Montreal Canadiens: More franchise records are within grasp

The Montreal Canadiens have set a lot of records over the years, and there is a chance this season can bring players close to breaking them.

Last season saw Carey Price take the top spot for most games played by a goaltender in Montreal Canadiens history. It was a special moment for the 30-year-old as his name was laid amongst the likes of Jacques Plante and Patrick Roy as keystones in net.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your thoughts about it), there aren’t too many other records that could be beaten. Maurice Richard‘s goal total at 544 and Guy Lafleur‘s point total at 1258 with the Habs are virtually unsurpassable. Perhaps the younger generation can start their NHL careers off hot and get close to both, but it’ll be tough. Not only are we talking about special players, but it was a different era of the game that they played in.

That said, there are a pair of records that may be beaten in the near future (via hockey-reference).

The first is the most likely of the two being franchise leading shooting percentage. Mark Hunter still holds the record at 21.3%. He played four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens after being drafted by them seventh overall at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. In that time span, Hunter scored 53 goals on 249 shots in 196 games.

Paul Byron is currently third with a 20.3% behind Kjell Dahlin (20.7%). The 29-year-old has had a knack of finishing with high shooting percentages using that to hit the 20-goal mark in back-to-back seasons. If Byron keeps that up, he should be able to surpass Hunter for first place. Of course, that also comes down to what his future is with the Montreal Canadiens as he’s entering the final year of his contract.

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The next one involves Tomas Plekanec. He’s already set to play his 1000th NHL game at the beginning of the 2018-19 season but is a long way from surpassing Henri Richard‘s 1258-game career. However, the veteran is tied for second with Bob Gainey in most shorthanded goals scored in franchise history 20.

Guy Carbonneau leads the way with 28 which will be hard for Plekanec to take on. It would definitely take more than this season to do it, but the 35-year-old hasn’t had the same offence he’s had in the past. Additionally, Plekanec has been without a shorthanded goal since the 2016-17 season.

He has more of an incentive to find more offence this year with the performance bonuses attached to his contract. But there are better odds Byron succeeds in surpassing Hunter’s 21.3 shooting percentage than Plekanec scoring 8 more shorthanded goals.

It’s still interesting to keep track of these records. Not only does it make you wonder who in the organization will ever surpass them, but it allows you to take a step back and recognize the accomplishment of some of hockey’s greatest.

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