way to winning their first ever Stanley Cup.

5_bruins_years_medium

For a very in depth look back at that period, Bruins fans should check out an article from the site's archives here.

The Bruins climb to dynasty status was expected, as they roared to a 38-5-1 record in 1929-30. Unfortunately, the record setting season and first place finish were no guarantee of a Cup win as they were snuffed out in the best of three finals by the Canadiens.

The Bruins again claimed superiority in 1930-31, finishing at the top of the 10 team NHL with a record of 28-10-6. Schedules were unkind to division winners back in that era, and the American Division champion Bruins began their first playoff round with a five game set against the Canadian Division champion Habs, who had finished the campaign with 60 points, just two shy of the Bruins' mark. To add insult to intelligence, the system of games back then called for the first two to be played in Boston and the final three, if required, to be in Montreal. To call such a setup controvercial would be succinct.

The semi - final series was closer than the two game set the previous spring, and the Canadiens emerged victorious once more, taking the final game 3-2 in overtime.

Today, there are no survivors from that era of the Canadiens and Bruins rivalry, but what has managed to live on is a certain animosity between the clubs, regardless of standing and consequence. Such warm feelings tend to make even the most meaningless of games between them ones of extreme importance.

Above: "Look boys, a puck is flat and round, and goes into a net. If we insert it there more often than the other team does, we win. It's not rocket science. We can do it."

For the Canadiens today, a win would represent an extension of a humble winning streak and a step towards making the playoffs. It might also mean a thing or two for them to vault the Bruins back in time, to an 86 year old record of frivolous standing. It would be a hearty "take that!" to the team that eliminated them in last season's playoff.

Above: "Look boys, the puck is this fucking big. Put it in the net, calisse, like you's did last year. It ain't frigin' Rocket Richard science, tabernac. You can do it."

For Boston and its players, a dubious date with history's record books are at stake, in addition to halting such a treachurous skid. It would motivate them greatly to hand the Canadiens a loss on home ice while ending the streak.

No matter the circumstance, it is always sweet for Boston fans when their Bruins can foul up the Habs.

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1993

Patrick Roy's heroics, 10 straight OT wins, Eric Desjardins hat trick, and McSorley's illegal curve. A Cup win for the ages! It took an NHL record 10 overtime wins but the Montreal Canadiens prevailed winning their 24th Stanley Cup. This win gave the city of Montreal a Stanley Cup in every decade going back to the late 19th century when the Cup was first awarded. Goaltender Roy became the third player in history to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy twice, also having won it in 1986. He played very well, losing but four games over four full series. After defeating Quebec, Buffalo, and the New York Islanders, Montreal came up against Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. Hockey was hitting a feverish pitch in the west and Gretzky, as in the past, was the playoff scoring leader. Los Angeles opened the series with a 4-1 win at the Montreal Forum. But the Canadiens bounced back winning three straight overtime games and then taking home the Stanley Cup with a 4-1 win of their own at home. This would be the last Stanley Cup appearance for Wayne Gretzky.

1986

In the first all Canadian final since 1967, the Montreal Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup, an NHL record. Rookie goaltender Patrick Roy was sensational posting a 1.92 goals against average in 20 games. He became the youngest winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy at the tender age of 20. Roy's playoff run made a name for himself and reminded fans of former Montreal goaltender Ken Dryden who also won the Cup as a rookie, back in 1971. The Habs offensive sparkplug was Swedish winger Mats Naslund, who recorded seven points in the final. After the Flames won the first game of the final, the Canadiens Brian Skrudland doused Calgary's hopes by scoring 9 seconds into overtime in game two. Montreal took the next three to win their 23rd Cup, but Calgary would revenge this defeat three years later, defeating the Habs in the 1989 rematch.

1979

Yet another Montreal Canadiens dynasty was capped off with this, their fourth straight Stanley Cup victory. What was more remarkable, perhaps, was that this was the second time Montreal had won four straight dating back to 1960 when they won five straight. The final series against the Rangers was perhaps anticlimactic, coming off the heels of a legendary battle with the Bruins. This was the Canadiens sixth cup of the 1970's decade. Bob Gainey won the Conn Smythe Trophy, scoring 16 points in 6 games. Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer, and Jaques Lemaire retired after the season, having combined for an amazing 24 Cup rings together. This would also be coach Scotty Bowman's last year behind the Canadiens bench having coached his fifth Stanley Cup title.

1978

Finishing only one win shy of another 60 win regular season, Montreal only needed nine games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal's hard line defenseman and Conn Smythe winner Larry Robinson tied Guy Lafleur for the overall points lead in the playoffs. Vezina winner Ken Dryden was stellar in the finals, surrendering a league low 1.89 goals against average. Montreal defeated Boston in six games to win their third straight, and 21st Stanley Cup in total. The silverware spree for the Habs continued at season's end. Lafleur claimed the Hart, Art Ross and Pearson awards, captain Bob Gainey won the first ever Selke Trophy, and Dryden, as mentioned, won the Vezina, sharing the honour with Michel Larocque.

