Ranking the 5 Most Beloved Figures in Montreal Canadiens History

The Montreal Canadiens have a rich history unlike any other team in hockey. With that comes a long list of beloved figures that fans grew to adore as they played out their careers in the red, white and blue. 

Canadiens fans have been fortunate to cheer on some of the best players in the history of hockey since the founding of the franchise on December 4, 1909. Their adoration for a select few, however, went above and beyond the usual passion a fanbase shows towards their star players.

Here are the top five most beloved figures in the history of the Montreal Canadiens. 

A special thanks to www.ourhistory.canadiens.com for some wonderful historical information. 

Honorable Mentions

Ken Dryden

Shortly after being selected by the Boston Bruins in the 1964 draft, Ken Dryden was traded to Montreal. After playing at Cornell, he would make his Habs debut with just six games left in the 1970-71 season and made such an immediate impression that he was named the starting goalie for the playoffs. That first-round series just happened to be against the first-place Bruins.

The young Dryden stole the show, and the hearts of Habs fans, as the Canadiens upset the Bruins in seven games and went on to win the Stanley Cup. Dryden was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

This all happened before Dryden was officially a rookie. 

Dryden would go on to win the Calder Cup as top rookie the next season. He'd add five more Stanley Cups and win the Vezina Trophy five times over his eight-year career. 

Dryden finished his career with a .790 winning percentage and a 2.24 goals against average. He also had 46 shutouts and just 57 losses.

Yes, you read that correctly. He had almost as many shutouts as he did losses. 

Those kinds of stats always make you a fan favorite. 

Henri Richard

Henri Richard came to Montreal in the shadow of his older brother, Maurice, but did not take long to make a name for himself.

"The Pocket Rocket" burst onto the scene in 1955-56, playing a gritty brand of hockey that instantly got the fans' attention. He also proved to have an offensive touch like his brother, scoring 19 goals and 21 assists in his rookie season, while helping the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. 

Winning the Cup in his freshman season was a sign of things to come. Richard would finish his career having been a part of 11 Stanley Cup-winning teams. He won more championships than any other professional in North American sports. 

His Canadiens career would span 1,256 regular season games in which he scored 358 times and chipped in 688 assists. Amazingly, he played in 180 playoff games, where he added 129 points. 

Being a Richard meant living up to giant expectations created by his older brother, but Henri did it well. The Richards will forever be remembered as the greatest brother combination in the history of hockey. 

5. Saku Koivu

Saku Koivu brings a modern touch to this historical list of Canadiens greats. While it could be argued that other legends are more deserving of the fifth spot, Koivu slides onto the list because he is the most beloved Habs player of the last two decades. 

Koivu was drafted 21st overall in the 1993 NHL entry draft and became the Canadiens' 27th captain prior to the 1999-2000 season. His 10 years wearing the 'C' ties him with Jean Beliveau as the longest tenured captain in Canadiens history.

Koivu currently sits 10th on the Canadiens all-time points list with 641 in 792 games. He'll never be mentioned as one of the most prolific scorers in Habs history, nor was he able to bring Montreal any championships, but Koivu was able to touch the hearts of Canadiens fans in another way. 

On September 5, 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma. At the time, it was fair to wonder if he would ever return to the Canadiens. After all, this was a disease that was killing 50 percent of its victims in the first five years after diagnosis. 

Koivu began treatment days later and was determined to return to the Canadiens. To say that Koivu's recovery was speedy would be a gross understatement.

The Canadiens' leader returned to the lineup on April 9 of the very same season, a mere seven months after he was diagnosed with cancer. The Molson Center crowd was ecstatic, and they welcomed Koivu back with an eight-minute standing ovation. 

Although Koivu moved on to finish his career with the Anaheim Ducks, Canadiens fans still hold a special place in their hearts for the first European-born captain in club history. He was greeted with another standing ovation when he first returned to the Bell Center on January 22, 2011, and the reaction will likely be the same when Koivu's Ducks are in Montreal on October 24, 2013. 

4. Guy Lafleur

Chosen first overall in the 1971 Amateur Draft, Guy Lafleur arrived in Montreal to great expectations.

Fresh off a season in which he scored 130 goals and 209 points as an amateur with the Quebec Remparts, Lafleur potted 29 goals in his rookie year and followed that with 28 in his sophomore season and 21 in his third year. Not bad for a youngster. Not good enough for Habs fans. 

Amidst criticism from spectators and media alike, Lafleur elevated his game and went on to record six-straight seasons of 50 or more goals. "The Flower" went on to become the top scorer in Canadiens' history with 518 goals, 728 assists and 1,246 regular season points. Lafleur enjoyed similar success in the postseason, amassing 133 points in 124 games en route to five Stanley Cup championships. 

"The Flower's" Canadiens career came to a bit of a rocky end as he requested a trade following a dispute over ice time with coach Jacques Lemaire during the 1984-85 season. General manager Serge Savard refused to honor this request, however, perhaps worried about the repercussions that might come from trading the team's most popular player. Lafleur then abruptly retired. 

