Mats Naslund

Like every other position, the Montreal Canadiens have had a lot of great left wingers over their long and glorious history. Steve Shutt, Bob Gainey, Dickie Moore, Toe Blake, Aurele Joliat, Bert Olmstead, and Frank Mahovlich are all Hall of Fame left wingerss.

But did you know the record for most points in one season by a Montreal LW is held by Mats Naslund, the very first Montreal player from overseas?

"Le Petit Viking" was born and grew up in Timra, a small city in the northern parts of Sweden. Mats Naslund was an extremely talented player in his early years and played against 11-year olds as a 6-year old. He made his first impact when he led Sweden to a Gold medal in the European Junior Championships in 1977 and later that year was voted as the best Swedish junior player.

In 1978 he left his longtime club Timra to play for the top club Brynas. A year later Mats was selected to play in the 1979 World championships. At first the trainer's selection of Mats was heavily criticized by media and hockey people in Sweden, as they all claimed that he was to small to compete in international play among seniors.

He quickly silenced the critics when he led the Swedish team in goals (5) and points (7). His fine play caught the eye of Montreal Canadiens scouts. A lot of Canadian journalists were curious who this little fellow was. Montreal selected Mats with their 2nd choice, 37th overall despite the fact that he only was 5'7" and 160lbs.

Mats didn't disappoint the scouts and had a fine season in the Swedish league as well as a 10 point performance in the 1980 Olympics. After the Olympic games Montreal wanted to sign Mats, but he declined the offer because he didn't feel ready. During the next season (1980-81) he led the Swedish league in assists (25) and points (42).

In 1981 he tore his ACL while playing badminton and missed the 1981 Canada Cup. His injury made Montreal back off for a while in their pursuit of his signature. But just three weeks prior to the 1982 World championships Mats signed a 3 year contract with Montreal, becoming the first ever European trained player in Canadiens 73 year history.

He was an instant hit with the Forum fans, scoring three goals in his first pre-season game (vs Philadelphia). From that moment on he was "Le Petit Viking," the little Viking. Mats sat out the first three games of his rookie season, but when Rejean Houle got injured, Mats got his NHL debut which came against the rivals Quebec Nordiques on October 11th 1982. Two nights later Mats buried a shot behind New Jersey's goalie Lindsay Middlebrook for his 1st career NHL goal. He was also the game's 2nd star. Mats also scored in his 3rd game vs NY Rangers and clicked immediately with his line mates Mario Tremblay and Pierre Mondou.

Mats best season in the NHL was undoubtedly the 1985-86 season when he scored 110 points (43 goals and 67 assists) and was a 2nd All-Star left wing. The crowning moment was the Cup win later that season where he scored 19 points, including 8 goals, in the playoffs and was a key component for Montreal. Mats never won another Cup although he had a splendid playoff the following season, scoring 22 points.

During his career Mats earned a reputation as a true playoff warrior, scoring a very respectable 92 points (35 goals and 57 assists) in 102 playoff games. By doing so he won over a lot of fans, and remains one of the most popular European players in Canada.

Mats strongest asset was undoubtedly his speed and acceleration, plus a great change of pace ability. He had good hands and took passes excellently while in full stride. Despite his small size he could absorb and give a check as good as anyone. He wasn't a true superstar player but an above average player who took over Guy Lafleur's role as Montreal's dynamic offensive leader and fan favorite. The Montreal Forum applauded his efforts every time announcer Claude Mouton announced a goal by "number 26, numéro vingt six . . . Matsss....Nasluuuund."

The winner of the 1988 Lady Byng Trophy played in Montreal until 1990 before deciding to return back to Europe. He spend the 1990-91 season in Lugano, Switzerland. Despite scoring 31 goals and 70 points in 42 games. After the season was over he rejoined the Swedish national team for a world championship gold medal. After his Swiss adventure he returned back to Sweden where he joined Malmo and helped them win two titles in three years (1992 and 1994).

In 1994 Mats won the Olympic Gold and shared the lead in the tournament with 7 assists. During the lockout season in 1994-95 Mats attempted a comeback in the NHL, jumping on a lucrative deal offered to him by Boston and played 34 games. The aging Naslund would score 8 goals and 22 points.

