The nation of Canada, the city of Montreal, and the sport of Hockey have lost one of its greats.

Ken Dryden passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

Dryden cut his hockey teeth and scholastic endeavors at Cornell, where he led the school to three straight ECAC Championships and an NCAA Title in 1967.  He made his debut in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens on March 14, 1971, and played six games in the regular season, and supplanted Rogie Vachon as Montreal’s lead Goalie.  He went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, backstopping the Habs to a Stanley Cup.  Dryden then made history as he won the Calder Trophy the following year (he still had his rookie level intact), even though he already won the Conn Smythe.  In 1972, he was also part of Team Canada, which won the Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

Due to a pay dispute, Dryden opted to sit out the 1973-74 Season and article for a Toronto law firm.  Dryden returned and would win six Stanley Cups in total, five First Team All-Stars, five Vezina Trophies, and retired in his prime with a record of 258-57-74 and a 2.24 GAA.  He also led the NHL in GAA four times, Save Percentage three times, and Shutouts four times.

Following his playing career, Dryden did it all, writing many books, commenting, teaching, and working as a sports executive.  He was also a politician, having served multiple terms in the Canadian House of Commons.

He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and his number was retired by both the Montreal Canadiens and Cornell.

 

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Ken Dryden.

Tomas Plekanec played most of his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, where he played 15 seasons and 984 of his 1,001 Games.  While he was not a superstar, he did have 608 career Points, with six seasons scoring at least 50.  Plekanec was a good two-way player and finished as high as seventh in Frank J. Selke in one year and received votes five other times. He played for the Habs until he was traded to Toronto in 2018, though he did come to Montreal for three Games in 2018-19.

After that brief return to Montreal, Plekanec returned to the Czech league until he retired in the 2022-23 Season. 

The Hockey Hall of Fame is not likely to call his name, but he has an outside shot for the IIHF Hall of Fame, as he represented the Czech Republic in two Olympics, one World Cup and eleven World Championships.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most iconic franchises in hockey and hold the record for the most Stanley Cup wins. Montreal, an Original Six team, has had many legendary goalies, but Carey Price holds the record for the most wins in a Habs uniform - 361 games.

Price was the top goalie in the Western Hockey League and was highly rated in the draft. He debuted for the Canadiens in 2007 and quickly became their lead goalie, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Although he had some ups and downs in the next two seasons, Price led the NHL in wins (38) in the 2010-11 season and had his first sub-2.50 GAA year (2.35). He was fifth in Vezina and seventh in Hart voting, cementing his place as the star the Canadiens had hoped for when they drafted him.

Price continued to impress, earning top-ten Vezina Trophy finishes in 2012-13 (10th) and 2013-14 (4th). However, his 2014-15 season was nothing short of legendary, as he led the NHL in wins (44), save percentage (.933), goals against average (1.96), and goalie point shares (16.2). He swept the awards, winning the Vezina, William M. Jennings, Hart, and Ted Lindsay Award. This came just a year after he helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Price suffered an MCL sprain the year after his monster campaign, limiting him to just 12 games. However, he bounced back with a third-place Vezina finish in 2016-17, where he had a 2.23 GAA over 62 games. He had another great year in 2019-20, anchoring Montreal to an improbable Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to Tampa Bay in the Finals. The fact that Montreal even made it there was a testament to Price's skills.

Sadly, that was likely the last great moment of Price's career. He faced personal and health issues afterward, and though he returned for five games in 2021-22, it was clear that his career was over. Price won the Bill Masterson Award that year, and he left the NHL, establishing his legacy as one of the greatest goalies of all time.

From Toronto, P.K. Subban won two Gold Medals in World Junior Hockey action before he joined the team that drafted him in the second round in 2007, Montreal.  Subban was an All-Rookie in 2010-11, and two years later, in the strike-shortened 2012-13 campaign, he won the Norris Trophy on the strength of 38 Points in 42 Games.  With the Habs, Subban was a First Team All-Star not only in his Norris year but also two years later.

In a shocking trade, Subban was sent to Nashville in a deal that saw fellow defensive star Shea Weber go the other way.  Subban remained strong in his new environment, collecting Second Team All-Star honors in 2018, a year after he propelled the Predators to their first Stanley Cup appearance.  The charismatic superstar concluded his career with two seasons in New Jersey, where he won the King Clancy Award in his final year.

In addition to his two Golds as a Junior, Subban won Gold for Canada in the 2014 Olympics and back-to-back Golds in the 2008 and 2009 World Juniors.

Glen Harmon played all nine of his NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens where he assisted the Habs in winning the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946.  Harmon was a very efficient player who was twice named a Second Team All-Star, but in terms of a modern look, he more importantly led the league in Defensive Point Shares (1946 & 1949).  With all due respect to the fans of Montreal, arguably the best fanbase in the league, his legacy in Montreal is not as strong as it should be.

Shayne Corson was a highly regarded player wherever he went.  Corson may never have been an elite scorer, but the veteran of 1,156 Games accumulated 693 Points over his career, and he was a team captain twice.  Corson was considered a gritty leader who played predominantly for the Montreal Canadiens but also had good years for Edmonton and Toronto.  The three-time All-Star also played for Team Canada in the 1991 Canada Cup (where he had 5 Assists in the tournament win) and the 1998 Olympics.

While Ted Harris was not a goal scorer by any means (he never had a 10 Goal Season), he provided rugged defense and a physical presence over his career.  Five times an All-Star, Harris would win five Stanley Cups over his career (four with Montreal and one with Philadelphia), and he was named to the Second Team All-Star roster in the 1968-69 season.  Notably, in the 1965-66 season (a campaign in which he recorded no Goals), he led the NHL in Plus/Minus.

