Ranking the 5 Best American Players in Montreal Canadiens History

The Montreal Canadiens have a long, storied history which include some of the greatest names to ever play the game of hockey.

American players, however, really didn't start to impact the franchise until the 1980s. This is understandable, considering the franchise had a quasi-monopoly over Quebec-born players for much of 20th century.

Once the NHL adopted the entry-draft system in 1963, however, the Canadiens were forced to consider all players and Americans have made their mark since then. 

Currently, the Habs roster five Americans, including their captain Brian Gionta. The organization has also selected US players in the first round of the last two NHL drafts. Americans will surely factor into Montreal's success for years to come.

Here are the five best American players in Montreal Canadiens history. 

A special thanks for ourhistory.canadiens.com for its historical stats and player profiles. 

Honorable Mention: John Leclair

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John Leclair

John Leclair had a great NHL career as one of the most dominant power forwards of the 1990s. He played in 967 career games, scored 406 goals and notched 819 points. 

He is mostly remembered for his time with the Philadelphia Flyers. He did begin his career in Montreal, however, and if more of his 16 seasons had been spent with the Canadiens, he'd be ranked much higher on this list.

The Habs drafted Leclair in the second round of the 1987 draft. He made his Montreal debut during the 1990-91 season. 

Leclair's Montreal career lasted 224 regular-season games. He scored 49 goals and added 69 assists. He currently ranks 123rd on Montreal's all-time scoring list. 

He makes this list as an honorable mention not because of his Montreal career as a whole, but because of his heroics in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final.

The St. Albans, Vermont, native will always be remembered in Montreal for scoring the overtime-winning goals in both Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles. The Canadiens wound up winning the Cup on home ice in Game 5.

In 1995, Leclair, Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne were traded to Philadelphia for Mark Recchi and a third-round pick. That pick turned out to be Martin Hohenberger. 

He went on to record three 50-goal and two 40-goal seasons as part of the Legion of Doom with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. 

5. Chris Nilan

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Chris Nilan

Chris "Knuckles" Nilan is infamously known for his career as a fighter, yet anyone who watched the Montreal Canadiens of the 1980s knows how important he was to those teams. 

Nilan's job for the Canadiens was easy: Protect the skilled players and ensure they had space to skate. It was a role he thrived in. He is remembered as one of the top enforcers in the history of the game. 

Nilan played in 523 regular-season games over 10 seasons for the Habs. His 175 points (88 G, 87 A) rank him 88th on Montreal's all-time list. His 2,248 penalty minutes are almost 1,000 more than Lyle Odelein's second most. 

The Boston native also played in 84 postseason games, adding 13 points and 422 penalty minutes to his career resume. He won the Stanley Cup in 1985-86.

There was nothing flashy about Nilan's career, but his importance to the Canadiens cannot be understated. He deserves a spot in top five US-born Canadiens. 

4. Craig Ludwig

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Craig Ludwig (left)

Craig Ludwig's Montreal career spanned eight seasons from 1982-1990. Though his stats were far from spectacular, his defensive effectiveness was an important part of the Canadiens' success in the 1980s.

Overall, the native of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, played in 597 regular-season games in Montreal. He scored 26 goals and added 111 assists. He was a career plus-87 and spent 617 minutes in the penalty box. 

Ludwig also appeared in 110 playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup during the 1985-86 season. He had 16 postseason points and was a plus-16. 

He was an important part of Montreal's back end, described as a "shot-blocking specialist" and a "team leader on the ice and in the dressing room" by ourhistory.canadiens.com. He won the Jacques Beauchamp Trophy as the team's unsung hero three times. 

Ludwig was traded to the New York Islanders for Gerald Diduck in 1990. He then signed with Minnesota in 1991 and finished his career in Dallas after the franchise relocated there. He retired in 1999 after winning his second Stanley Cup. 

3. Max Pacioretty

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Max Pacioretty

Max Pacioretty's career is far from over, yet he already ranks as the third best American-born player in Canadiens history. 

The New Canaan, Connecticut, native was drafted by the Habs in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft. He made his Montreal debut in 2008-09. 

He is just 25 years old but has already moved up to 80th on the all-time Canadiens scoring list, third among Americans. He has 190 regular-season points (94 G, 96 A) in 296 games.

Pacioretty has led the Canadiens in scoring each of the last two seasons and is the team's top goal scorer this season. He is one of the top US-born wingers in the game today and will play an important role for Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. 

He is under contract with the Canadiens through 2018-19 for a very affordable $4.5 million per season. Pacioretty looks primed to have a long career in Montreal and could be the best American-born player in Canadiens history by the time he retires. 

2. Mathieu Schneider

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Mathieu Schneider

The Canadiens selected Mathieu Schneider 44th overall in the 1987 draft. He made his debut in 1987-88 but appeared in just four games. The 1988-89 season is considered his rookie year. 

Schneider combined a fierce slap shot and strong skating skills to become one of the top offensive defensemen of the early 1990s. He was the Canadiens' highest-scoring defenseman in 1990-91, 1993-94 and 1994-95.

The New York City native played in parts of eight seasons in Montreal. His Canadiens' stats include 68 goals and 148 assists over 383 regular-season games. 

He was also a key member of the 1992-93 Stanley Cup championship team. In total, he appeared in 46 playoff games in Montreal, scoring five goals and 16 assists. 

Schneider was traded to the New York Islanders after 30 games of the 1994-95 season. He returned to Montreal and played 23 games for the Habs during the 2008-09 season before officially retiring in 2010. 

1. Chris Chelios

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Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios is considered one of the best American hockey players to ever play the game, and he tops the list of US-born Montreal Canadiens. 

Originally drafted by the Habs in the second round of the 1981 draft, Chelios made his NHL debut two years later. That was the beginning of an incredible 27-year career. 

Chelios burst onto the scene in 1984-85, breaking Montreal club records for assists (55) and points (64) by a rookie defenseman. The impressive performance as a 22-year-old earned him the first of his 11 All-Star selections. 

The Chicago native played in 402 regular-season games over seven seasons in Montreal (1983-1990). His 309 points ranks him as the top-scoring American in Canadiens history (45th overall). He also took home the 1988-89 Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the league. 

Chelios helped lead the Canadiens to the 1985-86 Stanley Cup. His postseason career in Montreal included 98 games and 68 points (16 G, 52 A). 

His Montreal career came to an end in the summer of 1990 as he was shipped to the Chicago Blackhawks for Denis Savard. He would go on to win two more Stanley Cups and two more Norris Trophies before retiring in 2010 at the age of 48.