Montreal Canadiens: Looking Back at the Greatest Goalies #8
Bill Durnan was one of the best goaltenders of his era, which he spent with the Montreal Canadiens.
When you think of the Montreal Canadiens, goaltending might not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking back at their history. After all, the talent at other positions could sometimes overshadow the netminders.
But, it is undeniable that the Canadiens have had some outstanding goaltenders don their jersey over the last 108 years.
Today, as the trend has gone for both forwards and defenders, we look at the greatest goaltenders in Montreal Canadiens history. On Saturday, we profiled Jose Theodore. Today, we take a look at Bill Durnan, who is the eighth-best goalie in Canadiens history.
Durnan was born in 1916. He played three seasons in Junior A with the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils and Kirkland Lake Hargreaves.
The goaltender then made the jump to pro with the Montreal Royals, where he spent another three seasons. His best season with the Royals was his first, where he had a goals-against average of 3.00 across 34 games.
He took the starting job with the Montreal Canadiens without playing a game in the NHL. Durnan started in 50 games during the 1943-44 season, where he had a 2.18 GAA. He won his first Stanley Cup that season, along with his first Vezina Trophy and First Team All-Star honours.
Durnan won one more Stanley Cup two seasons later. Although he may not have the cups that others on the list have, he has the Vezina Trophies to make up for that.
He won the award six times and also has six First Team All-Star over his career.
He also had a special quirk about him: Durnan was ambidextrous. He wore two gloves so that he could switch his stick to either hand in the middle of play.
Durnan also holds the distinction as the last goaltender to ever have the “C” on his uniform. He took over as captain of the Canadiens in 1947 after Toe Blake NHL career came to an end after he broke his leg.
The next offseason, the NHL made a rule banning goalies from wearing a “C” on their jerseys.
Over his seven seasons, Durnan played in 428 games for the Habs across regular season and playoffs. He only missed 20 games over his career.
Unfortunately Durnan passed away in 1972, but his legacy lives on with the Canadiens. He sits fourth all-time in wins, games played, shutouts and goals against average for the Habs.
Next: Montreal Canadiens: Season Expectations for Jonathan Drouin
What is your favourite memory of Durnan? Were you a fan of him? Let us know your thoughts below!