The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful professional hockey team ever, with 24 Stanley Cup banners at the Bell Centre.
Because the Canadiens dominated the NHL for decades, many of their players, such as Henri Richard (11), Jean Beliveau (10), Claude Provost (nine), Maurice Ricard (eight), Jean-Guy Talbot (seven), and Bernie Geoffiron (six), have won more titles than most of the league’s other franchises.
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However, Montreal has not toasted to a championship team since 1993, which means an entire generation of Habs fans do not know what it’s like to win a couple of Stanley Cups every few seasons.
Unfortunately, some great players have worn a Canadiens sweater in the last three decades and never got close to winning. Today, we will look at the five best players in Montreal history who never hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.
Best Canadiens Players Who Didn’t Win the Stanley Cup in Montreal
5. Brendan Gallagher – 752 games (2012-Pres.)
There were a couple of worthy candidates for the fifth spot on this list, including Max Pacioretty and Jose Theodore. Still, Brendan Gallagher gets the nod here because he actually played in the Stanley Cup Final with the Canadiens in 2021.
Gallagher was an All-Rookie in 2013 and is a two-time 30-goal scorer, with four seasons of 20 or more goals on his resume. As the longest-tenured player in Montreal’s lineup ahead of the 2024-25 season, he ranks 31st on the team’s all-time scoring list.
4. Andrei Markov – 990 games (2000-2017)
Only five players have ever skated in 1,000 games with the Canadiens, and defenseman Andrei Markov is the closest anyone else ever got to becoming the sixth, dressing for 990 games over his 16-year career.
Related: Montreal Canadiens’ 50-goal Scorers
During his tenure with the club, Markov played in 89 playoff games, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final once in 2014. Regarding his place amongst defenders in Montreal history, his 572 points are tied with Guy Lapointe for second all-time.
3. Tomáš Plekanec – 984 games (2003-2018, 2018-19)
Tomáš Plekanec played all but 17 games of his career with the Canadiens, scoring 606 points in 984 contests. A reliable seven-time 20-goal…