1977

Montreal proved to be unstoppable in their quest for a second straight Stanley Cup. They won a record 60 games in the regular season, including an incredible 33-1 home record! The playoffs were no different. Montreal rolled over the Bruins in the finals, taking the Cup in a four game sweep. Guy Lafleur led the playoff scoring race tallying 26 points in 14 games. Come season end he was awarded the Conn Smythe, Hart, Art Ross and Pearson trophies. Defenseman Larry Robinson won the Norris Trophy, Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque shared the Vezina and coach Scotty Bowman won his first Jack Adams Award.

1976

For the third year in a row, the Philadelphia Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unlike the previous two years, however, Philadelphia came up against a much stronger team. The Montreal Canadiens had won a regular season record 58 games and cruised past Chicago and the New York Islanders, losing only one game in the process. The Flyers could not defeat the powerhouse Canadiens and were swept in four games. Montreal's Guy Lafleur led all skaters with seven points in the final series. One bright spot for Philadelphia was Reggie Leach who scored a record 19 post season goals and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy. Canadiens defenseman Serge Savard summed up the feelings of the hockey world, stating, "This is not only a victory for the Canadiens; it is a victory for hockey. I hope that this era of intimidation and violence that is hurting our national sport is coming to an end. Young people have seen that a team can play electrifying, fascinating hockey while still behaving like gentlemen."

1973

In what was a rematch of the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals, the Montreal Canadiens met the Chicago Black Hawks in the final for the second time in three years. The series pitted the league's top two netminders, Ken Dryden of Montreal and Tony Esposito of Chicago. However this series was far from a defensive battle. In fact, in four of the six games, the teams combined for ten or more goals. Montreal prevailed winning the Cup in Chicago. This would be Henri Richard's 11th Cup win, a record, and coach Scotty Bowman's first. Yvan Cournoyer scored 15 goals to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy.

1971

After missing the playoffs in 1970 for the first time since 1948, the Montreal Canadiens entered the 1970-71 season on a mission. Starting the post season against the heavily favored Bruins, the Canadiens surprised their rivals in stunning fashion. The late season additions of goaltender Ken Dryden and Frank Mahovlich made the Habs a stronger foe, and the Canadiens upset Boston in seven games. The Habs cruised past Minnesota and went on to defeat the Chicago Black Hawks in a thrilling seven game final. Henri Richard was the hero of game seven, scoring two goals in Montreal's come from behind 3-2 win. Rookie netminder Dryden stole the playoff limelight by posting a 3.00 goals-against average in 20 playoff games. Dryden was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. Montreal collected their 17th Stanley Cup win, and said goodbye to captain Jean Beliveau, who retired at the conclusion of the season.

1969

Montreal coach Claude Ruel became the 11th coach in NHL history to win a Cup in his rookie season. The Canadiens lost only two playoff games en route to defeating the St. Louis Blues in the finals for the second straight season. Montreal goaltender Rogie Vachon held St. Louis at bay, allowing only three goals in the four games. The Habs Serge Savard became the first defenseman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with a strong two way performance.

1968

This was the first season for the NHL's six new teams. Expansion introduced a longer regular season and playoff schedule. The Montreal Canadiens, after losing in 1967 to Toronto, were able to sweep the first expansion team to reach the finals, the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens lost only one game in the playoffs, and handed the Blues a ticket back to St. Louis with a 3-2 win in Montreal in game four. This would be the eighth and last Stanley Cup for legendary coach Hector "Toe" Blake. The Conn Smythe Trophy was awarded to a player on the losing team for the second time in history. St. Louis goaltender Glenn Hall captured the prize, playing in 18 games and posting a 2.43 goals against average.

1966

The Montreal Canadiens, fresh off a Stanley Cup celebration, went into the 1965-66 season with a strong team and desire to repeat, and finished the season in first place. They met the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semi finals, and made short work of the Leafs, eliminating them in four straight games. Meanwhile, Detroit and Chicago met to decide who would challenge Montreal for the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings won the series four games to two, to enter the fray for the Stanley Cup. Detroit won the first two games of the final, with Roger Crozier at his acrobatic best in goal. But Montreal persevered to win the next four straight, and took the series four games to two to win their second straight Stanley Cup. Henri Richard scored the overtime Cup-winning goal in game six. Although his team lost the final, Detroit goaltender Roger Crozier posted a 2.17 goals-against average in 12 games and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

