The Forgotten Montreal Canadiens Great: Steve Shutt

One of the more emotional departures in recent Montreal Canadiens history was when Tyler Toffoli was traded for a haul to the Calgary Flames. He was one of the most productive Canadiens during his short time with the team and was well beloved by the team and fanbase alike.

Steve Shutt was Toffoli on steroids.

Shutt wasn't the biggest guy, wasn't lightning quick or as flashy as, say, Guy Lafleur, who Shutt spent a lot of time on his wing, but if you knew hockey, you knew Shutt was more than just your average wingman.

"They talk a lot about 'garbage goals', but it didn't come by luck. The timing of Steve Shutt was unbelievable. He was always at the right place, and that's not luck. You could have ten rebounds and not be there, but Steve Shutt was there ten times. He was always there to put the puck in the net."

- Serge Savard

The Montreal Canadiens teams of the late 1970s are undoubtedly some of the greatest NHL teams of all time. There was a wealth of skill at all positions, and it's impossible to call Shutt the best player on any team he played on with the Canadiens. But when you are playing with Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson and Ken Dryden, that isn't a strong indictment.

Shutt made his NHL debut in 1972, but it took a few years for him to really make his mark. His first year saw him score just 8 goals and 16 points. His sophomore season was a little better, 15 goals and 35 points.

But, when paired with Guy Lafleur and Jacques Lemaire, magic happened, and the Dynasty Line was born. In his third season, Shutt scored 30 goals, and would never score less until the twilight of his career.

Shutt and the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in his rookie year, but for the next few years, the Canadiens were always on the verge of winning again but fell short every year. Until 1976, the team went on a historic, dynastic run.

When thinking of great Montreal Canadiens goalscoring seasons, Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard's 50 goals in 50 games in 1944-45 is the gold standard. And in all reality, I still believe that is the greatest goalscoring season ever in Montreal Canadiens history. Sure, other players have scored more in a season, but the mystique, power and meaning behind that season can never be matched.

However, in pure numbers, the seasons of 1976-77 and 1977-78, were the two greatest goalscoring seasons in Canadiens history, and no one has come close to matching what Steve Shutt and Guy Lafleur did.

As Serge Savard noted in his quote above, Steve Shutt was an incredibly smart player. He scored 'dirty' goals, like banging in rebounds and getting to the dirty areas of the ice. He wasn't the quickest or biggest player, but he knew where to go and how to get there.

But, he wasn't just a grinder player that made his home at the front of the net. Ask goalies at the time, and they will tell you he was one of the most feared shooters of his time.

"“Gerry Cheevers was actually in terror of this guy"."

- Don Cherry

What made his shot unique was that his slapper was devastatingly accurate, which made him a nightmare on fast breaks, being able to fire the puck faster and more accurately than anyone else in the league.

"He had a great shot. Unbelievable shot. He’d come across the blue line and he could tee it up better than anybody. And he was accurate, which is scary for someone with a slap shot."

- Billy Smith

He used every weapon in his arsenal in the 1976-77 season to score 60 goals, and set the Montreal Canadiens record for most goals in a single season, and set the NHL wide record for most goals by a left winger.

It wouldn't be for too long, as the very next year Lafleur would match the feat, but no Montreal Canadien has ever been able to best Steve Shutt in a single year.

Shutt would continue his goalscoring prowess over the next years, scoring between 35 and 50 goals, but by the 80s time had caught up with him, and after one season with the Los Angeles Kings in 1984-85, he hung up the skates for good.

But, maybe his biggest contribution to Canadian culture and the world at large was set long before his NHL playing days and doesn't involve hockey at all.

In 1966, a decade before Shutt would win his second Stanley Cup, he attended Fisherville Junior High in Willowdale. There, he was close friends with one Gary Lee Weinrib, better known as Geddy Lee.

Lee and Shutt were both into music, and both purchased bass guitars and would often jam together. It's also said that Steve Shutt introduced Geddy Lee to Aleksandar Zivojinovic, again, better known as Alex Lifeson.

Any red-blooded Canadian of a certain age should definitely recognize those names. Without Steve Shutt and Geddy Lee going to a show featuring The Mandala and The Paupers, one of Canada's greatest bands, Rush, may have never been formed.