Georges Vezina — Goalie
Born: 1/21/1887
Died: 3/27/1926
Played for Team: 1910–11 to 1925–26
The Canadiens discovered Georges Vezina in a backwater town during a barnstorming tour. The unknown goalie stopped everything Montreal fired at him—wearing winter boots instead of skates! He was in goal for the team when the next season started and he played 367 games in a row, including the regular season and playoffs. No one was cooler than Vezina, who was nicknamed the Chicoutimi Cucumber (after his hometown).

Sylvio Mantha — Defenseman
Born: 4/14/1902
Died: 8/7/1974
Played for Team: 1923–24 to 1935–36
Sylvio Mantha and Herb Gardiner gave the Canadiens a great defensive pairing in the 1920s. Mantha captained Montreal championship teams in 1930 and 1931, and later served as player-coach for a season.

George Hainsworth — Goalie
Born: 6/26/1895
Died: 10/9/1950
Played for Team: 1926–27 to 1932–33 & 1936–37
George Hainsworth took over goaltending duties after Georges Vezina died, and won the first three Vezina Trophies! In 1928–29, Hainsworth shut out opponents 22 times in 44 games. Like Vezina, he rarely showed emotion or lost his cool under pressure.

Toe Blake — Left Wing
Born: 8/21/1912
Died: 5/17/1995
Played for Team: 1935–36 to 1947–48
Although known best for his coaching career in Montreal, Toe Blake was a top player during the 1930s and 1940s. He gave everything he had every time he took the ice, playing as if each game was his last. Blake led the NHL in scoring in 1938–39, but more importantly, he gave the Canadiens hope during the long stretch between Howie Morenz and Rocket Richard. Late in his career, Blake teamed with Richard and Elmer Lach on the Punch Line, which won a pair of Stanley Cup.

Elmer Lach — Center
Born: 1/22/1918
Died 4/4/2015
Played for Team: 1940–41 to 1953–54
Elmer Lach was often injured, but he never gave anything less than his all. He conbined skill, toughness and a cool head in pressure situations. Lach led the Canadiens to three Stanley Cups and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1944–45.

Bill Durnan — Goalie
Born: 1/22/1916
Died: 10/31/1972
Played for Team: 1943–44 to 1949–50
Bill Durnan played only seven NHL seasons, but most experts still consider him to be one of the Top 20 goalies of all time. He was ambidextrous, which was lucky, because he did not move from side-to-side as well as other players at his position. In 1948–49, Durnan set a record by playing 309 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.

Bernie Geoffrion — Right Wing
Born: 2/14/1931
Died: 3/11/2006
Played for Team: 1950–51 to 1963–64
Bernie Geoffrion was a scoring machine from the moment he joined the Canadiens at age 20. He had a hot temper and a wicked slapshot. When Geoffrion learned to tame both, he became a superstar. He scored 50 goals and won the Hart Trophy in 1960–61, and helped Montreal capture six Stanley Cups.

Bert Olmstead — Left Wing
Born: 9/4/1926
Died 11/16/2015
Played for Team: 1950–51 to 1957–58
Bert Olmstead was two completely different players at the same time. He thought nothing of crashing full-speed into an opponents along the boards, and generally creating havoc. Between periods, he picked apart the game like a coach, analyzing the smallest mistakes and opportunities. He teamed with Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion on Montreal’s top line in 1955–56 as the Canadiens turned in the NHL’s first 100-point season.

Dickie Moore — Left Wing
Born: 1/6/1931
Died 12/19/2015
Played for Team: 1951–52 to 1962–63
Dickie Moore battled injuries and sore knees throughout his career. Even when playing in pain, he was a terrific playmaker, especially when skating at full tilt. Moore set a record in 1958–59 when he finished the year with 96 points. He also won the scoring title in 1957–58.

Jacques Laperriere — Defenseman
Born: 11/22/1941
Played for Team: 1962–63 to 1973–74
Few defensemen controlled the flow of a game like Jacques Laperriere. Even as a raw rookie, he kept his cool in tight contests. Laperriere’s career was cut short by a knee injury suffered in training camp in 1964.

Yvan Cournoyer — Right Wing
Born: 11/22/1943
Played for Team: 1964–65 to 1978–79
Yvan Cournoyer was one of the fastest skaters in NHL history. He used that speed to score 40 goals three straight years in the early 1970s and more than 400 during his career. Cournoyer was also a master at digging pucks out of the corners and setting up teammates with great scoring chances.

Guy Lapointe — Defenseman
Born: 3/18/1948
Played for Team: 1968–69 to 1981–82
Guy Lapointe was one of the NHL’s best two-way players. He was a fast-skating, physical defender who also had one of the league’s hardest slapshots. When Montreal was on the power play, Lapointe was the player opponents feared the most.

Jacques Lemaire — Center
Born: 9/7/1945
Played for Team: 1968–69 to 1978–79
The Canadiens lost 20 players when the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967. One of the players they were able to keep was Jacques Lemaire, a rookie with a low, heavy shot that produced a lot of rebounds for his teammates. Lemaire went on to become one of the team’s most valuable players.

