This promises to be one of our craziest entries in the listicle series we’re doing now on NHL Saturday: the best players in the history of a franchise that was has won a record 23 Stanley Cup titles. But that’s our journey today, as the first round of the 2024 playoffs come to an end this weekend. This list really has some serious players on it, and the early pre-read wager is the over/under mark on how many are Hall of Famers.

No. 10: Guy Lapointe, D—102 PS (1968-1982)

He won 6 Stanley Cups in his time with the team, and he also made 4 All-Star teams as well. Six times in a 7-year span (1973-1979), he finished in the Top 5 Norris voting without every winning the vote. That’s some respect, albeit without full acknowledgement of his skills. In the Canadiens’ Cup-winning season of 1973, he delivered the best postseason plus/minus mark (14). He also had 4 seasons of double-digit PS marks, too.

No. 9: Andrei Markov, D—104 PS (2000-2017)

A rare single-team lifer in the 21st century, he never made an All-Star team despite 2 seasons (2008, 2009) finishing in the Top 6 vote for the Norris. In 16 seasons, he averaged 23:00 ATOI, and he also cleared 9 PS overall 4 times (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015) in his career as well. He registered 23:30 ATOI in 89 career playoff games with Montréal, although his teams never won the Stanley Cup. Alas, no Hall of Fame here, either.

No. 8: Doug Harvey, D—104 PS (1947-1961)

He was an All Star in his final 10 seasons straight with the Habs, and he also won an incredible 6 Norris votes over his final 7 years with Montréal. That’s an incredible resume, not to mention the 6 Stanley Cups won—including 5 in a row from 1956-1960. He never had a double-digit PS season, but he did lead the NHL in defensive PS on 3 different occasions (1950, 1957, 1958). Generally, he earned his spot in the Hall, overall.

No. 7: Patrick Roy, G—105 PS (1984-1995)

He was crazy good in the crease, topping the league in save percentage 4 times (1988-1990, 1992) and GAA twice (1989, 1992) while with the team. We think his greatest accomplishment came in the 1993 Cup playoffs, of course; he also won the Cup as a rookie in 1986. He won the Vezina votes in 1989, 1990, and 1992 as well. Not bad for a mere third-round pick, although his time in Montréal came to a premature end.

No. 6: Jacques Plante, G—123 PS (1952-1963)

A 6-time All Star, including 5 years in a row from 1956-1960 when the Habs won 5 consecutive Cup titles, he also led his peers in GAA in every one of those 6 All-Star seasons. Five times he posted league-best win marks, and 3 times he led the NHL in save percentage. Oh, the 6 Vezinas also came in those same All-Star year. He won the Hart Trophy in 1962 as well, demonstrating one of the great primes of all time, really.

No. 5: Guy Lafleur, RW—124 PS (1971-1985)

He was an All Star for 6 straight years (1975-1980), as the team won 4 consecutive Cups in that time period, too (1976–1979). He was the top scorer in the NHL 3 straight times (1976-1978), winning the Hart vote in 1977 and 1978—we also gave it to him in 1975 and 1976, too, though. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 Draft, he really demonstrated his awesomeness in a Hall of Fame career that numbers and vote wins can’t measure.

No. 4: Maurice Richard, RW—125 PS (1942-1960)

With 14 straight All-Star nods from 1944-1957, he led the NHL in goals scored 5 times while winning the Hart in 1947 and finishing in the top 3 vote another 5 times overall. Oh, and then there are the 8 Cup-winning teams he played on as well, scoring 82 goals in 132 playoff games in total. He retired on top, too, after the Canadiens won their fifth-straight championship in 1960. Hard to top a lot of his career details …

No. 3: Carey Price, G—137 PS (2007-2022)

Another 21st-century lifer with the organization, he only made 1 All-Star team (2015). However, he won the Hart and Vezina votes in 2015 as well and has 6 other Top 10 Vezina vote finishes in his career. he was just 43-45 in the postseason, though, as Montréal struggled throughout his stellar career to reach the pinnacle of the sport again. With 6 seasons of at least 12 PS, we can’t blame that on him, as a No. 5 overall draft pick.

No. 2: Jean Béliveau, F—138 PS (1950-1971)

This guy won an incredible 10 Stanley Cups, all with the Habs, of course, including titles in 1968, 1969, and 1971 at the end of his storied career. He was also a 10-time All Star, including 7 straight years from 1955-1961. He won two Hart trophies while finishing in the Top 4 vote another 7 times. He won the 1965 Conn Smythe, too, in addition to leading the NHL in goals scored twice, assists twice, and total points once.

No. 1: Larry Robinson, D—158 PS (1972-1989)

The first of his 6 Cup wins came in 1973, and overall, he was a 6-time All Star, too, with 5 in a row from 1977-1981. He won 2 Norris votes (1977, 1980) and the Conn Smythe in 1978, too. His plus-120 rating in 1977 topped the league and remains stunning to ponder at face value; that year he also lead the NHL in PS overall (16.9) and defensive PS, too (9.9). In 1978, he also had the best DPS mark (7.6) in the league. Hall of Fame, yes.