Montreal Canadiens: Looking Back at the Greatest Forwards #8
The greatest hockey players aren’t always the ones that put up the most points, Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey is the next great that we look at.
One of the most overused lines in sports is, “The best offence is a great defence”. You’ll hear a lot of NHL coaches to this day harp on the importance of taking care of your own end first. Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien is one of them. It’s comforting to know that the franchise had one of the best defensive forwards to ever play hockey in Bob Gainey.
Gainey was born in Peterborough, Ontario in 1953. His hockey career started as a 19-year-old playing for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. Putting up points wasn’t a big aspect of Gainey’s game as he only had 43 points in 52 games. That’s not a terrible total, but not ideal for the era.
Despite the lack of offence, Gainey was still drafted. Scouts were pretty impressed with the defensive aspect of his game. He was taken 8th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1973 NHL Draft, and 7th overall by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA (World Hockey Association). Thankfully, he committed to the NHL and chose to play for the Habs.
Related Story: Greatest Forwards #9
NHL Career
Gainey stayed true to his style in his rookie season with the Habs. He played 66 games that season for the Canadiens. Although he only had 10 points, he effectively shut down other teams lines. His numbers got better in his second year as he put up 37 points in 80 games.
All that commitment to defence eventually paid off for Gainey. He was recognized as the league’s best defensive forward in the NHL by being awarded the Frank J. Selke trophy four years in a row. His first win was after the 1977-1978 season.
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Gainey was a leader for the Canadiens as well. When Serge Savard retired after the 1982-1983 season, Gainey took over as captain.
As a player, Gainey helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cups. His best run with the Habs had to have been the 1978 run. Gainey was at a point per game throughout the playoffs and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
He decided to hang up the skates after the 1988-1989 season at the age of 35. Gainey ended his career playing in 1160 games (third in franchise history), all with the Montreal Canadiens. Le Capitaine would be honoured two more times for his success during his career. In 1992 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2008, his number 23 was retired by the Canadiens.
Gainey was proof that it doesn’t just take offensive skill to have a successful career. Taking care of your own end and preventing others from scoring can get you recognized as well.
Next: Habs Top Prospects: 10-6
Do you have any memories of Gainey? What do you think of defensive-minded forwards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Player stats and records from Hockey-Reference.com and Hockeydb.com