Breaking down the Canadiens top 10 single-season shutout leaders of all-time
Getting a shutout is a rather tough endeavor in today’s NHL, and thanks to the way you’re seeing an increase in scoring, the trend is likely to continue. But that doesn’t mean one member of the Montreal Canadiens didn’t recently land so many shutouts in a single season, and their performance was so epic that they snagged a spot on this list.
But most of the names you’ll find were playing this game nearly seven decades ago or even further into the past. That said, if you’re looking for a history lesson that goes way back into the Habs early days, keep reading, because one extraordinary netminder on this list recorded what is still a franchise record to this day in single-season shutouts all the way back in the 1920s.
Carey Price, 2014-15
Most younger fans will be familiar with Carey Price, as he’s the most recent name on this list who more than made his name in the mid-to-late 2010s. Overall, Price’s career with the Habs may have been cut short after 14 seasons and five games of a 15th campaign, but in that period, he finished with a 0.917 save percentage and a 2.51 GAA.
As far as shutouts go, his 2014-15 mark was more than magical, as he refused to let an opponent score on nine occasions. That year, he compiled a 0.933 save percentage and a 1.96 GAA, and as you may have guessed, he took home several awards, including the Hart, Jennings, Pearson, and Vezina, along with First-Team All-Star honors.
Jacques Plante, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59
Jacques Plante could be the best goaltender in team history next to a few other noteworthy names, and he more than made his case in the late 1950s when he recorded nine shutouts per year in three straight seasons. Starting in 1956-57, Plante ended the year with Second-Team All-Star honors and his name on the Vezina after he recorded a 2.00 GAA and a 0.920 save percentage.
The 1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons were replicas of what he accomplished in 1956-57, as Plante landed NHL All-Star honors again - First-Team in 1958-59 - plus another pair of Vezinas. In 1957-58, Plante finished the year with a 0.924 save percentage and a 2.11 GAA, and the following season, he led the league in both save percentage and GAA, at 0.925 and 2.16, respectively.
Ken Dryden, 1976-77
It’s not easy to attain 10 shutouts in a season, especially amidst the expansion era, but Ken Dryden made it happen in 1976-77 when he landed 10 shutouts, a 0.920 save percentage, and a 2.14 GAA. Like many goaltenders on this list, Dryden was a First-Team NHL All-Star and the Vezina recipient.
This epic year came just one season after he landed an astounding eight shutouts and a 2.03 GAA, plus a 0.927 save percentage. That year, he also won the Vezina and played so well that he took fourth for the Hart Trophy.
Gerry McNeil, 1952-53
Yet another Canadien to snag 10 shutouts in a single season, Gerry McNeil made it happen in 1952-53, when he finished the year with a 2.09 GAA. It was the best mark of his career in seasons when he played in at least 53 games during a time when they didn’t start calculating save percentage. Overall, he took fourth for the Hart and found a spot on the NHL All-Star Team, the only time in his career when he received such recognition.
Bill Duman, 1948-49
Another strong contender for the best netminder in team history, Bill Duman took the Vezina in all but one of his seasons with the Habs, but as far as single-season shutouts go, 1948-49 factors in as the best. He denied opponents a goal 10 times that year, and it landed him a Vezina, a spot on the NHL All-Star Team, and the runner-up for the Hart.
George Hainsworth, 1926-27, 1927-28, 1928-29
George Hainsworth is a name to remember if you’re looking into the Canadiens formative years, as his first three campaigns were just legendary. In 1926-27, Hainsworth won the Vezina after he compiled 14 shutouts and a 1.47 GAA, the latter of which got even sweeter the next season when his GAA increased to 1.05 and 13 shutouts. As was the case for his 1926-27 outing, Hainsworth once again walked away with the Vezina.
Then, in 1927-28, Hainsworth struck again when he ended the year with 22 shutouts in 44 games played, good for a 0.92 GAA. He once again won the Vezina, and it's fair to say that this epic run helped this epic netminder land a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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