1965

First place Detroit was challenged by the Chicago Black Hawks in one semi-final series, while the two Canadian teams, Montreal and Toronto, battled in the other. It took seven games, but the Black Hawks eliminated the Red Wings, and the Habs pushed the Leafs aside four games to two, ending Toronto's three-year Cup run. Montreal's Gump Worsley played in his first Stanley Cup final after 12 seasons in the NHL. The Canadiens won the series against Chicago four games to three, but three of those four victories came by shutout. Charlie Hodge recorded one shutout, while the veteran Worsley played four games, recording two shutouts, most notably shutting out Chicago in game seven to lift Montreal to the Stanley Cup title. Captain Jean Beliveau won the first-ever Conn Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the playoffs, scoring 16 points in 13 games.

1960

On April 14, 1960, the Montreal Canadiens set a record that still stands. They won their fifth straight Stanley Cup championship. Montreal did not lose a single game in the playoffs. This season featured Jacques Plante donning a mask for the first time in the playoffs. He was able to hold Toronto to just five goals in four games, including a 4-0 shutout in game four, the Stanley Cup winner. Maurice "Rocket" Richard played in the final four games of his marvellous career, scoring the 34th goal of his playoff career during these finals.

1959

Breaking the previous record of three consecutive Stanley Cup wins, the Montreal Canadiens won their fourth Cup with a four to one series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto, undefeated in playoff overtime games that season, was unable to beat the star-laden Canadiens. For the first time in his brilliant career, Maurice Richard was held pointless in the post-season. Unfortunately, the Rocket's injuries limited him to only four out of the 11 games Montreal played. The Habs' Bernie Geoffrion and Ralph Backstrom paced all scorers with seven points apiece in the Final series.

1958

For a second consecutive year, the Montreal Canadiens met the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final. Boston was coming off a high scoring series in which they defeated the New York Rangers, outscoring them 28 to 16. Maurice Richard led the playoffs in scoring with 11 goals. It took Montreal six games to defeat the Bruins, completing the series win with a 5-3 victory at the Boston Garden. This third straight Stanley Cup win equalled the previous record set by Toronto, who won Stanley Cups in 1947, 1948 and 1949.

1957

Many did not expect Boston to defeat Detroit in the semi-finals. They did, however, and were matched up against the Montreal Canadiens in a battle for the Stanley Cup. Montreal, coming off a 4-1 series win against New York, defeated the Bruins by the same series score. Maurice Richard scored four goals in game four, tying Ted Lindsay's record for most goals in a Stanley Cup game. The Canadiens won their second straight Stanley Cup as netminder Jacques Plante allowed but five goals in five games in the finals.

1956

With a 4-1 series win over Detroit in 1956, Montreal started a consecutive championship streak that would reach five?a record to this day. Rookie coach Toe Blake replaced Dick Irvin, and Henri Richard, brother of Maurice, started his playing career. Henri would go on to win an unprecedented 11 Stanley Cup rings. Jean Beliveau scored seven goals to set the all time record for goals in the finals, including one in each game. Montreal won the Stanley Cup at home with a 3-1 triumph in game five.

1953

Montreal netminder Gerry McNeil replaced Jacques Plante after the first two games of the final between the Canadiens and Boston. Plante had won the first game of the series, but lost the second. McNeil won three straight to help Montreal win the Stanley Cup. And he did it in all-star fashion as well, earning two shutouts and a 7-3 win in game four. Maurice Richard led the Habs offensively with four goals in the final. This was Montreal's first Stanley Cup win in seven years. This Cup win was incidentally the first for Plante and Doug Harvey, as well as the last for veteran Elmer Lach.

1946

World War II had come to a conclusion, and the influx of 40 NHL players returning from military service changed the complexion of the National Hockey League considerably. The Montreal Canadiens finished first for a third straight season, and were going to face the third place Black Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The other round found Boston being challenged by the fourth place Red Wings. Montreal blanked the Black Hawks in four games to progress to the final, while Boston eliminated Detroit four games to one to earn entrance to the championship series. Montreal and the Bruins battled hard, with three of the games needing overtime to decide a winner. But when all was said and done, the Canadiens were presented with the Stanley Cup for a sixth time. Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard, the former accounting for a series-high seven points, led Montreal in the finals.

1944

First place Montreal was facing the third place Leafs in round one, while second place Detroit was challenged by Boston, the fourth place finishers during the regular season. The Leafs were using Paul Bibeault in goal. Bibeault had been borrowed from the Canadiens partway through the season to replace Turk Broda. Maurice Richard scored five goals in the second game of the series. In game five, the Canadiens trounced Toronto 11-0 to win the series four games to one. In the other series, the Black Hawks knocked Detroit out of playoff competition, four games to one as well. That set the showdown for a Canadiens-Chicago final. But Montreal wasn't to be denied. They won the Stanley Cup in four straight games to win their first championship since 1930-31. The Canadiens' potent Punch Line of Toe Blake, Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach led the charge, accounting for 10 of Montreal's 15 goals in the final series.

