Top 5: Ranking The Best Canadiens Captains Of All Time

Yvan Cournoyer

Seasons With Canadiens: 16 (1963-64 to 1978-79)

Seasons As Captain: 4 (1975-76 to 1978-79)

Inducted in Hockey Hall Of Fame: 1982

“The Roadrunner”, Yvan Cournoyer was one of the fastest skaters of all time.

With his blazing speed he’d swiftly leave his opponents in the dust and was a corner stone of the Canadiens’ dominance of the 1970’s. The 5’7″ forward would often create highlight reel moments, skating from one end of the ice to the other to score one of his career 428 goals.

Once criticized for his poor defensive play, Cournoyer took the criticism to heart and elevated his game to a point where he scored more goals and played better in his zone all at once.

Teammates adored the jolly personality of Cournoyer and when he was named captain in 1975, Cournoyer vowed to make the best of the time he had left in the NHL and pushed his teammates to the maximum. The result was 4 Stanley Cups in the 4 years he was captain, including the fabled 1975-76 season where the Canadiens went 60-8-12 in the season.

The Cournoyer-led Canadiens obliterated their opponents with 127,132,129 and 115 point seasons, the core of their 8 consecutive seasons with at least 100 points.