TSN: All-Time Montreal Canadiens Team

[Treb]

Could end up on Pittsburgh or NY. But not Montreal, all of these players are in the HOF except Price aren't they?

And Price will probably make it when he retire. He already has:
348 wins (23 all-time)
48 shutouts (33 all-time)
1 Vezina
1 Hart
1 Ted Lindsay
1 Jennings
1 First All-Star team
1 Olympic Gold with best goaltender
1 WC Gold

If he plays 6 more seasons and win 25 games per, he will finish at 498 wins, good for 3rd to 5th all-time (depending on Fleury/Lundqvist getting their share of wins). With 3 shutouts a year, he would also tie Roy at 16 with 66 shutouts.

Of course, Roy is still ahead of him, but he is easily the best player all positions considered we had since Roy was traded 25 years ago (maybe Damphousse could challenge if we considered 92-95, but I said after the Roy trade).

 

[Deebs]

Well, Lach was a better player overall than Carbo, and while Pocket isn't better defensively than Carbo, he was also good enough to outplay just about everyone he's up against.

... And lol, everyone with some kind of passing knowledge about hockey history takes Joliat before Shutt. This is a very obvious call. Shutt was a great complimentary player, but even for his best years he wasn't the best player on his line, or even the second best.

So all the historians who've done all time greatest lineups for the Habs over the years are wrong, except for you.... Got it.

Carbo is one of the best defensive Centers to ever play and the best ever for the Habs. He's not being replaced imo.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I don't think it's that difficult to place Price up there with the greats. For one, we know one criteria is a current member needs to be on the roster. Nobody else would belong there if not Price.

But even overall, he is one of the best netminders in franchise history.

- Most games played.
- He has the most wins.
- 3rd in shutouts.
- 3rd in SV% among goalies who have played 300+ games (Plante and Dryden are top two).
- 3rd in GAA among goalies who have played 300+ games (Plante and Dryden again top two).

Only three goalies have played 500+ games for the franchise (Plante, Roy & Price). So in the SV% and GAA categories, among those three, Price is second.

Yes, Roy belongs up there. But I don't think naming Price there is really that hard to comprehend.

 

[Chili]

Little known fact but Elmer Lach retired as the leading scorer in NHL history.

Georges Vézina still is the longest tenured goaltender in club history (but apparentley doesn`t qualify to be on an all time list).

In my opinion, Jacques Plante and Patrick Roy both have a strong argument as best goaltender in league history.

And like Ken Dryden Bill Durnan had a short but outstanding career.

 

[peate]

Watching those games from the 70's, Dryden didn't really have to work very hard. Price would have had a field day back then.

 

[Deebs]

TSN is doing this with every Canadian team. Up yesterday was the Flames.

Best of 7, how many games does it take for the Habs to win it in?

 

[CHfan1]

TSN is doing this with every Canadian team. Up yesterday was the Flames.

Best of 7, how many games does it take for the Habs to win it in?

Easily 4 against Calgary. The real test of Canadian teams would be Edmonton.

Imagine facing a PP line of Gretzky, McDavid, Messier, Draisaitl (or Kurri), and Coffey. Although I think Montreal beats them too because of better defence, goaltending, and depth.

 

[Deebs]

Easily 4 against Calgary. The real test of Canadian teams would be Edmonton.

Imagine facing a PP line of Gretzky, McDavid, Messier, Draisaitl (or Kurri), and Coffey. Although I think Montreal beats them too because of better defence, goaltending, and depth.

We'd probably have the best chance against that PP, but yeah, that's unbelievably scary. Would love to see it

Carbonneau - Gainey
Robinson - Savard
Dryden

 

[Treb]

TSN is doing this with every Canadian team. Up yesterday was the Flames.

Best of 7, how many games does it take for the Habs to win it in?

3 because they forfeit after that.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

The criteria was they had to have one current player on the roster. Otherwise Price wouldn’t have made it.

Still, how does arguably the best all time at his position not make our team. I personally have Hasek number 1, but if you read the history of hockey all time rankings, Roy is favoured there and very well presented arguments are made to justify it. Weber or Gallagher could have more justifiably been our current roster member on the team to meet that criteria. Having both Dryden and Price over Roy doesn’t make sense.

 

[CHfan1]

Still, how does arguably the best all time at his position not make our team. I personally have Hasek number 1, but if you read the history of hockey all time rankings, Roy is favoured there and very well presented arguments are made to justify it. Weber or Gallagher could have more justifiably been our current roster member on the team to meet that criteria. Having both Dryden and Price over Roy doesn’t make sense.

I agree with you on Roy, he should have been the starting goalie.

On the current team Weber hasn’t been that great. I guess you could make a case for Gallagher but I think Price is the obvious choice. He’s got a Hart, a Vezina, and is up there with the Habs in all stats categories.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Some must have missed the requirements set out by TSN which are stated in the first post and in the article.

Nope read them fine and it still makes no sense. The best goalie of all-time didn’t make the list. It’s not just Price, but Dryden too. Bumping a forward for gally or a dman for Weber makes way more sense.

 

[Deebs]

Nope read them fine and it still makes no sense. The best goalie of all-time didn’t make the list. It’s not just Price, but Dryden too. Bumping a forward for gally or a dman for Weber makes way more sense.

I have no problem with Roy over Dryden.

Gally isn't better than Lafleur, Rocket or Boom Boom, so no, he's not on the team.

Love Weber, but he's not better than Bouchard, Chelios or Savard as a Hab.

 

[Kriss E]

Easily 4 against Calgary. The real test of Canadian teams would be Edmonton.

Imagine facing a PP line of Gretzky, McDavid, Messier, Draisaitl (or Kurri), and Coffey. Although I think Montreal beats them too because of better defence, goaltending, and depth.

Not sure they'd need much defense if you basically added McDavid and Drai to their dynasty team.

 

[mariolemieux66]

TSN is doing this with every Canadian team. Up yesterday was the Flames.

Best of 7, how many games does it take for the Habs to win it in?

On the Flames I would put Fleury with Robert and Nieuwendyk. Iginla down on the second line to add size and Mullen in the 3rd.
I would also have Gary Sutter ahead of Giordano.

 

[montreal]

I don't see how Gallagher would make the list, he's got a career high of 54 pts, Weber maybe if he stayed healthy you could consider it but I don't see it.

 

[Deebs]

Best of 7, who wins in how many games? If we take lots of penalties, it's over.

 

[LaP]

Easily 4 against Calgary. The real test of Canadian teams would be Edmonton.

Imagine facing a PP line of Gretzky, McDavid, Messier, Draisaitl (or Kurri), and Coffey. Although I think Montreal beats them too because of better defence, goaltending, and depth.

Pens all star team would be hard to beat too.

Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, Crosby, Malkin. Then you got guys like Recchi and Tocchet who played couple of years there Coffey too.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I don't see how Gallagher would make the list, he's got a career high of 54 pts, Weber maybe if he stayed healthy you could consider it but I don't see it.

That’s not the measurement that matters, points in a season. Everyone is fine with Bob and Guy, because they were elite defensive forwards. The list is silly without Roy, fine, Price is the only player on the current team that should make it because one monster year, but he shouldn’t replace Roy. Roy should be the number 1 goalie, no doubt about it. I think he gets punished for the way he left Montreal, but he belongs on the list as much as anyone.