Canadiens’ Quarter Century Team: Defense and Goaltenders – The Hockey Writers Montreal Canadiens Latest News, Analysis & More
The Montreal Canadiens are the most storied franchise in hockey. With a history that stretches back to 1909, it is no surprise they have a long list of legendary players. The Canadiens have had 60 players who have worn their sweater inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). They have had multiple dynasties, including the only one with five-consecutive Stanley Cups.
Related: Canadiens’ Quarter-Century Team: Forwards
However, the 21st century has been a far cry from that greatness as some of the darkest times in franchise history occurred since the turn of the century. Despite the difficult times, there has been some success, and there have been some excellent players. The Hockey Writers will assemble the top Canadiens performers of the last 25 years for this exercise. Part one saw us compile a list of forwards, and in part two, we look at the defense and goaltenders.
Part 2 – Canadiens Defense
Because there are no Cups to be used as a standard, this is based not only on the impact on team success but mostly on individual performance. In comparison, there has been a modicum of playoff success, having won 12 playoff series this century, tied for most among Canadian teams with the Edmonton Oilers. This exercise won’t be a lineup and won’t follow positions. To be added to the list, they had to have played at least three full seasons in a Montreal sweater. It will list the top-six forwards, top-four defenders, and top-two goaltenders over the first quarter of this century.
While there are three obvious selections, the fourth defender to add to this list was difficult. Mike Komisarek, Josh Gorges, Craig Rivet, and Sheldon Souray were some of those who had been considered for this list.
PK Subban
When it comes to PK Subban, there was no in-between with the fans. They either loved him, or hated him, not as a person, but as a player. Why? Because he played a style that was fearless as he played with reckless abandon. He electrified the fan base, making — or at least attempting to make — plays that got them out of their seats. However, that style led to turnovers, which caused goals against. But, watching the top offensive defensemen today, they play the same high-stakes game.
Subban, who played seven seasons in Montreal, scored 63 goals and recorded 278 points in 434 games. He won the Norris Memorial Trophy for being the league’s best defenseman in 2013, a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and was also known to be a showman. For a few seasons, he and Carey Price were famous for their “triple-low-five” handshake after wins but were banned by then-head coach Michel Therrien.
In all his years with the Canadiens, nothing came easy for Subban, a Toronto native who grew up cheering for the Habs. Despite having excellent offensive statistics and his charitable work off the ice, he was met with animosity by certain teammates and management staff until he was finally traded to the Nashville Predators in 2016.
In the end, Subban will be remembered as a clutch performer. The best example is his performance in the 2014 NHL Playoffs, just ahead of Game 7, against the rival Boston Bruins, in Boston.
P.K. Subban, on Game 7: “I can’t wait for the crowd, the noise, the energy in the building. I can’t wait to take that all away from them.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 13, 2014
He talked the talk, but he also walked the walk, and he delivered. Montreal won Game 7 in hostile territory, moving on to the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers, where they fell in five games. His legacy may be that he helped to modernize the connection with the fans as the club has become more open with information and allowed the players to show their personalities, letting fans become more engaged and connected to the organization.
Andrei Markov
During the dark times at the turn of the 21st century, there were few bright spots that fans could cling to, but Andrei Markov was one. Drafted in the sixth round in 1998, Markov arrived in Montreal for his rookie season in 2000-01 with little fanfare. This is fitting as he became perhaps the most anonymous star in franchise history. Oh, people knew who he was, but he rarely spoke more than a few words to the media because he let his play do all of the talking for him.
Even after multiple major knee injuries, Markov, also known as “The General,” remained the backbone of the franchise, quarterbacking not only the power play (PP) but the team as a whole. He played his entire NHL career with Montreal, scoring 119 goals and recording 572 points in 990 games. He finished his career sitting second in franchise history for PP goals by a defenseman with 60, behind only Larry Robinson, who had 65.
Then, in the summer of 2017, Markov left to join the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Markov, who was 38 years old at that time, said he would have played for the Canadiens on a one-year contract but that Montreal declined. This left him only 10 games away from playing 1000 in a Canadiens jersey, a fact that remains a point of contention for the fan base.
His legacy for the franchise is still felt as the PP he used to quarterback was one of the most potent PP units in the NHL during his career, and is the standard fans and coaches alike use as the measuring stick for today’s special teams. Finally, there have been fans pushing to have his number 79 retired to recognize his contributions, or barring that, to be deservedly placed in the ring of honour and garner Hall of Fame discussion. For Markov, it’s more than statistics; it’s about honouring a player who was the driving force in carrying a team into respectability during a challenging era.