Mats finished his NHL career with 634 points (251 goals and 383 assists) in 651 games. He also had 280 points (123 goals and 157 assists) in 294 games in the Swedish Elite League. Mats holds the distinction of being one of very few Swedish players to have won the Swedish league championship, an Olympic Gold, a World championship and a Stanley Cup.

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Pierre Mondou

This is Pierre Mondou. He won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in the late 1970s. The native of Sorel, Quebec was a nice complimentary player with that dynasty team. Along with similar players like Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay, Rejean Houle, Doug Jarvis and Jimmy Roberts, Mondou was excelled as an extraordinary role player.

In junior hockey in Sorel and Montreal, as well as in the American Hockey League when he first turned pro, Mondou was an offensive star. Buried behind the likes of Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire, Mondou became more of an all-round player with the Habs. He injected youth and life into the Habs dynasty, as well as four seasons with at least 29 goals. But he was better known as a support player who could add offense. He was versatile in that he could play either center or wing with equal ease. He excelled as a penalty killer, and, because of his skating ability, was often called upon to shut down the other team's top lines.

Unfortunately for Mondou his career came to a scary end at the age of 29. An errant high stick belonging to Hartford's Ulf Samuelsson clipped Mondou in the left eye. The incident happened as Mondou was scoring the game winning goal in overtime. Sadly it would the last goal Mondou would ever score, as he was forced to retire because of the injury.

In 548 regular season games Pierre Mondou scored 194 goals, 262 assists and 456 points while totalling 179 penalty minutes. He added another 17 goals and 45 points in 69 playoff games.

Mondou later served as a long time scout for the Canadiens.

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Jean Gauthier

Jean Gauthier died February 20th, 2013. He was 75 years old.

Gauthier played 166 NHL games in the 1960s. He played with Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia, as well as with the New York Raiders of the WHA.

Gauthier was a rough and tumble defenseman who was no stranger to the penalty box. He won a Memorial Cup as a junior star with the Flin Flon Bombers and after apprenticing in the minor leagues, the Habs moved veteran Bob Turner to make room for Gauthier.

The move turned out to be a bit of a bust. After playing the 1962-63 season in Montreal, Gauthier was destined to play the rest of the Original Six days in the minor leagues with a few big league call-ups. At least he got called up during the 1965 playoffs and played a couple of games. That was good enough to get his name on the Stanley Cup!

Once the NHL expanded Gauthier, like so many career minor leaguers, found regular work with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1967-68. But he could not stick in the league beyond that season, returning to the minors while also making brief appearances in Boston and again in Montreal.

In 166 NHL games Jean Gauthier scored 6 goals and 29 assists.

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Robert Fillion

This is 2 time Stanley Cup champion Robert Fillion. His name is inscribed on the Stanley Cup in 1944 as Bob as he was known as "Bobby" when he first broke into the National Hockey League. In 1946 it is inscribed as Robert.

Fillion played 327 games in the 1940s with Rocket Richard's Montreal Canadiens. He scored 42 career goals and 103 points, adding another 7 goals and 11 points in 33 playoff games.

The 5'10" 170lbs left winger out of Thetford Mines, Quebec was a junior teammate of Rocket Richard. But in the NHL he was turned into "a fine checker." In his best season he scored 30 points (1943-44 as a rookie). Two years later he posted a career best 10 goals.

"I had been a high scorer in junior but the Canadiens made me into a defensive forward, just like they did with Guy Carbonneau," he described many years later.

He may not have been a Picasso on the ice but Fillion was very much interested in artists of a different sort. He often visited artist studios while on road trips and took up painting himself! It may have been a bigger passion for him than hockey!

Bob, the brother of Marcel Fillion who played 1 game in the NHL, worked in public relations for years after retiring from hockey. He also went back home to work in a mine in Thetford Mines before retiring to Montreal's south shore. He was a regular guest at Montreal Canadiens games right through to his final season.

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Patrick Lebeau

The parallels between the careers of brothers Patrick and Stephan Lebeau are pretty remarkable.

