Montreal Canadiens: The Top 5 Captains of All-Time

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.