Montreal Canadiens all time greatest d-men list (past and present)

[ECWHSWI]

This.

IMHO if we time-machined Subban back to the 50s he would barrel end to end and the guys on the bench would drop their cigarettes in awe. If we look at hockey's three fundamentals, "skating and shooting," Subban is far above anyone from that era. Today's players are fitter and the game is faster.

try to picture players from the 50's with today's training and today's gear...

I for one would love to see boom boom slapper with today's hockey stick

or how fast the roadrunner would be with today's blade...

 

[Teufelsdreck]

Start from that list :

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1029907


You get these, in this order :


2 2 Doug Harvey 5'11" 190 1924 1989 1947-1969 Canada
9 19 Larry Robinson 6'3" 220 1951 1972-1992 Canada
10 24 Chris Chelios 6'1" 190 1962 1983-2010 USA
15 2 Sprague Cleghorn 5'10" 190 1890 1956 1910-1928 Canada
28 18 Serge Savard 6'3" 210 1946 1966-1983 Canada
29 5 Rod Langway 6'3" 218 1957 1977-1993 USA
32 5 Guy Lapointe 6'0" 205 1948 1968-1984 Canada
38 2 Jacques Laperrière 6'2" 190 1941 1962-1974 Canada
40 3 Jean-Claude Tremblay 5'11 170 1939 1994 1960-1979 Canada
45 3 Emile "Butch" Bouchard 6'2" 205 1919 1941-1956 Canada
47 1 Albert "Babe" Siebert 5'10" 182 1904 1939 1925-1939 Canada
51 17 Ken Reardon 5'10" 180 1921 2008 1940-1950 Canada
52 10 Tom Johnson 6'0" 180 1928 2007 1950-1965 Canada
56 2 Sylvio Mantha 5'10" 178 1902 1974 1923-1936 Canada

Of that group, Chelios can be taken down a bit (played some 65% of his career out of Montreal), Langway can be taken down a lot (didn't have his best years here) and possibly completely out of this list, Tremblay can be taken down a bit as well (played quite a bit with the Nords in the WHA), same with Babe Siebert (one of very, very few players to win the Hart as a D-Men in Montreal), but he really only spent 2 or three seasons here before accepting the Head Coach job, only to die in the final days of summer vacation.

There are some great names. I saw every one on the above list in action but Cleghorn, Siebert, and Mantha . Among those I can speak of, I consider Harvey, Laperriere, Savard, and Langway to have been the best defensively. The first three of them were the smartest overall (with honors to J-C Tremblay (a clever stick checker but not very physical). I wasn't as impressed as some with Bouchard, although I admired his character. Robinson offered a combination of offense and defense that was hard to beat. He had the advantage of size and strength over Harvey and in this era I'd probably pick him. Before his knee surgeries Savard could have been an outstanding big center. Injuries took away his speed but his positional sense was amazing, especially his ability to neutralize fast forwards coming down the wing. Lapointe was also a very good two-way Dman.

 

[Teufelsdreck]

IMO Tyson has a pretty good list. The trouble I have trying to rank these guys is that you are comparing guys from different eras and all you can really say about them is that they were the best in their time. The game changes so much. Having said that, the only addition I might add to this list near the bottom maybe, would be Rod Langway, another guy we traded away before he reached his true potential.

I'd say he had already reached his potential but the Habs got good value in return in that trade.

 

[Harry Wong]

Good return on Langway was Walter and Green, no question. But I remember there being a lot of second guessing or regret in Montreal with the way Langway went on to Captain the Capitals for many years...we were so deep in those days and then started making bad deals which IMO began the long slow decline.

 

[Harry Wong]

Good return on Langway was Walter and Green, no question. But I remember there being a lot of second guessing or regret in Montreal with the way Langway went on to Captain the Capitals for many years...we were so deep in those days and then started making bad deals which IMO began the long slow decline.

 

[Agnostic]

Good return on Langway was Walter and Green, no question. But I remember there being a lot of second guessing or regret in Montreal with the way Langway went on to Captain the Capitals for many years...we were so deep in those days and then started making bad deals which IMO began the long slow decline.

Langway Laughlin engblom Jarvis . One of the worst trades in history.

 

[Harry Wong]

Langway Laughlin engblom Jarvis . One of the worst trades in history.

Irving Grundman , hockey wizzard, if I rmember correctly.

 

[thom]

Your right but Ryan Walter was a very good character player.Rod Languay wanted out of Montreal due to high taxes.And we did win a stanley Cup in 86 and Rod made good money and won 2 norris

 

[googlymoogly]

The thing about PK is his serious athleticism....

and star power.

