Deciding who was the greatest Montreal Canadien ever is a daunting task. The Montreal Canadiens are the most storied, most decorated franchise in NHL history, and one of the winningest teams in all of sports. So many great players have worn a Canadiens jersey over the years, and in their respective eras these great Habs have dominated their sport. Well, regardless of the challenge at hand, I'm determined to pick one. Here are the Canadiens players I have narrowed the list down to (in no particular order):

Patrick Roy - Canadiens Jersey # 33

More regular season wins than any other goalie in NHL history. More playoff wins than any other goalie in NHL history. Need I say more? I will anyway. Patrick Roy is arguably the most competitive goalie to ever pull on a Canadiens jersey, or any jersey for that matter. He backstopped the Canadiens to 2 Stanley Cups during his time there, Stanley Cups they had no business winning had it not been for Roy. His 10 consecutive overtime wins in the 1993 playoffs was a feat that will likely never be matched. Though he had a falling out with the Habs, and finished his career in Colorado, there can be no dispute that this man has to be considered one of the greeatest Montreal Canadiens ever.

Ken Dryden - Canadiens Jersey # 29

This guy only played 7 full seasons in a Canadiens jersey, but was so dominant during that short period of time he has to receive consideration as one of the greatest Montreal Canadiens ever. What did he accomplish during that time? He won a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe trophy the year before he won the Calder trophy as rookie of the year. In all he would capture 6 Stanley Cups in 7 seasons + 1 extra playoff. He won 5 Vezina trophies over that same span. Sure, he had great players in front of him, but it was his rock-steady, utterly calm presence in net that helped Montreal become the machine they were in the 1970s.

Guy Lafleur - Canadiens Jersey #10

Few images in NHL history are more vivid than Guy Lafleur skating down right wing, hair flying behind him, unleashing a booming slapshot, then throwing his arms in the air to celebrate his goal. Guy Lafleur is an icon in Montreal, and no one could deny his place on the list of the greatest Montreal Canadiens ever. He scored over 500 goals, and had more than 1,200 points for the Canadiens during his time there, and is one of the most electrifying players Habs fans have ever had the pleasure of watching.

Jean Beliveau - Canadiens Jersey #4

Perhaps the classiest player in NHL history, Jean Beliveau defined what it meant to wear a Montreal Canadiens jersey. He spent ever single game of his 20 year NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, and captained the franchise from 1961-1971. He has his name on the Stanley Cup 17 times as a player and an executive, more than any other man in hockey history, 10 of those as a player. He twice won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP, earned a Conn Smythe trophy, and an Art Ross trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. An easy choice for one of the greatest Canadiens ever.

Maurice "The Rocket" Richard - Canadiens Jersey # 9

I know I said these were in no particular order, but this final selection is my pick for the greatest Montreal Canadien of all time. No player to ever don a Habs jersey was as fiercely competitive as The Rocket, and no player in NHL history has ever been more dominant from the blueline in. Richard became the first player in hockey to score 50 goals in a single season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games. He scored 544 goals for the club over his career, and was the NHL's all time leader in that category at the time of his retirement. He played more games for the Canadiens than any other player in the club's history, and helped them to 9 Stanley Cups along the way. For my money, an easy choice as the greatest Montreal Canadiens player ever.

There you have it, the greatest Montreal Canadiens jersey. 4 of these men have had their Canadiens jersey raised to the rafters, retired by the club, with Patrick Roy's Habs jersey expected to go up this coming season. Truly legends, all.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 16th, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under Canadiens news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.