The Montreal Canadiens have entered the quietest time on the calendar. While there is little to look forward to in the month of August, we decided to take a look back at some of the greatest players in franchise history. We begin our site countdown of the five best centres in Canadiens history with our fifth-ranked centre, Jacques Lemaire.
Lemaire played for the Montreal Canadiens for 12 seasons, with his first coming in the 1967-68 season and his last coming in 1978-79. Over the course of those 12 seasons, Lemaire played in over 800 games with the Canadiens and won eight Stanley Cups. Lemaire scored at least 20 goals in every single season of his career, lighting the lamp a total of 366 times, good enough for seventh in franchise history.
The best years of his career came when head coach Scotty Bowman paired him with wingers Steve Shutt and Guy Lafleur to form one of the best lines in Canadiens and hockey history. Lemaire was the defensive-minded forward that allowed the other two to feast offensively, but make no mistake, Lemaire could chip in as well, reaching the 90-point plateau three times.
Lemaire was also a prominent performer in the playoffs, scoring two Stanley Cup-winning goals, including one in overtime of the Canadiens 1977 Stanley Cup victory. In the 1979 playoffs, Lemaire led all players in scoring with 11 goals and 23 points, but Bob Gainey took home the Conn Smythe award. Still, Lemaire’s contributions in the playoffs were massive and a big reason why the Canadiens won the trophy eight times while he was there.
Lemaire was certainly an underrated player during his time, as the Canadiens had so much star power on those teams up and down the lineup. But Lemaire is often cited as a considerable piece of those teams by his former teammates, noted both as a leader and a contributor. But Lemaire didn’t need the limelight and was more than happy to be the guy who lived in the shadows.
Lemaire ranks 7th in franchise history for points and goals with 835 and 366, respectively. He ranks second in playoff points, only behind the late great Jean Beliveau, and his eight Stanley Cups are tied for fourth all-time in NHL history. When you think of the Canadiens great teams in the ’70s, Lemaire likely isn’t the first name to come to mind. But there’s no denying that he was as significant a contributor to those Cup victories as anyone, and for those reasons, he comes in at number 5 on our list.
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