Well Harvey was much tougher, he wouldn't fall on the ice from a small stick hook.

 

[SherbrookeW]

No question but that Robinson was the very best : the only defenseman, including Orr, who was a master of every part of the game. He could skate, deke, check, hit, play close defense, open up on the power play-- the whole package. Best single playoff game body check of all time, against Dornhorfer in the 1976 playoffs. Best single D-rushing playoff goal of all time, against Boston the following year. (Both can be found on Youtube.) But Savard was not very far behind; before he broke his leg, he was quite comparable with Orr, and probably a better pure defenseman, though not quite so spectacular a skater. (Which is to say merely second best.) Even in his mature years, he could still work marvels -- witness the famous goal he scored , two men down, against Buffalo alongside Peter Mahavolich. Then Chelios and Lapointe are tied at third: Chelios a somewhat more physical player, Lapointe a better power play man. (Played on six Stanley Cup teams.) Subban with two more solid years will move up to a tie with them ....has the potential (if Bergevin is capable of not losing him to an American team in desperate need of a black superstar) to be alongside Savard and just behind Robinson. (Doug Harvey was clearly quite great, but I never saw him and share the general questions about the relative level of play.)

 

[MasterDecoy]

You can't have an alltime list without Cleghorn.

weird that this is what popped into my head when i read Cleghorn?

 

[Banjo Cat]

Can't help but think of Eric Desjardins and his hat trick in game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 93.

 

[Agnostic]

Your right but Ryan Walter was a very good character player.Rod Languay wanted out of Montreal due to high taxes.And we did win a stanley Cup in 86 and Rod made good money and won 2 norris

Ryan Walter became a born again Christian and lost almost all the sand in his sandpaper.

Langway wanted out because Montreal salaries of the day were paid in Canadian dollars and the $cdn was slipping relative to $us.

 

[Mr. Hab]

PK Subban...the best dman in the history of NHL:
I'm just surprised it took this long for some people to realize/see it.

Love the way he plays defense...love his style, love his amazing skating, love everything about PK Subban.
Still can't believe we (Timmins!) drafted him in the 2nd Rnd Rnd.
(bonus: Subban was born in Toronto but raised as a Hab fan).


Team Canada? he's the best dman in the world (not only in Canada)...Canada is lucky that PK Subban is Canadian...and if they're still thinking about it (Subban on the team or not)...**** 'em big time (such an insult).

Hall of Fame?
More Norris trophies?
Stanley Cup(s)?
#76 retired?

Why so many question marks?
Ignorant haters, that's all.
**** 'em. **** 'em big time.
****ing bitter haters.




Go PK Subban Go!! (I have never witnessed such talent/skill/heart wearing the CH jersey).

 

[MasterDecoy]

PK Subban...the best dman in the history of NHL:
I'm just surprised it took this long for some people to realize/see it.

Love the way he plays defense...love his style, love his amazing skating, love everything about PK Subban.
Still can't believe we (Timmins!) drafted him in the 2nd Rnd Rnd.
(bonus: Subban was born in Toronto but raised as a Hab fan).


Team Canada? he's the best dman in the world (not only in Canada)...Canada is lucky that PK Subban is Canadian...and if they're still thinking about it (Subban on the team or not)...**** 'em big time (such an insult).

Hall of Fame?
More Norris trophies?
Stanley Cup(s)?
#76 retired?

Why so many question marks?
Ignorant haters, that's all.
**** 'em. **** 'em big time.
****ing bitter haters.




Go PK Subban Go!! (I have never witnessed such talent/skill/heart wearing the CH jersey).

someone's got jungle fever...

 

[AntonCH]

Doug Harvey - Bobby Orr before Bobby Orr and won a string of norris trophies
Larry Robinson - added extra dimensions to the position - feared for many reasons
Chris Chelios - The PK Subban of his time
Serge Savard - all round performer and quick with the bouquets
Jacques Laperrière - what could have been were it not for injuries
Sprague Cleghorn
Guy Lapointe
PK Subban
Rod Langway
Jean-Claude Tremblay
Emile "Butch" Bouchard

To those trying to compare players from different eras - good luck
Too many differences between equipment to training techniques to environment

Give PK a straight-bladed wooden stick from yesteryear and lets see what kind of shot he can come up with.
How many in today's league would like to go up against the likes of Ferguson?
So Give it up it can't be done with any form of certainty, the best you can hope for is to judge players against their peers