Great NHL Players who we're not so good with the Habs?

Basszor

Registered User
Sep 29, 2008
996
6
Montreal
Watch that first goal in the video you posted.

It was a nice play, no?

Problem with the Habs is that I wouldn't be surprised if he got screamed at and benched after that goal. The Habs organization hates it when players make plays like this. They scornfully call it "de la dentelle." Offensive creativity must be killed.
it indeed was. However, he was one of my favorite player at the time and i was so sad it wasnt working out for him here. I miss the kovy era. At least it was exciting to watch the games.
 
Aug 25, 2009
10,563
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éal
He was also like 27/28 and had a pretty good playoffs run with the oilers. I was thrilled since i thought he was young enough to be good for a while with us and the dream of having him with kovalev.... but oh well

now this is all can remember about him..

I now remember making a thread on this very board to claim that he was actually good and that we should like him more. I think you now all know you should take everything I say with a grain of salt
 

the

Registered User
Mar 2, 2012
13,192
17,581
Montreal
I remember that one shift where Samsonov-Koivu-Kovalev were on the ice by accident. They dominated the other team for that one minute...

I never know why we never tried them together.
 

CristianoRonaldo

Registered User
Apr 7, 2014
19,559
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In your head
I remember that one shift where Samsonov-Koivu-Kovalev were on the ice by accident. They dominated the other team for that one minute...

I never know why we never tried them together.

Spread the talent, instead of having one great 1st line and three 4th line we get four 3rd line.

That's MTL way since I started following hockey/this team.
 

L4br3cqu3

Matter of principle.
Sponsor
May 5, 2002
6,832
3,997
La Tuque
Andreas Dackell-Joe Juneau-Nicklas Sunstrom

Juneau already was on the decline when he signed with the Habs, but yeah he was great at some point. Took his role seriously with us, though, that line was a pretty good, classic, defensive 3rd line.

Dackell was serviceable but was never great, Sundstrom never was great either, but he did falter fast with us...
 
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nhlfan9191

Registered User
Aug 4, 2010
19,585
17,344
Juneau already was on the decline when he signed with the Habs, but yeah he was great at some point. Took his role seriously with us, though, that line was a pretty good, classic, defensive 3rd line.

Dackell was serviceable but was never great, Sundstrom never was great either, but he did falter fast with us...

Bringing up these names just reminds me why Jose Theodore won the Vezina and Hart in 2002. How that team made the playoffs, I’ll never know.
 

MrNasty

Registered User
Jun 13, 2007
3,720
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Nova Scotia
Interesting that pretty much everyone named were players that came to Montreal near the end of their careers. The only one I saw that became a star after leaving Montreal was LeClair. There has to be others but I can't think of any.
Could say Roy but he was great here too. Same with Subban.
 

Tighthead

Registered User
Nov 9, 2016
3,612
3,832
Interesting that pretty much everyone named were players that came to Montreal near the end of their careers. The only one I saw that became a star after leaving Montreal was LeClair. There has to be others but I can't think of any.
Could say Roy but he was great here too. Same with Subban.

McDonagh?

Mark Hunter had some good seasons with the Blues, not quite a star. I think he had injury issues.

I always thought the Habs gave some decent players away for next to nothing - Craig Laughlin (didn’t need to be part of Langway trade), Jyrki Lumme, Greg Pawslawski.
 

G0bias

Registered User
Oct 4, 2007
7,749
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MTL
The "Version 2.0" players who played for the Habs in two separate stints usually sucked the second time around.

Corson 2.0
Richer 2.0
Quintal 2.0
Brisebois (both versions sucked but his #71 days were even worse than his #43 days if you can believe it)
Schneider 2.0
Streit 2.0

Or for that matter...

Therrien 2.0
Julien 2.0
All versions of Therrien suck.
 
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Whitesnake

If you rebuild, they will come.
Jan 5, 2003
89,205
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Interesting that pretty much everyone named were players that came to Montreal near the end of their careers. The only one I saw that became a star after leaving Montreal was LeClair. There has to be others but I can't think of any.
Could say Roy but he was great here too. Same with Subban.

