Montreal Canadiens: Pierre Turgeon Elected To Hockey Hall Of Fame

The Montreal Canadiens have a long list of Hockey Hall of Fame members throughout their history. That list is about to grow by one more.

Pierre Turgeon was elected to become a member and will be enshrined in the 2023 class with fellow players Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Mike Vernon, and Caroline Ouellette. Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix will also join the Hall of Fame in the builder’s category.

Turgeon’s career ended in 2007 so he has been eligible to get in since 2010, but has finally received the required number of votes to be inducted. While his wait was a long one, Turgeon’s career on the ice sure points to a Hall of Fame worthy career.

The Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec native was the first overall pick in the 1987 NHL Draft after a stellar QMJHL career with the Granby Bisons. He immediately joined the Buffalo Sabres and it wasn’t long before he was a dangerous offensive weapon in the NHL.

Turgeon reached the 100 point plateau in just his third NHL season and scored 40 goals that season for the Sabres. He would top those totals in 1992-93 when he scored 58 goals and 132 points for the New York Islanders. That was the best season of his career.

His stint in Montreal was fairly short, but Turgeon piled up points while playing near his hometown. His only full season in Montreal was in 1995-96 and he scored 38 goals and 96 points in 80 games. He only played a total of 104 games with the Canadiens but scored 50 goals and 127 points in that time.

Turgeon’s career continued in St. Louis after leaving Montreal, and he continued to be a point per game performer for five seasons, even as scoring numbers dropped quickly around the NHL in the late 1990’s.

When he finally retired in 2007, Turgeon had played 1294 career games, scored 515 goals and 1327 points. That puts him in a tie for 40th in all-time goals in the NHL and 34th in points. He regularly stepped up in the playoffs as well, playing a total of 109 postseason games in his career and scoring 35 goals and 97 points.

Turgeon’s totals show he is well deserving of the honor that dodged him for over a decade. Fortunately, the Hockey Hall of Fame committee has finally chosen to elect the former Canadiens captain.

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