Both were undersized scoring sensations in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, putting up eye-popping numbers. Despite that they were never considered to be top prospects. Stephan was never drafted, and Patrick only in the late rounds, likely because by then Stephan established himself as a pro player. Both brothers would go onto amazing rookie seasons in the American Hockey League, both winning the Dudley Garrett Award as top rookie.

Heck, even when Patrick was recalled for his first NHL games in the 1990-91 season he was united with Stephan for two games. Patrick even scored his first NHL goal and his first NHL assist.

Unfortunately that is where the parallels more or less end. Stephane went on to play several seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and helped them win a Stanley Cup in 1993. Patrick would never play for the Canadiens again, and only would play in a handful of NHL games spread over several years. His lengthy career was spent jumping around minor leagues and Europe.

Lebeau's introduction to the international game actually began back in 1992 when he joined the Canadian Olympic team during the season. He joined the likes of Eric Lindros, Joey Juneau and Sean Burke in helping the Canadian team to a silver medal. 

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Stephan Lebeau

An undersized centre from St-Jerome, Quebec, #47 Stephane Lebeau was junior scoring dynamo. Blessed with quickness and an amazingly accurate shot. In four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes he scored 281 goals and 580 points in 270 career games. In his last season of junior his scored a ridiculous 94 goals and 188 points.

You know what is even more ridiculous? Even with those gaudy offensive numbers, Lebeau was never drafted by a NHL team.

Sure, he was small and slow and did not pay much attention to the defensive side of the game. But with numbers like that, how could every NHL team not take at least a late round flyer on him?

The Montreal Canadiens invited him to camp and were smart enough to sign him to a pro deal. Perhaps the Habs were look to prop up their farm team in Sherbrooke. The Habs were hoping to inject some offensive life into their AHL team.

It obviously worked. As a rookie Lebeau scored 70 goals and 134 points in 78 games. He and Benoit Brunet formed a dynamic duo that, despite their lack of size, would not be denied their NHL chance.

But the Habs insisted Lebeau learn to play without the puck first. Lebeau was not the first offensive star out of the QMJHL to be expected to become a well rounded and defensively conscientious player. In fact Guy Carbonneau became perhaps the greatest defensive forward of all time.

Lebeau would join the Canadiens in 1989-90 and was utilized as a power play specialist while learning defense for 3 seasons. In 1992-93 the Canadiens needed an infusion of offense and new coach Jacques Demers. He capitalized on his teammates speed. He would headman the puck and trail in on the play. He exploded for a 31 goal and 80 point season, 4th best on the team. More importantly, he helped the Canadiens capture a surprised Stanley Cup in the spring of 93.

The writing was on the wall however. He only played in 13 of Montreal's playoff games, and contributed just 3 goals and 6 points.The next season he was traded to Anaheim and after another season he was out of the NHL altogether.

Lebeau extended his career by playing several seasons in Switzerland. Nowadays Lebeau is living in the Eastern Townships in Sherbrooke and runs the hockey program at private English school Bishop College in Lennoxville. He also has done some French media work concerning the Montreal Canadiens.

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Gilbert Dionne

You could be forgiven if you thought Gilbert Dionne's nickname "King" came courtesy of his famous older brother. Marcel Dionne, best known as a Los Angeles King, was one of the greatest offensive players the game of hockey has ever seen. But in actuality, Gilbert's nickname came from a love of karaoke - specifically Elvis songs.

Gilbert may always be known as Marcel's little brother, but more than a few people have confused him as his son. Gilbert is 19 years younger. Being so much younger made Marcel more of a hero to look up to than a brother.

Gilbert may have caught a few breaks because of his famous brother and his last name, but he was hardly considered to be a top prospect much of his youth. He would follow his brother's move by playing in Ontario, learning English and developing his hockey game.

Gilbert slowly developed into a NHL prospect. The Montreal Canadiens, who passed on Marcel in favor of Guy Lafleur years early, took Gilbert in the 4th round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

Gilbert caught on with the Habs in  1991-92. Skating with Shayne Corson and Mike Keane, he scored 21 goals in 39 games and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

“I would just go to the net and the puck would end up on my stick. I just kept it as simple as possible and it worked out for me,” he told The Hockey News.

