5 Best Goalies Since The Patrick Roy Era

This is a new Wednesday feature I decided to do, Thanks to Frank Rekas for the idea, you can check him out here: http://therattrick.com/

So today’s countdown will be about the top 5 goalies to play for the Montreal Canadiens since Patrick Roy was traded to Colorado in 1996.This is all my opinion. Feel free to give me your list in the comment section below.

5. David Aebischer-(Current Team: HC Lugano) Abby played for the Montreal Canadiens in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. He had 17 Wins and 15 Losses. Ordinary stats for a goalie traded for a former vezina winner, Jose Theodore. Aebischer took the starting role away from Cristobal Huet, but when Huet when down with an injury in the 2006-2007 season, Jaroslav Halak was there to take over the starting position. David was only an average goalie since joining the Colorado Avalanche in 2000-2001, backing up former Hab Patrick Roy.

4. Cristobal Huet- (Current Team: Chicago Blackhawks) Huet was traded for Mathieu Garon in the lockout season of 2004-2005. Many Habs miss Huet tending the pipes in Montreal. He holds the Canadiens goaltending record for career highest save percentage, with .920. He had 58 wins and 39 losses in 3 seasons for Montreal. He was traded to Washington for a third rounder in 2008, which Montreal used to pick Steve Qualier, a power forward. His large salary in Chicago, with a mix of inconsistent play, got him sent to Switzerland. At 35, his once promising career with Montreal is most likely over.

3. Jaroslav Halak-(Current Team: St.Louis Blues) Halak was the main reason the Canadiens almost made it the the Cup finals in 2009-2010. Halak took over the starting role mid-season from Carey Price. Halák went on to be named the Montreal Canadiens’ Molson Cup Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season and was designated the starter heading into their first-round playoff match-up against the Presidents Trophy winning Washington Capitals. In the sixth game of the series, Halák stopped 53 shots to set a club record for a playoff game. He had the best Save Percentage in the 2010 Playoffs, with a .923. Halak was later traded to St. Louis for Ian Shultz and Lars Eller. Fans still regret that June 17th day.

2.Carey Price-(Current Team: Montreal Canadiens) But that may have been a smart trade, because Carey Price had a stellar year in 2010-2011. Price was in the top 10 for every major goalie stat, including first in wins (38), 2nd in saves (1,982), 7th in save percentage (.923) and 3rd in Shutouts (8). For only $2.5M per season, those are outstanding numbers. Up until this year, Price struggled, and many questioned his ability to play in the NHL.  Price has a huge frame, and covers a ton of net. He plays the puck exceptionally well, and can get many assists. If he can play like he did this season, a Stanley Cup is not out of the question any time soon.

1. Jose Theodore-(Current Team: Florida Panthers) Some people may question why a very inconsistent goalie who lost as many games in a Montreal Uniform as he won can be the best goalie Montreal has had since 1996. Well here’s why: hes the last Montreal goalie to win the Vezina Trophy as best goalie. Théodore emerged as a world-class goalie in 2001-2002, when he turned in a Vezina and hart Memorial trophy winning performance with a 30-24-10 record, 2.11 GAA and .931 save percentage. He led the Canadiens into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference and was a pivotal factor in upsetting the top-ranked Boston Bruins in the first round. He became an immediate fan favorite in the city of Montreal The Canadiens were, however, eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes the following round in six games.

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