Greatest Montreal Canadien to Wear Each Jersey Number

Assembling a list of greatest players to ever wear a number is not easy with a franchise as old and as storied as the Montreal Canadiens. It will also leave great players off the list, players who also enjoyed Hall-of-Fame careers. Debates over these lists will rage on, but one thing Habs fans can agree upon – these players provided fans memorable moments and quirky trivia items to last a lifetime. Here are the greatest players to have worn each number for the Canadiens.

1 – Jacques Plante

As a six-time Stanley Cup Champion, seven-time Vezina Trophy and 1961 Hart Trophy winner, Jacques Plante’s illustrious career earned him legend status in Montreal. His 314 career wins had him at the top of the wins list in franchise history for half of a century and also helped have his number retired and placed him into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF).

2 – Doug Harvey

Before his induction into the HHOF, before his number two was hung in the rafters of the old Montreal Forum, before Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey was known as the most mobile defender to have ever played the game. He was the original offensive defenceman – his style of activating into the rush and using crisp passes on the fly to generate offense was highly criticized yet revolutionized the position. 

The winner of the seven Norris Trophies puts him into elite company with Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom and places him in the conversation as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history.

3 – Emile “Butch” Bouchard

In a career that spanned 15 seasons, all with the Canadiens, the Hall of Fame defenceman was highly regarded as a tough, but gentlemanly player. He won four Stanley Cups but was best known as the first Quebec-born captain of the Canadiens. He entered the HHOF in 1966. His number was retired on Dec. 4, 2009, as part of the Canadiens’ Centennial ceremony.

4 – Jean Beliveau

“Le Gros Bill” is looked to as the epitome of class and style for all of hockey. When he was starting out, he was the original child prodigy. The Canadiens bought the entire Quebec Senior league just to make sure they controlled his rights. Finally, in 1953, he left the Quebec Aces for the Canadiens. His 10 Stanley Cups, over 1,000 games, 1,200 points, 10 years as the captain all with the Canadiens and his community involvement earned him status as a larger than life figure in Montreal.

His jersey was retired immediately after he retired as a player in 1971 and was inducted to the Hockey Hall of…