The next year Gilbert would score 12 points in 20 playoff games to help the Habs win an unexpected Stanley Cup championship. In doing so he accomplished about the only thing older brother Marcel was not able to do - hoist the Stanley Cup high over his head.

“I had two tickets available and I asked Marcel and his wife to be there. He came to the game luckily. I kept waiting for my turn (to hoist the Cup on the ice after the game) and I said: ‘No, I’m going to wait until I’m at that section so I can raise the Cup in front of my brother,’” Gilbert recalled. “It was one of the best things ever and I just raised the Cup up and I almost dropped it because it’s about 35 pounds and throughout the playoffs I lost about 15 pounds. I raised it toward my brother and it was the highlight of my life to show him that, ‘Hey, we finally did it.’”

Unfortunately the rest of Dionne's tenure in Montreal was not so rosy. He had a bit of a love/hate relationship with fans as his game never really continued to develop after that great playoff. On Feb. 9, 1995, he was dealt to Philadelphia in a blockbuster along with Eric Desjardins and John LeClair for Mark Recchi and a third-round draft pick. 

Dionne would surprisingly only play 22 games in Philadelphia and 5 more in Florida before disappearing to the minor leagues. He would become a very popular player with the Cincinnati Cylones.

After retiring from hockey Gilbert purposely took a job outside of hockey. He settled in Tavistock, Ontario, working as a grain merchant for Parrish and Heimbecker.

“I made a decision to work outside of hockey. The best thing is to do a nine-to-five job so I can come home to my kids and my wife every night,” he said.

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Alex Smart

Alex Smart certainly knew how to make a favorable impression on his coach and new teammates. In his first NHL game he became the first rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game.

On January 14th, 1943, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing on a line with Hall of Famers Buddy O'Connor and Gordie Drillon, Smart scored the final three Montreal goals in a 5-1 victory for the Habs. The first two goals were scored just 14 seconds apart.

Unfortunately, that alone was not enough to keep Smart in the NHL. Though he scored 2 more goals and 2 assists, he only played 7 more NHL games before all but disappearing as a tiny note in hockey history.

"People still remind me about (the hat trick)," said Smart in 1991. "I never though it could last this long."

Buddy O'Connor, Fabian Brunnstrum and Derek Stepan have since duplicated the feat.

Smart returned to senior hockey in Montreal until 1946 when he moved Ottawa. He helped the senior league Senators to the Allan Cup finals in 1948 and helped them win Canada's national amateur championship in 1949.

Alex Smart lived the rest of his life in Ottawa, working for Goodyear Tire for 40 years while also doing some scouting for the Los Angeles Kings.

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Louis Berlinguette

Perhaps the original utility forward, Louis Berlinguette was a notable defensive forward but not a great offensive player. But because he was so reliable and valuable, he gained so much respect that he played in more games and seasons than any hockey player of his era.

Berlinguette played with the Montreal Canadiens from 1912 through 1924, playing with the team in both the NHA and then the NHL when it was formed in 1917. He played on top lines with the likes of Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, but was never rewarded with great offensive output like his linemates. He totalled just 46 goals in 193 NHL games (plus another 19 in 100 in the NHA).

Berlinguette ended his career with single seasons with the Montreal Maroons and Pittsburgh Pirates before continuing on as an amateur. He finally left the ice after 1927.

Interestingly, much debate surrounded his name. Many sources mistakenly typed his name as Berlinquette. To complicate matters, his baptism certificate is in the name Berlinguet.

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Jean Jacques Daigneault

J.J. Daigneault grew up in Mario Lemieux's shadow. Literally.

The two were born in Montreal just one week apart, and spent much of their youth and junior hockey careers together (along with defenseman Marc Bergevin, too).

"Mario's always been a great player," said Daigneault. "He knew right from the beginning right where he was going. He was always first in scoring on the team and in the league when I played with him."

Despite playing in front of all those drooling scout, it never really dawned on J.J. that he, too, might be able to make it to the NHL.

"I really didn't think about playing hockey professionally until I was about 16," he said. "The agents come out and they try and get you into it. Then try and get you interested by telling you that you're pretty good and how you might make it to the NHL."

