Dealt to the Canadiens in the most adored scorned trade in franchise history, Thibault was hailed as the heir to a king. Just 20 years old at the time of the trade, Thibault was instantly named the starting goaltender of his home town Canadiens, who were bent on keeping the tradition of winning the Stanley Cup on every year ending with a 6. While Thibault seemed like a nice enough guy, he never seemed to adjust to the pressure of Montreal, and leaks began to the media about how his teammates didn’t trust him in the net. It didn’t help that Rejean Houle and Ronald Corey were dismantling the team under his feet. In spite of all this, Thibault maintained a winning record in Montreal and semi-decent numbers.
Total Habs Stats
| Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Shutouts | GAA | Save % |
| 158 | 67 | 56 | 24 | 7 | 2.73 | .908 |
Jaroslav Halak took the road less traveled to the NHL. A low draft pick without much pedigree, he plied his trade in the ECHL before being promoted to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Eventually he was called up to the NHL when Cristobal Huet was injured and David Aebischer wasn’t proving himself to be worth a damn. Halak quickly gained the adoration of the public while rattling off wins, something that wouldn’t be forgotten in the upcoming battle for the starting goalie job two years later with the younger, bigger, and more hyped Carey Price. Halak overtook Price in the 2009-10 season, which culminated in the most unlikely of playoff runs, as Jaro carried the team on his back to the conference finals past powerhouse Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins teams, only to falter against the inferior Flyers. Halak was traded that offseason in a controversial deal, and has since continued along the same platoon role for the St. Louis Blues.
Total Habs Stats
| Games Played | Wins | Losses | OTL | Shutouts | GAA | Save % |
| 101 | 56 | 34 | 7 | 9 | 2.62 | .919 |
So Habs fans, who wore the number 41 better?
| Jocelyn Thibault | 8 |
| Jaroslav Halak | 117 |