1931

After winning their respective divisions, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins met in a best of five series to decide who would advance to the Stanley Cup final. It took all five games, but the Canadiens won the series, winning each of their three games in overtime. Elsewhere, the New York Rangers beat the Maroons of Montreal in a two game total goal series, while Chicago earned a victory over the Maple Leafs with an overtime goal in the second of their two games. Facing the Rangers in the semi-final, Chicago shut out New York in both games of their two game total goal series to win entrance to the Stanley Cup final. Game one between the Canadiens and Black Hawks was won by Montreal in overtime. The second game of the best of five series went to Chicago?again, in overtime. Game three also went into overtime, with Chicago emerging with the victory. Montreal fought back and won the next two contests (in regulation time) to earn the Stanley Cup. It was the second straight Cup celebration for the Canadiens.

1930

The Montreal Maroons were the class of the Canadian Division, finishing first. In the American Division, Boston catapulted by the competition finishing with 77 points?30 more than the second place Chicago Black Hawks. The two division winners met in the semi-final to decide which team would win a berth in the Stanley Cup final. Boston prevailed with a three game to one victory in the best of five series. In the quarterfinals, the Montreal Canadiens outscored Chicago, while the Rangers outscored Ottawa. The semi-final, therefore, saw New York pitted against the Canadiens. In a best of three series, Montreal won two games to advance to the Cup final against Boston. The Bruins, defending the Stanley Cup, were confident that they could defeat the Canadiens in the best of three series, but were astonished when Montreal blanked them 3-0 in game one with George Hainsworth posting the shutout. The Habs again surprised the Bruins, defeating them by a 4-3 score to win the Stanley Cup. It was the only time all season that the Boston Bruins would lose two games in a row.

1924

In order to claim the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Canadiens needed to defeat both the WCHL Champion Vancouver Maroons and the PCHA Champion Calgary Tigers. Billy Boucher scored three of the Canadiens' five goals, including both game winners, to eliminate Vancouver. And versus Calgary, Montreal's 21-year-old rookie Howie Morenz registered a hat-trick in games one and two as the Habs completed the sweep. Game two of the final series was played in Ottawa to take advantage of the artificial ice surface.

1916

In 1916, the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association won their first of 24 Stanley Cups. The Canadiens, winners of the NHA, faced the Rosebuds from Portland in a best of five competition. For the first time, a best of five Stanley Cup championship went the distance. After the Rosebuds won game one, 2-0, Montreal captured games two and three to gain the advantage. Portland came back to even the series in game four to set up the deciding fifth game. In the final match, the Canadiens bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit to score two unanswered goals, with seldom-used Goldie Prodgers netting the Cup winner.

29 - Ken Dryden

Selected to five NHL All Star teams. Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1972 after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1971. Winner of 5 Vezina trophies. Won Stanley Cup 6 times, a record shared for NHL goaltenders with Jacques Plante. Dryden was nothing like the typical hockey player, later writing the best selling hockey memoir "The Game", before moving into federal politics. Member of the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

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About this site.

I've always envisioned that my site would both read as a book historically, and an online magazine currently. I want this space to be a site that would be returned to by visitors even on non game days, and in the summertime, simply for reading pleasure.

Of course it will detail the daily goings on of the club, but along with trying to capture the essense of the present, it will also be backwards gazing and forward glancing at all times. As an empassioned Habs fan myself, I feel that doing things in any other way would be to shortchange the intelligence of the reader.

If you are here, it is because you are cheering for a team that is over 100 years old. You and I, and the Canadiens, weren't born yesterday!

There is tons to learn from in the history of the team that is applicable to it going forward towards its next Stanley Cup. Players, coaches, and managers are all human beings in the bottom line. They are as infallable and just as imperfect as we non participant fan onlookers are in real life. With that notion in mind, I often try to scope that human dimension in understanding the workings inside the game when it comes to running a hockey club.

We have all been young once. We age, gain from experience, and grow as people. Hockey teams are no different. At certain times in our lives, we will require patience, understanding, experience and vision. Again, hockey is no different.

If you have read this far, perhaps you have grasped the notion that we are not all that far removed from the heroes we worship on a hockey rink. If you have gotten the gist of that idea, you should warm to this site quite easily.

Welcome to the Montreal Canadiens encyclopedia of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Put on your seatbelt and enjoy this long ride!

For more about me, who I am and where I come from, read the "About me" sidebar directly below.

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