Daigneault, a rushing defenseman in junior was a 5'11" and 180lb defenseman known for his offensive game more so than his physical or defensive game.

"If I wanted to stay on defense, I had to be able to do things that the bigger guys couldn't do. I had to be quick and agile so the big ones couldn't hit me. I had to be able to move the puck."

Daigneault really started catching the scouts' eyes after scoring 26 goals and 84 points in 70 games with Longueuil.

"I had a great year that year playing for Jacques Lemaire," he said. "In the final we played at the Montreal Forum. We played in front of 17,000 people. It's a big thrill to be 17 and play in front of all those people."

"A month after that, I was awarded the Emile "Butch" Bouchard Trophy for best defenseman."

Daigneault jumped to Dave King's Canadian Olympic team in 1984. He spent the season with fellow youngsters like Dave Gagner, Russ Courtnall and Kirk Muller in pursuit of their Olympic dream. Daigneault described his tutelage with the national team as "the best thing for me."

Mario Lemieux was the obvious choice as the top player chosen in the 1984 NHL draft. Nine picks later, his childhood friend Daigneault was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks.

J.J., the youngest of seven children of a Montreal taxi driver, certainly raised a few eyebrows after being drafted. He hobbled to the stage on crutches, as he had to have his knee surgically repaired. It goes down in Canucks history as a rather disheartening moment.

Mario, of course, went on to a career of epic proportions that all players dream of. Daigneault, well he had some more mixed results. Yes, his career spanned 899 career NHL games (plus 99 more in the Stanley Cup playoffs), but he was one of the most travelled players in NHL history.

Let's see if we can keep this all straight. Daigneault played for the Vancouver Canucks (1984–85 – 1985–86), Philadelphia Flyers (1986–87 – 1987–88), Montreal Canadiens (1989–90 – 1995–96), St. Louis Blues (1995–96), Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96 – 1996–97), Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97 – 1997–98), New York Islanders (1997–98), Nashville Predators (1998–99), Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99 – 1999–2000), and Minnesota Wild (2000–01).

The only player to play with more teams is Mike Sillinger. Daigneault joins Michel Petit and Jim Dowd tied for second for most teams played with.

The Canucks probably rushed Daigneault to the NHL too early. He was a good skater with a good shot. But he tended to over-handle the puck rather than make safe and simple plays, often getting him into trouble. And defensively he had a tough time with the NHL's speed when it came to reading plays defensively.As he matured he began eliminating that from his game. He became a stabilizing defender later in his career, but his lack of size and physicality continued to limit his game.

His best years were spent at home in Montreal where sipped championship champagne from the Stanley Cup in 1993.

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Gordie Poirier

This is Gordie Poirier. His NHL career consisted of 10 lone games with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1939-40 season. He picked up a lone assist in what at first glance was a pretty unimpressive career in hockey.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Poirier was from a tiny town of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, the same town more modern NHL players Barry Dean and Zack Smith are from. The town probably would never have existed if the Canadian Pacific Railway did not set up a construction camp in the area a couple of decades earlier. Even to this day the beautiful village is a very rural home to a small number of families.

Yet somehow this rural kid became a very worldly traveller. And it was thanks largely to hockey.

Details are sketchy, but Poirier did not stay in Maple Creek too long. At some point he moved to Montreal where he played junior hockey with several teams from 1931 through 1934 and senior hockey with the Montreal Sr. Canadiens in the 1934-35 season.

That's when things get interesting. Poirier spent the 1935-36 season in Italy, playing with a team called Diavoli Rosso Neri Milano. According to the Society for International Hockey Research his obituary said he coached Italy's national team in preparation for the 1936 Olympics as well!

From there he moved to Britain after being recruited by a fellow named Don Penniston. Poirier became a legendary player in the BNL. He played with the black and yellow Brighton Tigers before and after World War II, also appearing with Harrington Racers late in his career. He was elected to the British Hockey Hall of Fame in 1948, even though he did not hang up his skates until 1951!

