Montreal Canadiens: Ten Scariest Players In Franchise History

4. John Ferguson

John Ferguson arrived in Montreal with one mandate that was clear, he was to be the bodyguard for Jean Beliveau.

The Canadiens lost some toughness in the 1963 offseason when Lou Fontinato retired, and they needed a new policeman to keep an eye on things on the ice. They found the perfect fit when Ferguson joined the team.

Ferguson made his name known when he fought Boston Bruins tough guy Ted Green mere seconds into his NHL career and more than held his own. That let everyone know there was a new tough guy in town and no one was going to mess with superstar center Jean Beliveau.

Ferguson, a big, physical winger had 125 penalty minutes in his rookie season and never had less than 115 in his career. He was known as the league’s toughest enforcer during his eight season NHL career and allowed star players like Beliveau and Henri Richard to play their games without worrying about cheap shots from opponents.

It also helped that Ferguson could play the game of hockey as well as fight. He scored 18 goals and 45 points in 59 games as a rookie and had a total of 303 points in his 500 game career. He had a career high 29 goals in 1968-69 making him a legitimate first line player alongside Beliveau.

The combination of being the toughest guy in the league for nearly a decade as well as an offensive threat made Ferguson one of the scariest players a Canadiens opponent has ever faced.