[ad_1]
The Montreal Canadiens have been a franchise for over 100 years, with many gamers passing by their system — some changing into Hall of Famers (HOFer), some have simply been a footnote in Habs lore. Here is a take a look at 5 goalies who you may not have identified had been members of the Canadiens who had careers with different groups.
Tomas Vokoun
Tomas Vokoun is finest identified for his eight-year profession because the Nashville Predators’ beginning goalie. He was chosen within the Predators’ enlargement draft in 1998. He would go on to have a profitable 15-year profession taking part in with the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
He retired in 2014 after having issues with blood clots in his legs. Vokoun completed his profession with 300 wins, a goals-against common (GAA) of two.56 and a save share (SV%) of .917.
He had a great, regular profession however few know that he was drafted by the Canadiens 226th total within the 1994 draft. He would solely play one interval for the Habs permitting 4 objectives on 14 photographs. However, he did play two seasons with their AHL affiliate the Fredricton Canadiens, taking part in 78 video games and profitable 25 of them. At 47 years previous, he’s now dwelling comfortably in Florida together with his spouse and two kids.
Devan Dubnyk
Devan Dubnyk was well-known within the NHL neighborhood because the beginning goalie for the Minnesota Wild. In 2014-15, he won the Bill Masterson Trophy for serving to the Wild attain the playoffs and resurrecting his profession. He was additionally third in Vezina votes for prime goaltender and fourth in Hart votes for League MVP. The latter two trophies had been received by Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
Dubnyk began his NHL profession taking part in 5 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers earlier than being traded to the Predators in Jan. 2014. Two months later, the Habs obtained concerned as they traded future issues to Nashville for Dubnyk. Although he was a member of the Canadiens till that July, he by no means performed a sport for them. He did play eight video games for Montreal’s farm crew the Hamilton Bulldogs. He would go on to have his finest success with the Wild. To date, he has 253 wins with a SV% of .914 for his profession.
Stephane Fiset
Fiset is finest identified for his years with the Quebec Nordiques and the Los Angeles Kings. He performed solely 13 seasons within the NHL and was by no means one of many prime goalies within the league. His finest season was 1995-96 with the Colorado Avalanche — in 37 video games he received 22 with a .898 SV% and a couple of.93 GAA.
Related: Top 3 All-Time Oilers Goalies
Early in his profession, his numbers had been extra a product of taking part in on poor groups. Quebec simply began being a dominant crew and moved to Colorado throughout his final two seasons with the membership. He could be a part of Colorado’s Stanley Cup Championship in 1996; nevertheless, he solely performed one minute in the whole playoffs earlier than he was traded to the LA Kings within the offseason.
Fiset was dealt to Montreal on the commerce deadline in March 2002 and performed a complete of 60 minutes over two video games. The 12 months earlier than he was traded to the Habs, he suffered two critical knee harm that restricted him to solely seven video games. After his transient look with the Canadiens, Fiset retired in Sep.2002. He wasn’t among the many finest goalies within the league, however he’ll at all times be remembered for his goalie masks whereas with the Nordiques.
Roland Melanson
Roland Melanson or “Rollie the Goalie” was Billy Smith’s backup when the New York Islanders had been dominating the NHL within the early ’80s — he received three Stanley Cups from 1981-83. He would ultimately be traded to the now-defunct Minnesota North Stars in 1984 earlier than being traded once more to the New York Rangers in Dec. 1985.
Related: Top 3 All-Time Canadiens Goalies
On the identical day he was traded to the Rangers, he was then once more traded to the Kings the place he would discover stability for 4 seasons. After his time in LA, he signed with the New Jersey Devils in 1989. However, he would solely play one sport with the NHL membership earlier than being traded to the Canadiens.
The commerce that introduced him to the Canadiens was one of many greatest trades of the ’90s. Not due to Melanson, however as a result of Kirk Muller got here with him in trade for Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske. Melanson would go on to solely play 9 video games with the crew earlier than a extreme groin harm ended his season. He performed two extra seasons within the minors, most not too long ago with the St. John Flames, earlier than retiring in 1994. After his profession, he linked once more with the Habs when he was employed as an assistant/goaltending coach from 1997-98 to 2008-09. He grew to become a goaltending coach for the Vancouver Canucks from 2010-11 to 2016-17.
We haven’t at all times agreed on stuff, however he’s such an important particular person and loves the sport and places a lot effort and time into making you higher.
Jacob Markstrom on Melanson’s method to teaching (From ‘Heart Tugs Melanson Home; Canucks Losing Rollie the Goalie coach,’ Vancouver Sun, April 11, 2016
Tony Esposito
HOFer Tony Esposito is understood for his legendary profession with the Chicago Blackhawks, which spanned 15 seasons from 1969-70 to 1983-84. He received 302 of his 418 video games performed with Chicago, recording 74 shutouts and a .906 SV%. In his first full season, he received the Vezina Trophy for having the bottom GAA, Calder Trophy for prime rookie, and completed second in Hart votes for league MVP. He would go on to win the Vezina two extra occasions.
Esposito’s success had quite a bit to do with how he helped pioneer the butterfly model of goaltending the place the goalie would drop to his knees to dam photographs. This would later be perfected by Habs legend Patrick Roy.
Related: Top 5 Goaltenders of the Nineteen Seventies
Even although Esposito received the Calder Trophy as prime rookie in 1970, this wasn’t his first 12 months within the NHL. He began one season earlier when he performed 13 video games with the Canadiens in 1968-69 resulting from accidents to Gump Worsley and Rogie Vachon. He spent the remainder of the season within the minors and was placed on waivers on the finish of the season. The relaxation, as they are saying, is historical past.
Honorable Mentions
There weren’t many goalies to select from — Montreal has at all times been identified to have deep goaltending swimming pools and a lot of the good ones stayed with the membership as an alternative of shifting on. Of course, I’m positive lots of you knew about these goalies’ transient historical past with the Habs, however hopefully a few of you realized one thing at present. Here are just a few different goalies that briefly performed with the Habs you may not learn about:
Ron Tugnutt performed two seasons with the Canadiens in solely 15 video games between the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, profitable solely three video games. Marc Denis, who’s effectively referred to as the between the benches commentator for RDS broadcast, performed his ultimate sport with the Habs — simply 20 minutes the place he allowed one objective on seven photographs within the 2008-09 season. Finally, Vincent Riendeau, who was extra identified for his time with the St. Louis Blues, was signed as a free agent in 1985 by the Canadiens and performed a complete of 36 minutes, giving up 5 objectives on 22 photographs.
[ad_2]
Source link
