The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful professional hockey team ever, with 24 Stanley Cup banners at the Bell Centre.
Because the Canadiens dominated the NHL for decades, many of their players, such as Henri Richard (11), Jean Beliveau (10), Claude Provost (nine), Maurice Ricard (eight), Jean-Guy Talbot (seven), and Bernie Geoffiron (six), have won more titles than most of the league’s other franchises.
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However, Montreal has not toasted to a championship team since 1993, which means an entire generation of Habs fans do not know what it’s like to win a couple of Stanley Cups every few seasons.
Unfortunately, some great players have worn a Canadiens sweater in the last three decades and never got close to winning. Today, we will look at the five best players in Montreal history who never hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.
Best Canadiens Players Who Didn’t Win the Stanley Cup in Montreal
5. Brendan Gallagher – 752 games (2012-Pres.)
There were a couple of worthy candidates for the fifth spot on this list, including Max Pacioretty and Jose Theodore. Still, Brendan Gallagher gets the nod here because he actually played in the Stanley Cup Final with the Canadiens in 2021.
Gallagher was an All-Rookie in 2013 and is a two-time 30-goal scorer, with four seasons of 20 or more goals on his resume. As the longest-tenured player in Montreal’s lineup ahead of the 2024-25 season, he ranks 31st on the team’s all-time scoring list.
4. Andrei Markov – 990 games (2000-2017)
Only five players have ever skated in 1,000 games with the Canadiens, and defenseman Andrei Markov is the closest anyone else ever got to becoming the sixth, dressing for 990 games over his 16-year career.
Related: Montreal Canadiens’ 50-goal Scorers
During his tenure with the club, Markov played in 89 playoff games, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final once in 2014. Regarding his place amongst defenders in Montreal history, his 572 points are tied with Guy Lapointe for second all-time.
3. Tomáš Plekanec – 984 games (2003-2018, 2018-19)
Tomáš Plekanec played all but 17 games of his career with the Canadiens, scoring 606 points in 984 contests. A reliable seven-time 20-goal scorer, he played in 87 playoff games, collecting 49 points and appearing in the Eastern Conference Final once in 2014.
Plekanec ranks 13th all-time in team scoring, while his 984 games rank seventh behind Markov. Whether it’s goals or assists, he ranks within the top 20 and is one of the few who never got to play in the Stanley Cup Final.
2. Saku Koivu – 792 games (1995-2009)
Saku Koivu played the first 13 seasons of his NHL career in Montreal, serving as captain from 1999 to 2009. He became the first European-born leader of the Original Six franchise.
Related: Top 5 Finnish-born Players in Canadiens History
As one of the more beloved skaters to ever wear a Canadiens sweater, Koivu’s time in Quebec is often remembered for overcoming cancer and winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his comeback.
During his time with the club, Koivu and the Canadiens only missed the postseason five times. The Finnish-born star played in 54 playoff games with 48 points, never skating in the third round.
1. Carey Price – 712 games (2007-2022)
So many great goalies have played for the Canadiens that the list of guardians could have its own section in the Hall of Fame. Carey Price, the franchise’s win leader, will soon join the exclusive club.
In 2021, he became the first goalie to advance the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final since Patrick Roy in 1986, 1989, and 1993.
Throughout his illustrious career, Price won an Olympic Gold Medal, a World Cup, a World Juniors Gold Medal, the Calder Cup, the Hart Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, and the Bill Masterton Trophy, but never got to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Without a doubt, Price is the greatest Canadiens player to never win the Stanley Cup during his career. When his No. 31 goes to the rafters, he’ll be one of the few immortalized forever who didn’t get his name engraved on the silver chalice.
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