Top 5: Ranking The Best Canadiens Captains Of All Time

Bob Gainey

Seasons With Canadiens: 16 (1973-74 to 1988-89)

Seasons As Captain: 8 (1981-82 to 1988-89)

Inducted in Hockey Hall Of Fame: 1992

The inaugural winner of the Selke trophy that he won four times, Bob Gainey is widely considered as one of the best defensive forwards in the history of the game.

Gainey had all the tools to be a successful player in the NHL. Legendary Soviet coach Anatoli Tarasov once said of Gainey as being “technically the best player in the world.” He would quietly work his craft in almost constant perfect shifts and drew the respect of teammates and opponents alike.

He would be named captain in 1981, an honor whiched moved the very stoic man, as he would now be the leader of the only team he played for. Gainey would never take a day off and was legendary for playing with serious injuries, yet still be able to perform at the top of his game.

In a decade where contracts were starting to fatten and younger players fantasized of being sports celebrities, Bob Gainey inspired many with his old school approach to life and led a bunch of ragtag and misfit youngsters with an attitude such as Patrick Roy, Claude Lemieux, Shayne Corson, Stephane Richer and Chris Chelios to a Stanley Cup victory in 1986 and would again reach the finals in 1989.