Montreal Canadiens: The Top 5 Captains of All-Time
Jean Beliveau
Jean Beliveau was an icon during his playing days. Beliveau was signed as a free agent by Montreal on October 3, 1953, and remained in a Canadiens sweater for his entire career.
Beliveau is in the top 5 of every all-time offensive record for Montreal. He was not the fastest or flashiest, but he would outwork the opposition and continuously create offensive chances inside the offensive zone. As a captain, he did not say much, but when he spoke, his teammates listened.
Offensively, he was as gifted as anyone in NHL history. In 1,125 games, he scored 507 goals and assisted on 712 for a career point total of 1,219 points and was also a +117.
His resume is quite remarkable, as he was a ten-time all-star, was part of ten Stanley Cup championship teams, and won two Hart Trophies. He led the league in goals (47) and points (88) in the 1955-56 season and also led the league in goals during the 1958-59 season with 45.
Beliveau made his offensive zone time count, as he was relentless along the boards and in the corners. He did not fight much, but he did play an aggressive game to go along with his elite offensive game.
He was a threat in the playoffs as well, producing 79 goals and 97 assists for 176 points in 162 games. Beliveau scored 19 hat tricks and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1972. He, unfortunately, passed away on December 2, 2014.
Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard was a feared man back in the day. He was elite offensively but also put fear in the opposition with his willingness to stare a hole through you. He was aggressive, and he never turned down an opportunity to drop the gloves.
Back in the day, the game was offensive and rough, just the way Richard liked to play. Combine this with his goal-scoring ability and you had a machine on skates.
During his career, Richard played 978 games, scoring 544 goals and assisting on 422 for a career point total of 966 points. Like Beliveau, he was also deadly in the playoffs, scoring 82 goals and 44 assists for 126 points in 132 games.
He signed with Montreal as a free agent on October 29, 1942, and instantly put his mark on the game.
As a captain, he was the opposite of Beliveau, as he wanted his team to know when they played poorly. He was an outspoken captain and let teammates know when they were slacking.
Richard had a stare that would leave you shaking in your skates and that put fear in not only the opposition but his teammates as well.
In his career, he was an elite player. He won 8 Stanley Cups, played in 13 all-star games, led the NHL in goals five times, and produced 13 hat tricks.
Not only was he known for his goal-scoring ability but he was also known for being the only player whose actions ensued a riot. On March 10, 1955, Richard was suspended for the last 3 regular season games and the entire playoffs for an on-ice incident against the Boston Bruins.
This led to the entire Montreal community unleashing their displeasure at the NHL and ensuing riot acts.
Richard passed away on May 27, 2000.
Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer was a captain that was not loud and not overly dramatic, but a captain that led by example. If the team was not playing well, he would go out and dominate a shift. If they needed a pick me up, he would lay a hit.
Cournoyer was a captain that would put the team on his back and lead them to victory.
In his career, Cournoyer played in 968 games, totaling 428 goals and 435 assists for 863 points and was a +254. In his playoff career, Cournoyer scored 74 goals and 63 assists for 137 points in 147 games.
He was not the biggest, the fastest, or the player with the biggest shot, but he produced offensively while maintaining his integrity.
Inducted to the NHL Hall of Fame in 1983, Cournoyer was a six-time all-star and won 10 Stanley Cups. He was not quite loud as a captain, but he got his point across and showed teammates how it should be done.
Cournoyer was a classy player, never taking a cheap shot on any opposing player, and never putting his team at a disadvantage.
He was a unanimous choice for captain after Henri Richard announced his retirement from the NHL in 1975. Cournoyer was nicknamed roadrunner, because he was often the fastest player in the game, adding to his full arsenal.
Cournoyer had his number12 retired in 2006 after years of success. Early on in his legendary career, Cournoyer was a roommate of fellow Canadian and Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau.
Toe Blake
Joseph Hector “Toe” Blake was an inspiration and a Canadien through and through. He was an icon who not only played but also coached the Canadiens after he hung up his skates.
As a captain, he used that role to prepare himself to coach behind the bench and used the same approach. He was aggressive in the way that when he spoke to his teammates, they knew he was serious.
On the ice, he was productive and knew how to get the most out of a simple shift. In his career, he played 577 games, scoring 235 goals and 294 assists for 529 points. In the playoffs, he scored 25 goals and 37 assists for 62 points in 58 games.
As a player, Blake won 3 Stanley Cups, including one while playing 8 games for the Montreal Maroons in 1935. He was a solid, all-around player who played with an edge.
As a coach, Blake was behind the bench for the Canadiens, leaving a coaching record of 500-254-159. In the playoffs, he was 82-37. Blake accumulated 63.4% of the possible points and had a .689 winning percentage in the playoffs.
Blake’s teams never finished below third place and won 8 Stanley Cups with him as the coach. It’s incredible to think about the success he had as a player, only to be more successful behind the bench.
Blake had a way of getting his players to do exactly what he wanted, and his players were better for it. He is a Montreal Canadien for life and one of the more underrated players for such an important piece of Canadiens history.
Saku Koivu
Saku Koivu was one of the quietest captains in Montreal and NHL history. He went about his way, leading on and off the ice, and showing leadership by simply playing the game of hockey. He led by example and proved why he is one of the better captains in Montreal’s history.
Koivu was also one of the smaller captains but made up for it using his speed and knowledge to break through the barriers.
Koivu was by no way elite in terms of production, but he was consistent. He scored 255 goals and 577 assists for 932 points in 1,124 games. In the playoffs, he scored 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 points in 80 games. He also appeared in his only NHL all-star game in 1998.
After playing for Montreal for most of his career, he, on July 8, 2009, signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, where he would finish his career.
Brother of former NHLer Mikko Koivu, Saku was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer on September 6, 2001. The cancer was known as Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He fought harder than he did on the ice and today he stands as a cancer survivor. On September 10, 2014, he retired from the game of hockey.
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Koivu was respected by not only his teammates but the opposition as well. He never took a shift off and always put in hard work to see the team be successful. There may be players who scored more, but there are few players who went through what he did and is still here to talk about it.