Today we continue to reveal the Montreal Canadiens First and Second Quarter-Century Teams. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
Quarter-Century: Montreal Canadiens First Team
- Forwards: Saku Koivu – Alex Kovalev – Tomas Plekanec
- Defensemen: Andrei Markov – Shea Weber
- Goaltender: Carey Price
First Team Analysis
Starting with the offense of this first team, the longest-serving captain with the Canadiens (1999-2009) after the late team icon Jean Béliveau (1961-71), Koivu is beloved in Montreal to this day for his grace, leadership and his inspiring public battle with cancer. The Canadiens’ first pick (21st overall) in the 1993 NHL Draft, he recorded 428 points (124 goals, 304 assists) in a quarter-century and 641 points (191 goals, 450 assists) in 13 seasons with Montreal before playing the final five seasons of his NHL career (2009–14) with the Anaheim Ducks.
Kovalev played 314 of his 1,316 NHL games with the Canadiens after joining the club in a trade from the New York Rangers on March 2, 2004. «L’Artiste» (The Artist) electrified Montreal fans with his creativity and flashy scoring style (264 points; 103 goals, 161 assists). Plekanec was selected by the Canadiens in the third round (71st overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft and played 984 of his 1,001 games with Montreal (the other 17 with the Toronto Maple Leafs). He was a highly effective centre forward and an excellent defensive forward who racked up 606 points with the “CH” badge (233 goals and 373 assists).
On the defensive side, Markov was a mainstay on the blue line and quarterback of the Montreal Power Play, where he played his entire 16-season career, making every defensive teammate a better player. A diamond found in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 1998 NHL Draft, Markov bounced back from two ACL surgeries to lead the defensemen after Jan. 1, 2000, with 572 points (119 goals and 453 assists), displaying a gift for calm, strong leadership and a vision for passing lanes that didn’t seem to exist. Weber came to Montreal by way of the Nashville Predators as part of a trade for defenseman P.K. Subban on June 29, 2016.
He played only the final 275 of his 1,038 games with the Canadiens, but the future 2024 Hockey Hall of Famer captained the club from 2018 until his final game in 2021, leading Montreal with his commanding presence, powerful shot and fearless shot-blocking ability.
And in goal, Price, the Canadiens’ first-round pick (No. 5 overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft, holds Montreal goaltending records that will long stand: 361 regular-season wins; games played (712) and starts (700); saves (19,304) and shots faced (21,059). His 49 shutouts are third-most behind early-era club star George Hainsworth (75) and Jacques Plante (58). Price was the franchise goaltender for the majority of his 15 seasons, and in 2014-15 he became the first to sweep the following awards: the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player; the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender; the Ted Lindsay Trophy as the most valuable player as voted on by members of the NHL Players’ Association; and the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league, shared with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Quarter-Century: Montreal Canadiens Second Team
- Forwards: Brendan Gallagher – Max Pacioretty – Nick Suzuki
- Defensemen: Sheldon Souray – P.K. Subban
- Goaltender: Jose Theodore
Second Team Analysis
On offense for this second team, selected by the Canadiens in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, the rugged Gallagher has always played bigger than his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame. His 443 points (228 goals and 215 assists) in 794 games represent just a small portion of his valuable contribution to the team with his relentless style. Gallagher paid a high price physically by standing in front of the goaltender, never backing down from any opponent and often drawing penalties. Mexican-American Pacioretty was taken in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft. He was club captain from 2015 to 2018 and played the first 10 seasons of his career in the league with Montreal, earning 448 points (226 goals and 222 assists) in 626 games before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on September 10, 2018. He won the hearts of fans with his courageous comeback after a collision with a beam at the Bell Centre on March 8, 2011, which left him with career-threatening injuries. Suzuki is considered a key piece for the team’s present and future. He arrived from Vegas as part of the Pacioretty trade. Named the Canadiens’ 31st captain on Sept. 12, 2022, at age 23, replacing Weber, Suzuki has 329 points (121 goals and 208 assists) in 415 regular-season games.
Moving to the blue line, Souray came to Montreal via a trade with the New Jersey Devils on March 1, 2000, bringing a physical style and a devilish shot. In 324 games over five-plus seasons, he put up 160 points (62 goals and 98 assists) with 556 penalty minutes, defending his teammates without hesitation. Subban is one of the Canadiens’ most popular players of the past quarter-century. The 2013 Norris Trophy winner, voted the NHL’s best defenceman, captivated fans with his dazzling personality and drives that always managed to impress, even if they didn’t always end well. Selected by the Canadiens in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft, he collected 278 points (63 goals and 215 assists) with 532 penalty minutes in 434 games before being traded to Nashville.
And out of the gate, Theodore was selected in the second round (44th overall) of the 1994 NHL Draft and played his first eight years with Montreal before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2006. He posted a 127-133-5 record with 27 draws, a 2.53 goals-against average per game, a .913 save percentage and 21 shutouts with the Canadiens after January 1, 2000. Theodore was the sixth goaltender in NHL history to score a goal into an empty net to complete a 3-0 victory against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on January 2, 2001. In the 2001-02 season, he became the third goaltender in the league to win both the Hart and Vezina Awards in the same season (Price, Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres in 1996-97 and 1997-98).