He died less than two months later at the age of 34. Yvan ‘The Roadrunner’ Cournoyer earned his nickname for his speed on the ice. Hull showed nothing but respect for Provost who seemed to have a knack for getting to a spot on the ice ahead of the puck and breaking up a play just as the puck arrived.This long successful history leads to a long storied list of players to be considered as the greatest Montreal Canadiens of all time. He was still contributing offensively in the playoffs ten years later with 20 points in 17 games in that failed cup run.Regular season GP 962 G 518 A 728 PTS 1246Regular Season GP 328 W 173 L 146 T 6 SO 15 GAA 3.42Cournoyer excelled in the playoffs and in international competition. Lafleur scored at least 50 goals six years in a row, once reaching 60. He was the first to score 50 goals in a season and he did it in fifty games. The Canadiens decided to honour both Cournoyer and Moore by retiring the same number 12 for two different players, the first time this was done in club history. Émile ‘The Rock of Gibraltar’ Bouchard is among the best defencemen in Canadiens history. He won a second Norris trophy in 1979-80 when he also managed more than a point a game. He also won the Norris Trophy six times, as the NHL’s top defenceman.Jacques ‘Jake The Snake’ Plante was an integral part of the Canadiens dynasty of the 1950s and had the league’s lowest goals-against average each year of the Canadiens record five-year run. He lead his Canadiens in scoring seven times.Claude Provost spent his exclusive fifteen year career with the Montreal Canadiens as a defensive specialist. In the playoffs he managed 4 goals and ten points in fourteen games as the Canadiens won the cup. He became famed for his Savardian Spinerama where he'd take the puck in a 360 degree spin to shake off forecheckers. That power play was so dominant an NHL rule was changed for them. He's also third in goal scoring behind Richard and Lafleur. The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, formally Le Club de Hockey Canadien, was founded on December 4, 1909.The Canadiens are the oldest professional hockey franchise in the world. Tying the Rocket's record didn't earn him the opprobrium that Maris suffered for breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record, but he still never seemed to get the love from the Montreal fans that the Rocket had earned.His career ended early in Montreal when botched salary negotiations with fledgling GM Irving Grundman resulted in Lemaire leaving the NHL to play and coach in Switzerland.Perhaps the best captain in Montreal Canadien's history I see Beliveau as the second greatest player in that history as well.Henri Richard was smaller than big brother Maurice but no less fiery. He started in Montreal though as a checking winger trying to find a job.Plante only lasted ten seasons in Montreal but because of his sharp mind and fitness level managed to play in the NHL until age 44.George Vezina was picked up by the Canadiens in 1910 when he shut-out the Canadiens in and Exhibition game. In addition to his six Stanley Cup rings, he also owns seven Vezina Trophies. The Montreal Canadiens agitated for and finally had established the Frank J. Selke trophy for the 1977-78 season.
He still holds the record for most assists in a game by a Canadien with six.Dryden had the third most career wins as a Canadien goalie with 258.