A member of the Montreal Canadiens 1916 Stanley Cup Championship team, when it was won when they were in the National Hockey Association, Bert Corbeau would have a few distinct firsts in the NHL.  Corbeau was the first player to play for both the Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first season leader in Defensive Point Shares, and the first player to have 100 Penalty Minutes in a season.  Corbeau would have three seasons with 10 Goals, which is an excellent metric for a blueliner in that era.

While he was in the shadow (and actually played in it) of his big brother, “The Big M” Frank Mahovolich, Pete Mahovolich was quite the player in his own right.

Physical stay-at-home defenseman don’t get a lot of love outside of their home, but home fans know the value they bring.  This is why there was never any issue regarding the limited offense that Terry Harper brought to the table.

Before he played his first game for the Montreal Canadiens, Bobby Rousseau was a member of the Canadian Team that won the Silver Medal at the 1960 Olympics.  Rousseau was one of the main stars of that team, and he would parlay that success into a very good career in the NHL.

In terms of interesting stories on this hockey list, few can match Wilf Cude.  The native of Wales holds the distinction of being the main Goaltender for the Philadelphia Quakers’ lone season in 1930/31 and was the “Spare” Goalie after.  That did not last long, as he later played for the Montreal Canadiens and was a two-time Second Team All-Star, which not many players can say.

From the famous Boucher hockey family (two of his brothers, Frank and George, are in the Hockey Hall of Fame), Billy Boucher was a very good player in his own right and won a Stanley Cup championship in 1924 with the Montreal Canadiens.  Bucher debuted in Montreal in the 1921/22 season as a rookie, where his 17 Goals placed him eighth that year, and he would post a career high of 23 the following season, where he was second overall in the NHL.  Boucher would finish in the top ten for the next two seasons, but his production would decline after that. Realistically, his career was four very good, bordering on excellent seasons, followed by mediocrity.

Mats Naslund was a star with the Montreal Canadiens throughout the 1980s, and while Patrick Roy received the bulk of the Habs' offensive credit for the shocking Stanley Cup win in 1986, it was Naslund who was the offensive star of the team.  The Swedish star was a Second Team All-Star and a Lady Byng Trophy winner. Internationally, he represented his country multiple times, including winning an Olympic Gold Medal in 1994.  Had Naslund played longer in the NHL (which he could have, but he elected to play in Europe instead), he might be ranked a little higher.

Petr Svoboda quietly carved out a long and fruitful career in the NHL, where he played 1,028 Games.  Svoboda didn’t actually enter the National Hockey League in the quietest of ways, as he was a Czechoslovakian defector, but it proved advantageous quickly as he was a member of the Stanley Cup Championship Montreal Canadians in his second year in the league. 

It is a sad day for the Montreal Canadiens and the world of hockey as it was announced today that Henri Richard passed away at the age of 84.

The younger brother of Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Henri was nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” in reference to his small stature.  While he may have played part of his career in his brother’s shadow, the younger Richard was a superstar in his own right.  

Playing his entire 20-year career with the Canadiens, Richard debuted in 1955-56, and two years later he would lead the NHL in Assists.  That season, the Centre would earn a First Team All-Star selection for the first and only time.  Richard would later be a Second Team All-Star three more times, and in 1962-63, he won his second Assists Title.  Overall, he would score 1,046 Points in 1,258 regular season games.

Richard was not just a playmaker, but he was also a leader.  Henri took over the captaincy of the Habs in 1971 from the legendary Jean Beliveau, and he would wear the “C” until his retirement in 1975.  

Montreal was a league powerhouse while he was there.  In 11 of his 20 seasons, Richard would hoist the Stanley Cup over his head, the most won by any player.  This is a record that will never be broken.  He had 129 Points in the playoffs.  Richard was chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Henri Richard.

The Montreal Canadians are one of the most successful franchises in NHL history, and Jean Guy Talbot is a significant part of that success.  Talbot was a member of seven Stanley Cup wins and would play in six All-Star Games.  A somewhat forgotten member of those teams, Talbot was also a First Team All-Star in 1961-62, and he finished third in Norris Trophy voting that year.   It is also notable to us that Talbot led the National Hockey League twice in Defensive Point Shares.

A two-time All-Star with a 22-year professional career, Mathieu Schneider was one of the best American-born blueliners in the game’s history.  Schneider was adept on the offensive side of the game, scoring over 700 Points and internationally playing for the U.S. on their 1996 World Cup-winning team.  Schneider’s Hall of Fame chances almost depend on his longevity, but that is not always a stat that matters.

In the era of star centers, it is easy to forget about Bobby Smith. As a player who once scored more points than Wayne Gretzky to win the OMJHL scoring title, Smith entered the NHL with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Minnesota North Stars. Smith was a quiet star in the NHL, whose leadership and passing skills seemed to go unnoticed, except during playoff runs with Minnesota and Montreal. Smith finished his career with over 1,000 points, but he seemed to do so without much fanfare.

A converted winger, J.C. Tremblay, made the transition to defense look easy. As a converted forward, Tremblay understood the offensive aspects of the game and was a natural playmaker from the blue line. Tremblay’s last two years with the Habs saw him reach his best points totals, but it could be argued that his best years were out of the NHL. Tremblay joined the WHA’s Quebec Nordiques and was easily among the best defenders in the league. His WHA output was sound, and had he chosen to stay in the NHL, it could be debated that he might have had a potential induction by now.