“To you from failing hands we throw/ The torch; be yours to hold it high…
Lt. Col. John McCrae. “In Flanders Fields….
The Montreal Canadiens dressing room has always been famous for this quote from “In Flanders Fields…. The idea of the torch and passing down the responsibility and leadership of the franchise from generation to generation runs deeps in the fabric of Les Canadiens. Montreal has a proud history of revered leaders. By examining the qualities and make up of those who went before, perhaps we can zero in on who will be the next Captain to carry the torch.
Here is a quote from Ken Dryden’s ‘The Game’: “A ‘player’s player’ … [is] a phrase often heard and rarely explained, it is seldom applied to the best player of a sport… for performance is only part of it. Instead, the phrase is for someone who has the basic personal and playing qualities that others wish they had, basic, unalterable qualities-dependability, discipline, hard work, courage- the roots of every team.… Dryden is talking about the qualities that make up a Captain. He is also talking about Bob Gainey.
Bob Gainey (1981-1989): Gainey is the link that bound the Habs dynasty of the 70’s to next generation of Canadiens teams. Guy Carbonneau, Chris Chelios and Mike Keane were all future Habs Captains who learned at the foot of #23. There is a famous story from the 1984 playoffs where Gainey was injured. He had dislocated one shoulder and separated the other. Perry Turnbell was a Hab at the time and was nursing some bumps and bruises. Turnbell begged off from playing and Gainey suited up with 2 good legs and no good shoulders. Gainey would say years later "We decided it was better to use a guy who can't play at his best than someone who won't play at his best.…
The NHL created the Selke Trophy simply to honour the way Bob Gainey played hockey. He would never score enough goals to win another award, but his contributions ran so deep to Montreal’s success that the league invented an award to recognize his value. Famously, Soviet Coach Viktor Tikhonov termed Gainey the world's best all-around player in the late 70’s. Gainey was never the best player on any of the teams he played for or captained. He may, however, have been the most necessary. As Dryden alludes to in his book, Gainey’s goals were team goals. His value and contributions were primarily to the wins column, not the stats sheet. Gainey is accurately described not just as a player’s player, but also as a Captain’s Captain.
Chris Chelios (1989-1990): Chelios was Co-Captain with Carbonneau for only one season. He was traded after the ‘90 season and a painful loss to the Boston Bruins for an aging Denis Savard. Chelios played 98 playoff games in his 7 seasons in Montreal. He would go on to play an astonishing 266 post season matches in total. The Chelios trade severely eroded Montreal’s championship lineage. He was the ultimate warrior and could never be replaced. The Canadiens may have won a Cup in ‘93 after the trade, but the brutal truth is that Chelios’ departure probably cost them a couple more; not to mention a living link to their former championship glories.
Guy Carbonneau (1989-1994): Carbonneau assumed the captaincy as well as the status of best defensive forward in the league from his mentor Gainey. A 4-time Selke award winner, Carbonneau also averaged 20 goals a season over a ten year span from 1983-92. An excellent penalty killer and checking centre, Guy Carbonneau won 2 Cups in Montreal and a 3rd in Dallas over his career. #21 also played over 230 playoff games during his NHL career. His trade from Montreal for the utterly forgettable Jim Montegomery, was part of the erosion of the Canadiens core leadership from 1990-1995. The Canadiens slowly lost the living links to their winning ways and traded 6 Captains in a row. Teams like the New Jersey Devils plundered the Habs leadership rocks (Lemaire, Robinson, Lemieux, Richer) and went on to assume Montreal’s former elite status. Carbonneau was another Captain, while not the best player on the team, who derived his worth from the Habs wins as opposed to any personal stats he could accumulate.
Kirk Muller (1994-1995): Muller, along with Patrick Roy and Carbonneau was a key cog in the Habs ’93 leadership group. Muller tallied 94 points on the championship ’93 squad and brought a hard-working, no nonsense element to his Canadiens tenure. “Kirk is work… was born during his playing days and became a mantra when Muller was behind the Canadiens bench as an assistant coach. When Carbonneau was traded, Muller was perfectly placed to take over the leadership reigns. Unfortunately, the Habs struggled out of the gate in a lockout shortened season and missed the playoffs for the first time since the late 60’s. Muller was traded midway through that season for Quebec homeboy Pierre Turgeon. While Muller brought leadership and an excellent work ethic, his game was on the decline when he was traded. Never an outstanding skater, Muller struggled to keep pace and finished his career playing for 4 different teams in a checking role.
Mike Keane (1995): Keane is the last direct link to the Gainey years as he played on Gainey’s line as a rookie in 1988-89. Keane was a hard-nosed, tough as nails checker winger. He tallied 60 points on Stephen Lebeau’s flank during the ’92-93 season and maintained a reputation as pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the NHL:
Pierre Turgeon (1995-1996): Turgeon scored 125 points in 110 games for the Habs. He carried the Torch from the Forum in a moving ceremony in the final game in that venerable building. He was also the 5th Canadiens Captain to be traded in a row; moved for Shayne Corson and the forgettable Murray Baron. Turgeon would go on to average a point a game in St. Louis over the following 5 seasons. Turgeon was the most skilled Hab during his tenure and a link back to the days when a Quebec born player was both the best player and the Captain.
Vincent Damphousse (1996-1999): Damphousse was the leading scorer on the ’93 Cup winners and also the last Hab to pot 40 goals. He became one the elite two way players in the game in the mid 90’s and was named to Canada’s World Cup team in 1996. Damphousse carried the mantle as another skilled Quebecois captain. He transitioned into a checking role during his last year in Montreal before “magically… rediscovering his scoring touch with San Jose. The 6th Captain traded in a row, Damphousse was traded for the equivalent of a bag of pucks.
Saku Koivu (1999-2009): Koivu was the heart and soul of every single Canadiens team he captained. Saku’s contributions to the team and the City of Montreal go far beyond anything he did on the ice. Koivu carried the Habs during some very dark years and was on many nights the only reason to watch his team. His tenure as Habs Captain helped restore some of the lustre that was lost by trading his 6 predecessors. A warrior, a competitor of the highest degree, Koivu wove himself deeply into the fabric of la Sainte-Flanelle.
Brian Gionta (2010-2014): The first American born Captain of the Canadiens, Gionta was an industrious, hard working player who carried the respect of his teammates and players around the league. Gionta set the tone for the team in terms of effort and the type of 200 foot hockey his coach demanded and his team required. Gionta was a smart player, always in the right position, who tallied 28 and 29 goals in his first two years in Montreal before injuries and age caught up to him. Gionta was an effective leader and the perfect player to be link between the Koivu era and the young group of players that are primed to lead the Canadiens going forward.
These are the men who have worn the ‘C’ for Montreal over the past 35 years. In part 2, I will review the current Habs players and make my pick for the next Captain. There are some obvious ties that bind the group of men that have lead the Habs franchise. Which player on the 2015-16 squad and beyond has the merit and character to stand among these giants?