Here is how he is remembered in Britain:

With his dark, dashing good looks and amazing hockey skills, Gordie was an immediate success and soon became the star of the Brighton Tigers. The crowds would scream the roof down as he scored one goal after another, leaving the opposing team players in total disarray. This was perhaps something to do with his ability to shoot a puck at a defending goal keeper at over 100mph. I mentioned he played in Britain pre and post World War II. He spent 7 seasons from 1939 through 1946 back in Canada where he was enlisted in the war effort. From 1941 forward he was stationed in Ottawa and played with several senior league teams.

But in the 1939-40 season he was based in Montreal, serving with the Royal Canadian Medical Corps. He starred with the senior team in St. Hyacinthe, playing on a line with brothers Tony and Albert Lemay (both of whom would also serve and play with Poirier in war efforts in Ottawa and star in Britain with the Wembley Lions).

But it was Poirier who caught the eye of the Montreal Canadiens. He signed on with the Habs in February, 1940, playing the 10 games.

His NHL career was not particularly noteworthy but his life was fascinating. After he hung up his skates in Britain he apparently returned to Canada and opened a restaurant and an import business. He passed away from a heart attack on May 25th, 1972. He was living in Montreal at the time.

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Armand Mondou

Armand Mondou will always go down in NHL history as the answer to this popular trivia question: Who was awarded the NHL’s first penalty shot? He was stopped in Toronto on Nov. 10, 1934, by Maple Leafs goaler George Hainsworth.

Mondou played in 386 NHL games, all with Montreal, but he could never seem to settle on a jersey number. He wore 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 44, 64 and 66 in his career!

In addition, he was said to be one of the earliest users of the slap shot, many years before Boom Boom Geoffrion or Bobby Hull really popularized the tactic.

Mondou, a checker primarily but he could make smart plays with the puck, scored only 47 career goals. But the gritty left-winger played a key role in the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup victory in 1930, a huge upset of the defending champion Boston Bruins, and again in 1931. His speed and unselfish team play were two keys of any good player on any championship team in any era of hockey.

Mondou's career took a major blow in the 1937-38 season when he broke he leg in a collision with Boston's freight-train of a defenseman, Eddie Shore. He returned to play the better parts of two more seasons before leaving the NHL.

Armand Mondou passed away in 1976, just before his grandson Pierre Mondou played his first NHL game.

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Clifford "Red" Goupille

This is Clifford "Red Goupille, a defenseman out of Trois Rivieres. He played 222 NHL games over parts of 8 seasons - all with the Montreal Canadiens.

From 1937 through 1942 Goupille matured into "a highly effective" defensive defenseman known to play the game physically. He was a bruiser who kept the opposition honest when it came to abusing his smaller teammates.

He was also known for a rather odd and rather ineffective superstition. He always put a bottle of Coke in his shoe, claiming it was a guarantee he would score that night. Too bad it did not work better. Goupille had 12 career goals in 222 games.

Goupille's NHL career came to an end 6 games into the 1942-43 season. He joined the Army to help Canada's efforts in World War II. He was stationed in Montreal for the rest of that season and played senior hockey. For the next two seasons there is no record of him playing hockey at all, almost certainly due to the military commitments.

Goupille returned to the ice in 1945, playing senior hockey first in Hull then in Sherbrooke. He hung up the blades for good in 1951.

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Rod Lorrain

Rod Lorrain grew up playing hockey in Buckingham, Quebec before joining the Ottawa Lasalle Juniors in 1932-33. Lorrain teamed together with Polly Drouin to lead Ottawa to several strong seasons.

The duo were reunited in Montreal with the Canadiens. Drouin joined Montreal in 1935, but Lorrain did not join the Habs until 1937. Initially playing together on a line with Jack McGill, both players went on to solid careers in Montreal.

Lorrain, described as a "speedy but chunky winger" played regularly for Montreal for four season but in 1940 he left the team and became an amateur player again.

Interestingly, with the Habs desperate for wingers in the 1941-42 season, Lorrain returned to the professional ranks. Montreal signed him despite the fact that he was notably out of shape. As such, the Habs used him for just four more games. He spent the rest of the season playing in the AHL in Washington.

After a second season in Washington Lorrain again returned to amateur status until he hung up the skates for good in 1945.

