Montreal Canadiens: Three Habs Records That Will Never Be Broken
The Montreal Canadiens have been around more than 100 years and have accomplished some incredible feats in that time. Here are three records that won’t be broken.
The Montreal Canadiens have been around for over 110 years now. In that time they have built the most successful team in NHL history. They have won the most Stanley Cups with 24 which is the ultimate goal of each team every year.
They have also won a plethora of major awards. Habs players names are all over the Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy and the William Jennings Award.
They have been around as long as any other team in the league and no one can boast anywhere near the same level of success in their history. Still, some of the games greatest players suited up elsewhere and had some impressive achievements as well.
Wayne Gretzky pretty much rewrote the entire record book when he was playing for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. From 1979-1999 he dominated hockey and set new heights with 92 goals and 215 points in a single season. He finished with 894 career goals and 2857 points. While Alex Ovechkin might end up passing him in career goals, no one is coming close to that point total anytime soon.
Gretzky’s list of impossible to break records is a lengthy one on its own. Never again will we see a player score 50 goals in just 39 games. We have had seasons in the past where no one scores 50, imagine someone pulling it off in less than half a season?
Nikita Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy in 2018-19 with 128 points. That was the most we had seen since Mario Lemieux had 161 back in 1996-97. Before Kucherov’s impressive season, it was rare to see someone get half as many points as Gretzky’s 215 in 1985-86.
These days, a player that retires with 1000 points in his career has a great shot at reaching the Hockey Hall of Fame. Gretzky had over 1000 in a five year span.
The game was different in the 1980’s when Gretzky put up 1036 points in 394 games. It was a far higher scoring game then than it is now. Going back even further, the game only had six teams for a long stretch of time before the NHL expanded to 12 teams in 1967.
Dynasties were far more regular back then because four out of six teams made the playoffs every year, and one of them had to win a Cup each season. Now, there are 31 teams with a 32nd on the horizon. Just by sheer numbers it is more than five times more difficult to win a Stanley Cup in 2020 than it was in 1965.
Going back to the early days of the NHL and the rules were much different. Teams traveled by train instead of private jet and they weren’t allowed to make a forward pass. Scoring was quite a bit lower at that time, but the game quickly evolved into a more fast paced, offensive version.
Over all the years of the NHL one constant has been the presence of the Montreal Canadiens. They have bred dozens of Hall of Fame players and won the most championships of any team in league history.
They also have a handful of records in that time that will never be broken, no matter how long the NHL lives. Let’s take a look at the top three.