A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: Five Former Habs Who Looked Odd In New Colors

By Ken MacMillan

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 28: Guy Lafleur #10 of the New York Rangers skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on January 28, 1989 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto tied New York 1-1. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 28: Guy Lafleur #10 of the New York Rangers skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on January 28, 1989 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto tied New York 1-1. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT – MAY 18: Goaltender Patrick Roy #33 (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
DETROIT – MAY 18: Goaltender Patrick Roy #33 (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI) /

4. Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy stepped into the Montreal Canadiens crease in 1986 and confidently continued the long history of great goaltenders in Montreal. Roy helped lead the Habs to their 23rd Stanley Cup that season with stellar play in the postseason. He won the Conn Smythe as Playoff MVP that year.

Roy would win another Conn Smythe in 1993, and also won three Vezina Trophy’s in a four year span between the two Stanley Cup titles. He was well on his way to taking over all of the all-time records that had been set in the illustrious history of the Habs.

Roy was just 25 regular season wins shy of Jacques Plante’s all-time record with the Habs. He needed just ten more playoff wins to surpass Ken Dryden’s team record of 80. He could have topped both of those marks in one more season.

Then, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in December of 1995. He would play seven and a half more seasons in Colorado, so the Avs jersey started to look less weird on him over time. Especially with him winning two more Stanley Cups in Colorado and another Conn Smythe in 2001.

There was a time in the early 1990’s when it seemed like Roy would be in the Canadiens crease until he hung up his skates for good. Though the Avalanche started to look less weird on him by the time he did retire, when he first put it on, with that all-white helmet, it was hard to believe it was Patrick Roy underneath all the gear.

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