Well in the same trade, you could say that while he was good with us, Éric Desjardins became MUCH better with the Flyers. And while some of them were no stars, guys that flourished more elsewhere than here, you rather have to go back in time....Langway was good for us...but became more complete and will always be remembered as a Caps. Andrew Cassels exploded in Hartford. Tomas Vokoun became a #1 goalie, Francois Beauchemin became a real solid d-man, Ribeiro became more consistent elsewhere, Grabovski had much better seasons in Toronto and that's about it.
 
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bryan1966

Time for some fast & skilled hockey!
Nov 24, 2011
659
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New Hampshire
Perry Turnbull

great for St Louis and Winnipeg but he was bad with Habs!

add -
Jyrki Lumme
 
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yianik

Registered User
Jun 30, 2009
10,609
6,023
Most of the guys being written about had been better players earlier in their careers and not so much when they joined us ie Briere, PAP, Corson2, Murray etc infinitum. It is amazing to me how many guys it seems like we added whereby their last games in the NHL were in a Habs jersey. Maybe I am exaggerating but I started thinking we were some kind of top off for about to retire/head to Europe NHL guys.

So this is bad enough, but what really rubs me is the guys who did better elsewhere after the Habs.

Turgeon was not here long but I think after here he became a more complete player with the Blues. Craig Darby became a good 3C and I mention him as he was traded with Turgeon.

Andrew Cassels, yet another centre ,who had a decent career after Montreal.

Chris Chelios was already great with us but given his continued excellence and endurance post Habs I would say he was another one.

John LeClair. Yeah he played with Lindros , but you dont become a 50 goal scorer from a 19 goal scorer just by changing sweaters. This guy had untapped ability and it was no doubt untapped by not setting him up to be as successful as we could have.

Controversey coming. Mikey Ribs. Yes, Ribiero has a great darkness and demons within himself, but this guy was a no.1 C in Dallas , breaking 80 points once and generally producing really well.

My pick for the next one is, Galchenyuk. The Yotes are going to play him at centre. Will be interesting the debates we will have. "See he is a centre ". " No, he scores but his 200 foot game stinks." Will be interesting.
 

Laurentide

Registered User
Mar 24, 2018
3,249
3,413
Edmonton, Alberta
Terry Harper was part of 5 Cup teams with the Habs but the best single season of his near 20 year NHL career was in 75-76 with Detroit when he had 8 goals and 25 assists for 33 points, 11 points better than his next best season.

Speaking of the Red Wings, Mickey Redmond was part of two Cup winning teams with the Habs (although he only played in 16 career playoff games) and then was traded to Detroit as part of the Frank Mahovlich deal. In Detroit he went on to have the three best seasons of his career, scoring 42, 52 and 51 goals from 1972-74.
 
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OldCraig71

Registered User
Feb 2, 2009
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Interesting that pretty much everyone named were players that came to Montreal near the end of their careers. The only one I saw that became a star after leaving Montreal was LeClair. There has to be others but I can't think of any.
Could say Roy but he was great here too. Same with Subban.
I was such a fan of big John Leclair, one of y favorite players in a habs jersey, he was the prototypical pwf, he was instrumental in that 93 cup win, I still have my Leclair jersey to this day.
 

QuebecPride

Registered User
May 4, 2010
7,987
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Sherbrooke, Québec
The "Version 2.0" players who played for the Habs in two separate stints usually sucked the second time around.

Corson 2.0
Richer 2.0
Quintal 2.0
Brisebois (both versions sucked but his #71 days were even worse than his #43 days if you can believe it)
Schneider 2.0
Streit 2.0

Or for that matter...

Therrien 2.0
Julien 2.0

Quintal and Schneider were fine on their second stint to me. Schneider actually produced a whole lot: 17 pts in 23 games.
 

OldCraig71

Registered User
Feb 2, 2009
34,832
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No one cares
Well in the same trade, you could say that while he was good with us, Éric Desjardins became MUCH better with the Flyers. And while some of them were no stars, guys that flourished more elsewhere than here, you rather have to go back in time....Langway was good for us...but became more complete and will always be remembered as a Caps. Andrew Cassels exploded in Hartford. Tomas Vokoun became a #1 goalie, Francois Beauchemin became a real solid d-man, Ribeiro became more consistent elsewhere, Grabovski had much better seasons in Toronto and that's about it.
I can still vividly remember Bob Cole yelling "Desjardins", he is forever burned in my memory, a beautiful player.
 

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