Guy Lafleur took his retirement skate around the Montreal Forum to a five-minute standing ovation from the 18,000 in attendance. He would come out of retirement and return to the Forum five years later, but this time it was as a New York Ranger. 

Time heals wounds, and Lafleur's less-than-perfect separation from the Canadiens has not tainted his legacy in the least. He is still adored to this day by Habs fans and will always be considered one of the most adored Canadiens of all time. 

3. Howie Morenz

Howie Morenz was one of the best hockey players to skate in the first-half of the 20th century. In fact, he is referred to by the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame as "hockey's first bona fide superstar". He had an incredible 14-year career that unfortunately ended in the most tragic of ways. 

Canadiens fans loved Morenz from day one. They watched him net 13 goals in 24 games as a rookie in 1923-24, capping off his freshman season by scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal.

He would develop into the most prolific scorer of his era, scoring 257 goals, 160 assists and 417 points in 460 career regular-season games with the Habs. He won the Hart Trophy for league MVP three times—more than any other Canadiens player to date. 

Morenz was a star playoff performer as well, scoring 13 goals and adding 9 assists for 22 points in 37 games. He helped bring four Stanley Cup championships to the city of Montreal. But his career—and life—came to an abrupt end much too soon. 

On January 28, 1937, Morenz was sent crashing into the boards in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He had fractured his leg in four places. Over the next few weeks, complications from the injury would prove to be fatal. Morenz passed away from a blood clot that stopped his heart on March 8, 1937.

Canadiens' fans and the hockey world alike were stunned by his death. The club honored their star center by resting his coffin at center ice of the Montreal Forum. An estimated 50,000 fans passed by Morenz as he lay in state, while another 250,000 paid their respects on the streets.

Howie Morenz was one of the first great Canadiens, and will always be remembered and loved by Habs fans. 

2. Maurice Richard

Maurice "The Rocket" Richard ranks as the second-most beloved Canadien of all time. One of the most lethal goal scorers in the history of the game, Richard now lends his name to the trophy given to the NHL's top goal scorer each season. 

Richard's career spanned from 1942-1960, where he played in 978 regular-season games, scoring 544 goals and 421 assists for 965 points. The Rocket added 82 goals and 126 points in 133 career playoff games. He hoisted the Stanley Cup eight times and played in every NHL All-Star game from 1947-1959. 

When considering the level of adoration Canadiens fans had for Maurice Richard, you need not look past "The Richard Riot" in 1955. 

After an ugly on-ice incident that featured Richard striking a linesman in the face, "The Rocket" was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs by NHL president Clarence Campbell.

Canadiens' fans were not pleased.

A few days later, Campbell turned up at the Montreal Forum for a game between the Habs and Red Wings. A melee erupted inside the arena as fans began pelting Campbell with objects. A tear gas bomb was then set off, forcing the evacuation of the Forum.

Thousands took to the streets in an all-out riot that lasted through the night. The situation was so chaotic that Richard himself had to take to the radio the following day to plead with the public to end the madness. 

Canadiens' fans loved Richard so dearly that they actually set off a tear gas explosive inside their own arena and then destroyed and looted their own city in protest of his suspension. Now that's love. 

When Richard passed away in 2000, an estimated 115,000 people visited his casket as it lay in the Molson Center. His ceremony was the first state funeral to be given to an athlete, and it was broadcast live across Canada.

1. Jean Beliveau

Jean Beliveau is not only one of the Montreal Canadiens' most-beloved figures, but one of hockey's as well. He was a star and a champion on the ice, an ambassador to the game after his playing career and a pure class act the entire time. 

Beliveau's story is one that has been told countless times and is passed on from generation to generation in Quebec.

It starts with how the Canadiens bought the entire Quebec Senior League to ensure they retained his rights; continues with how he lived in the same house in Longueuil, Quebec for more than 50 years; to how he won a serious fight with cancer at the turn of the century; and how he still shows up at the Bell Center at age 81 to catch a game whenever his health permits. 

People feel they can relate to Jean Beliveau, which is one reason why he is so adored by Canadiens fans. His performance on the ice is another. 

One look at the stats from his illustrious career shows that Beliveau was the premiere center of his time. 

In 1,124 regular season games, "Le Gros Bill" netted 507 goals and had 712 assists. His 1,219 points rank him second in the history of the Montreal Canadiens. 

Beliveau is also the Habs' all-time leader in playoff production, having scored 176 points in 162 games. He helped lead the Canadiens to 10 Stanley Cups over his 18-year career.

After retiring, Beliveau remained involved with the Canadiens as an executive and ambassador, during which he had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup seven more times. The name Jean Beliveau thus appears on hockey's Holy Grail more times than any other individual name. 

Jean Beliveau was one of the classiest gentleman to ever play the game of hockey, and is certainly deserving of the top spot of the most beloved Montreal Canadiens in history.