Steve Shutt — Left Wing
Born: 7/1/1952
Played for Team: 1972–73 to 1984–85
NHL fans often remarked that Steve Shutt didn’t look like a hockey player—until he shot the puck. Whether winding up for a big slapshot or flicking a quick wrist-shot, no one was more accurate. In 1976–77, Shutt netted 60 goals to set a record for left wings. It stood until the 1990s.

Tomas Tatar — Left Wing
Born: 12/1/1990
First Season with Team: 2018–19
Montreal fans worried when the team traded captain Max Pacioretty for Tomas Tatar. In 2019–20, Tatar showed why he demanded such a high price. He averaged almost a point a game and led the team in power-play goals and assists.

THREE AMIGOS
During the 1970s, Guy Lapointe, Larry Robinson and Serge Savard gave Montreal the best back line of any team in the NHL. The trio was nicknamed The Ministry of Defense.

STAR POWER
In 2005, Maurice Richard and the Canadiens were the subject of a movie called The Rocket. Several parts were played by real NHL players, including Elmer Lach (played by Mike Ricci), Jean Beliveau (played by Vincent Lecavalier), and Boom-Boom Geoffrion (played by Ian Laperriere).

CENTER PIECE
During the 1950s and 1960s, the job of a center was to create goals, not score them. Jean Beliveau was good at both. In 1955–56, he set a record for goals by a center with 45. Three of those goals came in 44 seconds during a game against the Rangers. Beliveau was an easy pick for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

TRAINING DAY
When Jacques Lemaire was a teenager, his father made him practice shooting with pucks made of steel. When he played in games, the rubber puck felt as light as a feather.

GOALS
1917–18 — Joe Malone — 44
1918–19 — Newsy Lalonde — 23
1927–28 — Howie Morenz — 33
1944–45 — Maurice Richard — 50
1946–47 — Maurice Richard — 45
1949–50 — Maurice Richard — 43
1953–54 — Maurice Richard — 37
1954–55 — Maurice Richard — 38, Bernie Geoffrion — 38
1955–56 — Jean Beliveau — 47
1957–58 — Dickie Moore — 36
1958–59 — Jean Beliveau — 45
1960–61 — Bernie Geoffrion — 50
1976–77 — Steve Shutt — 60
1978–79 — Guy Lafleur — 60

ASSISTS
1918–19 — Newsy Lalonde — 10
1927–28 — Howie Morenz — 18
1944–45 — Elmer Lach — 54
1945–46 — Elmer Lach — 34
1951–52 — Elmer Lach — 50
1954–55 — Bert Olmstead — 48
1955–56 — Bert Olmstead — 56
1957–58 — Henri Richard — 52
1958–59 — Dickie Moore — 55
1962–63 — Henri Richard — 50
1960–61 — Jean Beliveau — 58
1965–66 — Bobby Rousseau — 48*, Jean Beliveau — 48*
1975–76 — Guy Lafleur — 80

* Tied with a third player

POINTS
1917–18 — Joe Malone — 48
1918–19 — Newsy Lalonde — 33
1920–21 — Newsy Lalonde — 43
1927–28 — Howie Morenz — 51
1930–31 — Howie Morenz — 51
1938–39 — Toe Blake — 47
1944–45 — Elmer Lach — 80
1947–48 — Elmer Lach — 61
1954–55 — Bernie Geoffrion — 75
1955–56 — Jean Beliveau — 88
1957–58 — Dicke Moore — 84
1958–59 — Dickie Moore — 96
1960–61 — Bernie Geoffrion — 95
1975–76 — Guy Lafleur — 125
1976–77 — Guy Lafleur — 136
1977–78 — Guy Lafleur — 132

GOALS-AGAINST
1917–18 — Georges Vezina — 3.93
1923–24 — Georges Vezina — 1.97
1924–25 — Georges Vezina — 1.18
1927–28 — George Hainsworth — 1.05
1928–29 — George Hainsworth — 0.92
1933–34 — Wilf Cude — 1.47*
1943–44 — Bill Durnan — 2.18
1944–45 — Bill Durnan — 2.42
1945–46 — Bill Durnan — 2.60
1946–47 — Bill Durnan — 2.30
1948–49 — Bill Durnan — 2.10
1949–50 — Bill Durnan — 2.20
1955–56 — Jacques Plante — 1.86
1956–57 — Jacques Plante — 2.00
1957–58 — Jacques Plante — 2.11
1958–59 — Jacques Plante — 2.16
1959–60 — Jacques Plante — 2.54
1960–61 — Charlie Hodge — 2.47
1961–62 — Jacques Plante — 2.37
1967–68 — Gump Worsley — 1.98
1972–73 — Ken Dryden — 2.26
1975–76 — Ken Dryden — 2.03
1976–77 — Bunny Larocque — 2,09
1977–78 — Ken Dryden — 2.05
1978–79 — Ken Dryden — 2.30
1980–81 — Richard Sevigny — 2.40
1981–82 — Denis Herron — 2.64
1986–87 — Brian Hayward — 2.81
1988–89 — Patrick Roy — 2.47
1991–92 — Patrick Roy — 2.36
2014–15 — Carey Price — 1.96

*Also played for the Detroit Red Wings

PLUS/MINUS
1972–73 — Jacques Laperriere — +78
1976–77 — Larry Robinson — +120
1977–78 — Guy Lafleur — +73
1980–81 — Brian Englbom — +63
2014–15 — Max Pacioretty — +38*

* Tied with another player