During the heyday of Pierre Larouche, few hockey players had a more gifted scoring touch. Larouche was (at the time) the youngest player to net 50 goals per season and was the first to score 50 goals a season for two different teams. Scoring was never a problem for him, and he was able to help the Habs win two Stanley Cups. Larouche, however, was criticized for his lack of defensive play, and although he finished his career with an over a point per game average, his lack of two-way skills will hurt him with the Hall.

A solid two-way defenseman, Eric Desjardins was one of the better players behind the blue line during the 1990s. Desjardins could help stop the puck as well as help put it in the net. He won a Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1993, and upon being traded to Philadelphia, he was even more productive. He was easily their best defenseman and was good enough to represent Canada on three World Class National teams. Desjardins was a star, and with 575 career points, he could receive a look, but chances are that will be all he will receive.

Claude Provost is the answer to a few unwanted trivia questions. He is currently the man whose name is etched on the Stanley Cup Trophy the most times without being in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He also has the most All-Star appearances of any non-Hall of Fame Member. It could be because Claude Provost was primarily a checker (though about as good as they came) and maybe because he was on a star studded Montreal Canadians dynasty that he got forgotten by the Hall. Though he was on those outstanding Habs teams, Provost was a key part of that success and earned all of his names on Lord Stanley’s Mug; all nine of them.

As the second selection in the 1982 NHL draft, Brian Bellows struggled with the initial comparison to Wayne Gretzky. Once he shook off the yoke of living off the disappointment, Bellows settled into a solid career, becoming one of the key players for the Minnesota North Stars. Bellows became the youngest captain (though an interim) in 1983, and his leadership became evident as it was for him when he led the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup. Bellows was a star for the North Stars on and off the ice, where in Minnesota, he became famous for his charitable endeavors. As one of the few players with over 1,000 points, he should be an outside threat to break into the Hall, though he never did crack 100 points in any season. Brian Bellows could get into the Hall, but he may have a continued wait ahead of him.

The forgotten third center of the Montreal Canadians, Ralph Backstrom, was a forgotten grinder on the great Hans team of the ’60s. As he was primarily on a checking line (and not French Canadian), he was not necessarily the poster boy of Canadians Hockey. Still, Backstrom was a multi-time All-Star and a pivotal member of many Stanley Cup wins. Like many, Backstrom bolted for the WHA and was a force there. Similar to others on this list, Ralph Backstrom’s tenure in the World Hockey Association might be to his detriment for Hall consideration.

Known for his strong defensive skills as a hockey player, Don Marshall did not naturally possess those skills. Upon joining the loaded Montreal Canadians, he was asked to focus on the defensive and checking attributes. It worked, and as Marshall would venture across various teams, he was able to use these newfound skills while still able to contribute on offense. A quiet leader and dependable asset, he was consistently regarded as a great teammate. He won’t make the Hall, but at some point, it would be nice if he received a few props from some of the teams he played for in the past.

A solid goal scorer during his stint with Montreal, Stephane Richer gave Montreal fans a blast from the past and hope for a future with a French Canadian offensive star playing for Les Habitants. Richer was the first Montreal player since Guy Lafleur to score 50 goals a season. Richer accomplished that feat twice and was known throughout the NHL for his blistering shot. Once Richer’s skills eroded, he lacked the intangibles to remain an effective player late in his career, and he bounced around the league. Still, Richer finished with 421 goals, won two Stanley Cup rings, and had an effective career.

You have to think that if you were a kid growing up in Montreal, your hockey-related dreams might involve winning a Stanley Cup for your beloved Habs.  If this was the case for Vincent Damphousse, then Mission Accomplished! Damphousse hoisted the Stanley Cup as a first-line centre for his hometown Montreal Canadians in 1986.

It is always impressive when a man plays 964 games in the National Hockey League. What made Doug Jarvis’ 964 games so special is that he played them in a row, setting the “iron man” mark for consecutive games played. Jarvis didn’t just play in those games: he was a gritty, defensive-minded forward who was the master of the penalty kill. He didn’t light up the lamps, but that was not what he was paid to do. Considering he is the “Iron Man” of Hockey, an induction is not impossible.

While the term of having a lot of heart is applied to athletes a lot, almost to the point of being a cliché, you can’t say that about Saku Koivu.

After the 1996 World Junior Hockey Tournament, where he led Canada to its fourth straight Gold Medal, Jose Theodore, whom the Montreal Canadiens drafted, would slowly work his way up the organization’s depth chart, and in the 1999-2000 season, he would share netminding duties before becoming the main Goalie shortly after. 

With the distinction of being the first ever Russian-born player to be drafted in the first round by a team in the National Hockey League, Alexei Kovalev did not disappoint. Kovalev would score over 1,000 Points in the NHL and is a winner of the Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal as a member of the 1992 Unified Team. The crafty forward was a three-time All-Star and would earn Second Team All-Star honors once in his career.