Greatest Montreal Canadiens Player Of All-Time? #8

[BenchBrawl]

Who is the next greatest Montreal Canadiens of all-time?

#1: Maurice Richard (57.14%)
#2: Jean Béliveau (77.27%)
#3: Guy Lafleur (45.68%)
#4: Doug Harvey (55.93%)
#5: Howie Morenz (40%)
#6: Larry Robinson (42%)
#7: Jacques Plante (34.78%)

Click to read more...

 

[BenchBrawl]

(re-post from last thread)

Newsy Lalonde

Biography of Newsy Lalonde: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=96239039&postcount=3

Some highlights:

Lalonde was the complete package: he could skate, shoot, stick handle, and pass expertly. He also was a skilled fighter with a volcanic temper.

Newsy Lalonde was unique. He was a tough battler who neither asked nor gave any quarter. He figured that anything which helped produce victory for his team was justified. It was no wonder that his friends loved him and his opponents hated his guts, but he went on about his business in hockey and lacrosse without paying the slightest attention to what people thought about him. I am certain that Newsy must be rated as one of the all-time great hockey stars. He was superlatively great. ... Surely a tougher battler has never been known on the Canadian sporting scene.

A remarkable scorer who could also play a rough style of hockey, Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde was one of the premier forwards in the early days of the NHL. His tenacity on the ice became as legendary as his natural affinity for putting the puck in the net. ... But during his hockey-playing days, he earned a reputation as one of the game's bad boys because he knew how to take care of himself. Dick Beddoes wrote that "Lalonde was a survivor of a truly permissive age when hockey was genuinely a mug's racket, mottled with roughnecks who preferred to drink an opponent's blood at body temperature, or near there."

I didn't vote for Newsy Lalonde this round, but he is one of the greatest center of all-time and should go sooner than later.

Discussion thread where you can see Newsy Lalonde being compared to this group of centers (Lalonde got ranked 2nd after Yzerman out of that list):

Syl Apps
Frank Boucher
Marcel Dionne
Peter Forsberg
Newsy Lalonde
Joe Malone
Henri Richard
Milt Schmidt
Steve Yzerman

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1542553

 

[BenchBrawl]

(re-post from last thread minus Plante)

Discussion thread involving Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1269997

Unfortunately (for the purpose of this thread), this discussion is about their entire career value, not strictly for Montreal, but plenty of information is still available.

 

[BenchBrawl]

This is the toughest round for me; I feel like no defenseman is even close to be the best of the bunch so it's between the goalies and the forwards.

I have Newsy Lalonde as the best forward out of that group closely followed by Henri Richard.

Then we have Patrick Roy versus Ken Dryden.A couple of days ago I would have said Patrick Roy easily, but some people kind of opened my eyes as to how close their Montreal career really were.

I won't vote tonight, will see if someone can argue for who they think is the best of the bunch and I'll re-evaluate tomorrow.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Added Joliat, Lach, Vézina and Blake.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

I don't see how you can pick Roy over Dryden when considering their Montreal careers only.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

I don't see how you can pick Roy over Dryden when considering their Montreal careers only.

For real though. These short voting windows on each spot are catching some randomly odd opinions, and the list that has resulted.... put the same names in a jar and spill them out on the floor and the order would be as interesting/useful.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Ken Dryden's the correct choice here. Mr. Consistent.

 

[groovejuice]

If Henri Richard was still on the list, I'd be sorely tempted to give him my vote. 11 Cups as a player, one more than even Beliveau, and over 1000 career pts. Dryden gets my vote here.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

If Henri Richard was still on the list, I'd be sorely tempted to give him my vote. 11 Cups as a player, one more than even Beliveau, and over 1000 career pts. Dryden gets my vote here.

I don't think Vezina belongs as one of the choices. Durnan would be a better choice in my opinion. Vezina gets a lot of mileage out of the trophy being named after him but he really wasn't all that dominant.

 

[groovejuice]

I don't think Vezina belongs as one of the choices. Durnan would be a better choice in my opinion. Vezina gets a lot of mileage out of the trophy being named after him but he really wasn't all that dominant.

It's more difficult, IMO, to pick goalies over any other position. That position evolved the most over the eras and comparisons are more difficult. In the modern era Patrick was the best I feel and Dryden was the most dominant (both for Montreal obviously). Slight edge to Kenny.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Ken Dryden's the correct choice here. Mr. Consistent.

Roy had two great playoffs but Dryden's 1971 playoff was better, not only because he won two game 7s on the road, but because they were against the two best teams in the league.

The Habs in 1986 and 1993 were lucky to have others knock out the top seeds before they could reach a round against Montreal.

The other factor for me is that Roy had several very ordinary playoffs where his counterpart on the opposing team outgoaled him, five times to be exact while with the Habs.

So in my book, Roy is 3rd or 4th as a Hab all-time goalie (depending where we place Vézina). I don't count his time in Colorado, just as I don't count Frank Mahovlich's time in Toronto and Detroit.

 

[BenchBrawl]

If Henri Richard was still on the list, I'd be sorely tempted to give him my vote. 11 Cups as a player, one more than even Beliveau, and over 1000 career pts. Dryden gets my vote here.

Wow I screwed up.Forgot him

 

[BenchBrawl]

For real though. These short voting windows on each spot are catching some randomly odd opinions, and the list that has resulted.... put the same names in a jar and spill them out on the floor and the order would be as interesting/useful.

If I wait longer for any thread, it will get buried in the next pages to never return.

I would love for everyone to actively participate but it's been two or three threads already when actions is quickly dying.

I didn't createt his poll with the expectations that the order would be as solid and informed as a list made by the hockey history sub-forum regulars.It's just for fun.

 

[groovejuice]

Wow I screwed up.Forgot him

Hehe, it happens. Put him back and he gets my vote next round.

 

[Toene]

No Hainsworth?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Roy had two great playoffs but Dryden's 1971 playoff was better, not only because he won two game 7s on the road, but because they were against the two best teams in the league.

The Habs in 1986 and 1993 were lucky to have others knock out the top seeds before they could reach a round against Montreal.

The other factor for me is that Roy had several very ordinary playoffs where his counterpart on the opposing team outgoaled him, five times to be exact while with the Habs.

So in my book, Roy is 3rd or 4th as a Hab all-time goalie (depending where we place Vézina). I don't count his time in Colorado, just as I don't count Frank Mahovlich's time in Toronto and Detroit.

That's a good point that gets lost in the shuffle. The Bruins in '71 were a true powerhouse. It would be like beating the 1982 Islanders or 1985 Oilers.

Dryden may have played for powerhouse teams but the '71 team wasn't a powerhouse. And Roy did have some relatively easy paths to the cup. As you said though, what does it for me was that Dryden was more consistent. There were playoff runs where Roy couldn't stop a beach ball and that didn't happen with Dryden.