The National Hockey League will continue unveiling their Quarter Century Teams on Sunday and it’ll be the Montreal Canadiens’ turn, with their best players over the last 25 years being given the spotlight.
Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Montreal Canadiens have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs on 13 occasions, which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, where they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
All 12 players that I’ve named in my predictions – 6 forwards, 4 defensemen, 2 goaltenders – played a key role in Montreal’s success over the last 25 years and while it was quite hard to narrow it down to just twelve, I believe each of those you’ll see below deserve a place on the Canadiens’ Quarter Century Team.
Each of the 32 National Hockey League franchises will have a first and second Quarter Century Team, which is broken down into three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender per team. Instead of predicting the individual teams, I’ve decided to share in the twelve players in total I think we could see on Montreal’s Quarter Century Team tomorrow when it’s announced.
Montreal Canadiens Quarter Century Team Forwards
The forward group for my predictions might have been the toughest to choose from, especially when considering I left out someone like Cole Caufield and his 105 goals in 248 games as of Saturday morning.
Let’s take a look at the six forwards I think we’ll see on the Montreal Canadiens’ Quarter Century Team tomorrow!
Max Pacioretty (2008-2018)
The former Canadiens captain, now Toronto Maple Leaf, has scored the third-most goals since 2000 and his 39-goal campaign in 2013-14 is the most in a single season since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.
Pacioretty finished his time with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 after he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for current captain Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and a second-round pick.
In 626 games as a Montreal Canadien, Pacioretty had 226 goals and 222 assists (448 points).
Alexei Kovalev (2004-2009)
As the Canadiens were gearing up for the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, then-General Manager Bob Gainey went out and made a deal with the New York Rangers for former first-round pick and 1994 Stanley Cup champion Alexei Kovalev.
The Togliatti, Russia native registered 103 goals and 163 assists in 314 games with the Montreal Canadiens and his 84 points in 2007-08 still hasn’t been surpassed in the last 16 years, but someone like Nick Suzuki or Ivan Demidov should top that eventually.
Kovalev’s time with the Montreal Canadiens came to a close in 2009 after he signed with the Ottawa Senators as an unrestricted free agent.
Tomas Plekanec (2003-2018; 2018-19)
Reliable and clutch are two words you can use to describe centerman Tomas Plekanec, who played a key role for the Canadiens for 15 seasons.
When the Canadiens needed a big faceoff win, not matter what zone, Plekanec was the first player over the boards, finishing his career with a 49.9 faceoff percentage
Plekanec was selected 71st overall by the Canadiens in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and went on to skate in 984 games for the club where he put up 606 points (233 goals, 373 assists).
Saku Koivu (1995-2009)
While the first four and a half seasons of his NHL career were before the year 2000, Saku Koivu took his game to the next level at the turn o the century.
The long-time Canadiens captain helped the team to five playoff appearances since 2000 and had a pair of 70+ point campaigns – 2002-03 & 2006-07.
Koivu finished his time with the Canadiens in 2009, leaving the club as an unrestricted free agent to join his fellow countryman Teemu Selanne in Orange County with the Anaheim Ducks.
In 526 games as a Montreal Canadien, the Turku, Finland native had 439 points (126 goals, 313 assists).
Brendan Gallagher (2013-present)
The heart and soul of the Montreal Canadiens for the last 12 years and one of the hardest working players the club has seen since 2000.
Gallagher’s production may have taken a bit of a dip since 2021, but the 32-year-old sits second in goals with 228 in the last 25 years.
The Edmonton native has been an important part of the Canadiens’ leadership group and a player his teammates can rely at both the best and worst of times. Gallagher has been there for some of the toughest seasons over the last 25 years, but has plenty of valuable experience (2014 Eastern Conference Final, 2021 Stanley Cup Final) and will be leaned on heavily for advice from younger players once the Canadiens become a contender again.
Nick Suzuki (2019-present)
I went back-and-forth in my head for days on if should go with Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield for the final forward spot on my Quarter Century Team predictions. Both players have been, for a lack of a better term, solid since they became NHLers, but it’s Nick Suzuki who I decided on.
Suzuki is currently in his sixth season in the National Hockey League and is already sixth in points (331) and fifth in goals (121) among the Montreal Canadiens organization since 2000.
The London, Ontario native is as clutch as they come and this season, already has four overtime goals, tied with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the league lead. If Suzuki scores one more in the Canadiens’ final 38 games, he’ll tie former Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk, Brad Marchand, Jonathan Toews and Steven Stamkos for the most in a single season in NHL history.