Shea Weber
The other half of one of the most-polarizing trade of the 21st century, Shea Weber rounds out the list of the top defensemen of the first quarter century. He was selected in the second round by the Predators in 2003, which is seen as one of the best draft classes in NHL history. He played five seasons with the Canadiens, holding the captaincy for four of those seasons. In that time, he scored 58 goals (26 on the PP) and recorded 146 points in 275 games, including 14 points in 38 playoff games. He never won a Norris Tropgh despite finishing as a finalist in three consecutive seasons (2011, 2012, 2013.)
Much like Markov, Weber spoke very little to the media, allowing his play to do all of the talking. Known for having one of the hardest shots in NHL history, he was always more than a triggerman from the point. His style of play was a throwback to the top defenders of the 1980s and 1990s. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he would overpower opponents in one-on-one situations, his physical style intimidated opponents who were wary of skating down his wing, and he was willing to drop the gloves when necessary. He was also known as one of the best leaders in the NHL, winning the Mark Messier Award for leadership in 2016.
His legacy in Montreal will be the impact his leadership made on a young Nick Suzuki, who took the captaincy from him after his departure. But also, it will forever be tied to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final run, where he displayed the heart of a warrior, playing through injuries that ultimately ended his playing career. There is no Cup for Shea Weber, but he left as one of the best defensemen that defined his era, which is why he was inducted into the HHOF in 2024.
Goaltenders
There have been a few notable players to wear the Canadiens sweater between the pipes in the 21st century. Some have had great stories and impressive moments.
Jose Theodore
Many fans will say Jaroslav Halak deserves to be here, mostly based on his 2010 playoff performances, but there is a goaltender who eclipsed that one-month stretch: Jose Theodore. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy, and was an All-Star selection for his performances in the 2001-02 season. In his nine seasons in Montreal, he won 141 games, had a .911 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.62 goals against average.
He followed up that impressive 2001-02 regular season performance by backstopping the Canadiens to a massive playoff upset win over the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins in six games. That was only the sixth time in the one-versus-eight playoff format that an eighth seed defeated the top seed. He repeated his playoff heroics in 2003-04 when he led his seventh-seeded Canadiens to a seven-game upset of the Bruins before he and the Canadiens lost in a sweep to the Lightning, who went on to win the Cup.
Jose Theodore knows from experience that if you’re playing outside, you’d better dress appropriately. 😂@NHLFlames vs. @NHLJets in the 2019 @TimHortons NHL #HeritageClassic Saturday at 10 ET on @NHLonNBCSports and @Sportsnet. pic.twitter.com/DO1bzrjj2W
— NHL (@NHL) October 25, 2019
While he carried the torch for goaltending greatness for a short time, he will always be remembered for the iconic photo of him wearing a toque during the first-ever NHL Heritage Classic.
Carey Price
The easiest decision of this entire exercise was selecting Carey Price. He is the Canadiens’ all-time leader in games played with 712 and wins with 361. He also has 43 wins in 89 playoff starts with a career post-season .919 SV%, second only to Gump Worsley. Price has won the Vezina as the top goaltender, the Hart as league MVP, the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against and a Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for dedication to the game of hockey. Strangely, he had only been named to the All-Star game once in his career. Price had won World Junior Championships gold, led the Hamilton Bulldogs to the 2009 Calder Cup as American Hockey League (AHL) champions, a World Cup of Hockey, and Olympic gold. But one thing he couldn’t win was a Stanley Cup.
He played the majority of his career during the tenure of former general manager Marc Bergevin who always defined players in two categories: those who get you to the playoffs and those who get you through them. Price neatly fell into both and single-handedly carried the franchise for many years. As the only star on the roster, he was the author of two deep playoff runs culminating in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final where the Canadiens lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Price has yet to officially retire, however, it is understood he will never return to play in the NHL as his career has been shortened by multiple knee injuries that became more serious than expected. We will never know what a fully healthy Price could have done for a franchise desperately in search of a 25th Championship. His final game came weeks after the world lost Guy Lafleur. The remainder of that season saw the number 10, famously worn by Lafleur, pop up randomly in many ways, and it seemed fitting that what turned into Price’s final farewell ended as a 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on April 29, 2022.
.@CanadiensMTL goalie Carey Price met a young fan whose mother, before dying of cancer, promised her son she would help him meet his idol.
Here’s the moment Price and Anderson met ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yvIaeBwuf9
— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2019
His legacy reaches far beyond the arena. His advocacy for mental health and addiction support, for Indigenous children, and his obvious care for the fans is what will leave a lasting impact. While he never won the Cup, his career on and off the ice may lead his number 31 to be raised to the rafters in Montreal.
The first 25 years of the 21st century have had some memorable Canadiens players, and moments, even without a Cup victory. The players listed each have left a mark on the franchise, and their legacies are being felt or are still being built. The franchise is in the middle of its first rebuild in modern history, and fans are hoping for an epic quarter century ahead.
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