History of The Montreal Canadiens - Hockey Hall of Famers

Hockey Hall of Famers

The Hockey Hall of Fame was created in 1945 with twelve initial inductees, including two Canadiens: Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina. Morenz was considered hockey's first superstar, and in 1950 was voted the top hockey player of the half-century. Vezina perfected the "stand up" style of goaltending in an era when goaltenders were not allowed to drop to their knees to cover the puck, and became the standard by which future goaltenders judged themselves.

Maurice Richard, inducted in 1961, and Jean Beliveau, inducted in 1972, are two of ten players for whom the selection committee has waived the otherwise mandatory three-year waiting period before being eligible for induction. Defenceman Doug Harvey was unanimously elected in 1973, one year after being denied entry due to his drinking habits. Angered by the snub, Harvey refused his induction, stating that he planned to go fishing instead of attending the induction ceremony. Guy Lafleur was one of three players in NHL history (along with Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux) to return to playing after being elected. Lafleur, who had first retired in 1984 after growing frustrated with the Canadiens' defense-focused system, returned to the league days after his 1988 election, playing for the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques before finally retiring in 1991.

As of 2009, over 50 former Canadiens players have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Players
Player Position Inducted Player Position Inducted Player Position Inducted
Howie Morenz C 1945 Marty Barry C 1965 Yvan Cournoyer RW 1982
Georges Vezina G 1945 Toe Blake LW 1966 Ken Dryden G 1983
Aurel Joliat LW 1947 Emile Bouchard D 1966 Jacques Lemaire C 1984
Newsy Lalonde C 1950 Elmer Lach C 1966 Bert Olmstead RW 1985
Joe Malone C 1950 Ken Reardon D 1966 Serge Savard D 1986
Sprague Cleghorn D 1958 Roy Worters G 1969 Jacques Laperriere D 1987
Herb Gardiner LW 1958 Tom Johnson D 1970 Tony Esposito G 1988
Sylvio Mantha D 1960 Jean Beliveau C 1972 Guy Lafleur RW 1988
Joe Hall D 1961 Bernie Geoffrion RW 1972 Bud O'Connor RW 1988
George Hainsworth G 1961 Doug Harvey D 1973 Bob Gainey LW 1992
Maurice Richard RW 1961 Tommy Smith C 1973 Guy Lapointe D 1993
Harry Cameron D 1962 Dickie Moore LW 1974 Steve Shutt LW 1993
Jimmy Gardner F 1962 Gordie Drillon RW 1975 Larry Robinson D 1995
Jack Laviolette D 1962 Jacques Plante G 1978 Denis Savard C 2000
Reg Noble F 1962 Henri Richard C 1979 Rod Langway D 2002
Didier Pitre D 1962 Gump Worsley G 1980 Dick Duff LW 2006
Bill Durnan G 1964 Frank Mahovlich LW 1981 Patrick Roy G 2006
Babe Siebert LW 1964 Doug Gilmour C 2011
Builders
Builder Inducted Builder Inducted Builder Inducted
William Northey 1947 Leo Dandurand 1963 Joseph Cattarinich 1977
Donat Raymond 1958 Tommy Gorman 1963 Sam Pollock 1978
Frank Selke 1960 Hartland Molson 1973 Scotty Bowman 1991
Ambrose O'Brien 1962

Read more about this topic:  History Of The Montreal Canadiens

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