Lorrain returned to the Buckingham area and became a local hockey coach. He passed away in 1980.

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Bill Summerhill

This is Bill "The Thrill" Summerhill. I am making his nickname up, but it could have applied. He was described as "one of the fastest skaters in all of hockey" and "a fine playmaker who could also find the back of the net with regularity, especially in the minors."

Most of his career was spent in the minor leagues where he was an AHL all star. He also spent a couple of seasons playing senior hockey in Toronto while serving at an army base during World War II.

For all his prolific scoring exploits in the minors, Summerhill never made the same impact in the NHL. He played most regularly on a Montreal line with Polly Drouin and Herb Cain, but his career totals of 14 goals and 31 points are nowhere near as dominant as his minor league numbers.

Summerhill - whose real nickname was "Pee Wee" presumably because he was 5'9" tall - played 59 games (plus 3 playoff games) with the Montreal Canadiens over parts of 3 seasons in the late 1930s. Interestingly he wore 8 different uniform numbers in his time in Montreal.

He later played 13 more NHL games with the Brooklyn Americans in the 1941-42 season.

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Leroy Goldsworthy

Leroy Goldsworthy played with 6 different NHL teams in the 1920s and 1930s. He never stayed in one spot too long, but he totalled 336 games played. He scored 66 goals, 57 assists and 123 points. He added 1 goal in 25 playoff games.

Throughout much of his career Leroy Goldsworthy was utilized as a checking forward, but he could score some goals too. His best stint came in Montreal in the 1934/35 and 1935/36 season. He scored 35 goals in 80 games over the two seasons.

Described as "a tireless worker whose strength was his consistency," Goldy found some magic in Montreal. Perhaps it was the number 9 jersey he wore nearly a decade before Rocket Richard arrived in Montreal. Then again, maybe not. He wore number 75 when he first arrived in Montreal from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Black Hawks.

Goldsworthy was a definite rarity in those early days of NHL history. He was a rare American born player. He was born in Two Harbours, Minnesota, though he was playing senior hockey in Edmonton by the time he turned professional.

Leroy Goldsworthy, a right winger who may have played some defense late in his career, played with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and New York Americans.

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Joffre Desilets

This is Joffre Desilets, one of the long forgotten NHL players. He played 192 games in the 1930s with Montreal Canadiens (3 seasons) and Chicago Blackhawks (2 seasons) before beginning a minor league vagabond life through various American cities and leagues. He also played with army teams during 1942 through 1944, though statistical records are very sketchy during his military service. Apparently he was based out in British Columbia, spreading his time in Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver and Vernon.

With his name you may think he was a true Flying Frenchman, but he was actually from Capreol, Ontario (20 miles northeast of Sudbury) and played his junior hockey in Stratford, Ontario. He came from a large family and was always happy to point out he had one brother named Romeo and one sister named Juliette. Another brother named Rolland was an international hockey vagabond, settling in South Africa where he helped introduced the game on ice.

"Dizzy," as Joffre was affectionately known, was an inseparable friend of Montreal teammate Polly "Daffy" Drouin. The two were known as "fun-makers." Sometimes their tomfoolery would get them in trouble. Like the night in Chicago in 1938 when Montreal's train took off without them and goaltender Wilf Cude. Those three were still in the train station, hamming it up with locals. They had to run down the tracks chasing the train while one of the staff radioed to stop the train!

In 192 NHL games Desilets scored 37 goals, 45 assists, and 82 points. He added 1 goal in 7 playoff games.

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Georges Mantha

Georges Mantha, the brother of Hockey Hall of Famer Sylvio Mantha, played 498 regular season games in the NHL, all with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1930s. The winger had 89 goals and 191 points in that time. He added another 6 goals and 7 points in 33 Stanley Cup playoff games. He would be a part of Montreal's Stanley Cup championship teams in 1930 and 1931.

Blessed with blazing speed, Georges Mantha was described as a "whirlwind" of a player. Though never a big scorer, he was an effective scorer who also took a number of shifts on defense. He was very responsible defensively, and was mostly utilized as a checking forward.