Montreal Canadiens Quarter Century Team Defensemen
Trying to narrow it down to four defensemen since 2000 wasn’t an easy task as I left off Patrice Brisebois and his 193 points in 451 games after the turn of the century, as well as Roman Hamrlik.
However, I think Montreal Canadiens fans will be quite pleased with the four defensemen I have chosen for my predictions.
Andrei Markov (2000-2017)
To this day, it still bugs me that former GM Marc Bergevin never brought Andrei Markov back to the club as a free agent in 2017 so he could reach the 1,000 game plateau – all with Montreal.
Instead, Markov turned down other NHL offers because he only wanted to play for the Canadiens and ultimately returned to Russia where he played the final three seasons of his career in the KHL.
When you think of some of the greatest defensemen in Montreal Canadiens history like Doug Harvey, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Chris Chelios, Andrei Markov deserves to be mentioned as well. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that the Voskresensk, Russia native should have his number 79 raised to the rafters at the Bell Centre.
In 990 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Markov had 572 points (119 goals, 453 assists).
P.K. Subban (2009-2016)
P.K Subban was electric for the Montreal Canadiens. Whether it be his hat trick against the Minnesota Wild in 2011 or his goal against the Boston Bruins in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs that blew off the roof at the Bell Centre. He always found the right moment to get the crowd out of their seat.
The Toronto native had three seasons of 50 or more points during his tenure with the Canadiens and finished his time in Montreal 278 points (63 goals, 215 assists) in 434 games, which is second-most among blueliners with the Habs since 2000.
Jeff Petry (2015-2022)
Now, this might not be a popular choice among Canadiens fans given his exit from the team, but from an offensive standpoint, Jeff Petry was quite good during his time in Montreal.
Petry was acquired by Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens in March 2015 from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a second and a fourth-round pick in that year’s Entry Draft.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan native was immediately put into the team’s top-four, giving them another QB option on the power play after P.K. Subban, who was on the top unit.
In 508 games as a Montreal Canadien, Jeff Petry had 248 points (70 goals, 178 assists).
Shea Weber (2016-2021)
Former Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber was a warrior during his time with the organization, playing through intense injuries just to have a shot at glory and hoisting the Stanley Cup. The Canadiens came three wins away from their 25th, and it was the last time Shea Weber would play a game in the National Hockey League.
Weber was acquired by the Canadiens in a blockbuster 1-for-1 deal with the Predators which saw Nashville land P.K. Subban. For years, fans across the league tried to see which team won the deal and I personally think it’s safe to say that both clubs got what they wanted out of that trade including each making a trip to the Stanley Cup Final (Nashville in 2017, Montreal in 2021).
The Sicamous, British Columbia native appeared in 275 games with the Montreal Canadiens where he had 146 points (58 goals, 88 assists).
Montreal Canadiens Quarter Century Team Goaltenders
Now comes the easiest part of my predictions – goaltenders. It wasn’t too hard to come up with two goaltenders, so let’s get right into it.
Carey Price (2007-2022)
2025 is going to be a big year for Carey Price as, while official news won’t come until June, it’s a safe bet that he’ll be entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and rightly so.
The Canadiens’ all-time wins leader is the biggest reason for any success this organization has had in the last 25 years and if you look at some of the rosters Montreal has had, 2014 in particular, if it wasn’t for Price, they wouldn’t have nearly as many playoff appearances as they do.
In 712 games, Carey Price is Montreal’s all-time wins leader with 361 victories in his career, along with a 2.51 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts, which are third-most in franchise history, trailing George Hainsworth and Jacques Plante.
Price’s accolades include the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, William M. Jennings Trophy, Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and seven appearances at the NHL All-Star Game.
Jose Theodore (1995-2006)
Jose Theodore’s NHL career really took off when the calendar flipped to 2000 and he became the Montreal Canadiens’ starting netminder.
The Laval, Quebec native appeared in 318 games for the Montreal Canadiens since 2000 where had a record of 132-140-5 and 28 ties, along with a 2.53 goals against average, a .913 save percentage and 22 shutouts.
In 2001-02, Theodore took home the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy after posting a 30-24-10 record, 2.11 GAA, .931 save percentage and seven shutouts in 67 games.
We’ll find out at some point mid-day tomorrow who the twelve players are that’ll be on the Montreal Canadiens’ Quarter Century Team, but I’m fairly confident that the majority on my predictions will be named by the NHL.