A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: Ten Scariest Players In Franchise History

By Ken MacMillan

Jun 18, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Jeff Petry Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Jeff Petry Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next
7 Feb 1996: Lyle Odelein#24 of the Montreal Canadiens. Mandatory Credit: Joe
7 Feb 1996: Lyle Odelein#24 of the Montreal Canadiens. Mandatory Credit: Joe /

8. Lyle Odelein

Montreal Canadiens defender Lyle Odelein would have a long and successful NHL career, and played on some terrific defensive teams including the 1993 Stanley Cup winning Canadiens as well as the stingiest defensive group possibly ever with the late 1990’s New Jersey Devils.

So, he could play and defend and was far more than a goon at any point in his career, but he could also drop the gloves with anyone. He proved this immediately as he would fight 19 times in his first full season with the Canadiens, piling up 259 penalty minutes as a rookie.

In the entire history of the Canadiens, only 14 times has a player reached 200 penalty minutes in a single season and Odelein did it five times. The only season he did not reach 200 PIMs with the Canadiens was the 48 game lockout shortened season in 1995 and he came pretty darn close, considering it was barely half a season, with 152.

Odelein did not pick his spots, even though he was under six feet tall, as he dropped the gloves with enforcers like Gord Donnelly, Gino Odjick, Joey Kocur and Bob Probert.

Not only could he fight but he was always looking to impact the game with a big hit. He was smart enough defensively to be in the right position and when an opposing player was in a vulnerable position, Odelein took advantage by stepping up and making them think twice about skating into the Canadiens zone with the puck again.

He averaged 3.25 penalty minutes per game while a member of the Canadiens, which is the second highest PIMs per game in franchise history. He battled hard, hit like a truck and fought anyone in the league who dared, making him one scary customer on the ice.

Home/Editorials