Georges began his NHL career in 1928-29 but did little. In 1929-30 he wasn't Howie Morenz by any means, but he did get to play on his first Stanley Cup champion.

The next year he scored 11 goals as a substitute and added 5 more in the playoffs as the "Little Men of Steel" won their second straight Stanley Cup. That Montreal Canadiens team was a legendary one that had 4 Hall of Famers on it - Morenz, Aurel Joliat, George Hainsworth and brother Sylvio Mantha. Georges would never be a Hall of Famer. After a 1 goal season in 1932-33 he re-emerged as an offensive player through the next few years. In 1936-37 he had 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. In 1937-38 he scored 23 goals and had 19 assists for 42 points, finishing 4th in NHL scoring.

He was injured much of 1938-39 and never was the same again. As one might expect, he was subpar in 1939-40 and in 1940-41 after 6 games he was sent to New Haven of the AHL, then the Habs sold him to Washington of the AHL. He retired in 1942.

Born in 1908, Georges Mantha died as the result of Alzheimer's disease on January 25th, 1990.

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Walter Buswell

If I asked you to name all the captains in the history of the Montreal Canadiens, you would probably be hard pressed to named the captain of the 1938-39 team. Walter Buswell wore the "C" that season, placing him in history along side Rocket Richard, Doug Harvey, Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer and Bob Gainey as such honoured players in history.

Walter Buswell was a defenseman who broke into the NHL in 1932 after a fine career in senior hockey and a good year with the AHA's Chicago Shamrocks. It was when James Norris Sr. purchased a share in the Detroit Falcons in 1932-33 that he also purchased the Detroit franchise in the IAHL and the Chicago Shamrocks, which made Buswell property of the new Detroit NHL franchise.

He was fairly impressive in his first two seasons. Norris became undisputed owner of the newly named Detroit Red Wings in 1933-34, Detroit had a first place team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Chicago Black Hawks.

Buswell was traded to Boston in the summer of 1935, and two days after the trade was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Buswell had his best year in 1937-38 with 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points. He was probably Montreal's steadiest defenseman in the late 1930s. He was steady and reliable in a period of Habs history that was anything but.

After the Canadiens finished last in 1939-40, Buswell was released. He played for the Joliette Cyclones in the Quebec League the next season and then coached junior hockey after that.

One junior team he coached was the Verdun Cyclones, and a goaler he coached for two seasons was a boy who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career and be on four Stanley Cup champions. Lorne "Gump" Worsley was a product of Walter Buswell's astute coaching.

Buswell was born in Montreal in 1907 and died October 16th, 1991.

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Oleg Petrov

Remember this guy? It's Oleg Petrov, the first Russian trained player to play for the Montreal Canadiens.

Not that Petrov was the highest touted Russian player to graduate out of the old Soviet training of hockey. The Canadiens drafted Oleg 127th overall in the 1991 Entry Draft. He was playing with the famous CSKA Moscow team at the time, but he was far from a known player on this side of the Atlantic.

Petrov came over to North American in 1992, but the undersized winger did not stick with the Canadiens in his first four seasons. He was up and down between Montreal and the minor leagues. By 1996 he headed back overseas, to play in Switzerland (winning two scoring titles) and presumably never be heard from again.

But Oleg did come back, and he became a bit of a fan favorite in Montreal. In 2000 he returned and posted a career high 30 assists and 47 points. The following year he scored 24 goals. He developed really good chemistry with team captain and crowd favourite Saku Koivu. The tiny duo excited the Montreal faithful with their play.

Petrov got the fans out of their seats when he found a little bit of room in the neutral zone to start gaining some speed. He was a tricky skater with superb agility and quickness. But what really won him over in Montreal was his gritty and tireless work ethic. Being so small he did not win every battle for the loose pucks, but he gave it everything he had.

Petrov's offense dried up in what proved to be his final NHL season, 2002-03. At the trading deadline he was moved to Nashville for the final 17 games of his NHL career.

Petrov totalled 382 career NHL games, scoring 72 goals and 115 assists for 187 points. His hockey career was far from over though. He returned to Switzerland for several more seasons, and then joined Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL in 2007 for two final seasons.

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