Montreal Canadiens: Today In Habs History: Doug Harvey Called to The Hall

Montreal Canadiens players made it a habit of getting their names on NHL Awards over the years.

None of them have owned a single award quite like Doug Harvey did.

The Canadiens blue liner was one of the first ever to add scoring and offence to the job descriptions of a defenceman. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s best after joining the Canadiens in 1947.

When the James Norris Trophy was first handed out in 1953 it went to Detroit Red Wings Red Kelly. Then, Doug Harvey just decided the award for best all around defenceman in the NHL belonged to him. The Canadiens great would win the award seven of the next eight seasons, while teammate Tom Johnson broke that streak by winning the trophy in 1959.

Harvey took his foot off the gas that season, scoring 20 points in 61 games, but he helped the Canadiens win another Stanley Cup that season by scoring 12 points in 11 playoff contests. He may not have won the Norris that year, but if the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was around back then, Harvey would have been a strong contender.

It wouldn’t have been the only year Harvey played a prominent role in the Canadiens winning a Stanley Cup. The Montreal native played 14 seasons with his hometown team and won the Stanley Cup six times. He was a key contributor from the blue line on the dynasty that won the Stanley Cup five times in a row from 1956 to 1960.

Harvey left the Canadiens after the 1960-61 season but would continue to play pro hockey until 1969 when he officially retired at the age of 44. His 1113 games played ranked 7th all time at that point and his 560 career points were the second most by a defenceman when he ended his career.

He was so upset with the Hockey Hall of Fame for not choosing him for induction when he was first eligible in 1972 that he didn’t attend when he was placed in their halls on this day in 1973.