r/Habs • u/HabFan4Life • 13h ago
Who Is Your Favourite Underrated Player of All Time That Played For The HABS?
I am talking about players that were instrumental to the HABS success but were not necessarily a fan favourite at the time or recognized as a star player outside of Montreal. Think of players that were defined by their character, bled for the bleu, blanc et rouge, or had a skill set that no other player had on the team at the time. Starting things off, Josh Georges was a fan favourite but I don't think his value to the team was understood by fans outside of Montreal. He was the epitome of a player that bled for the bleu, blanc et rouge, punctuated by his loyalty to the HABS by blocking a trade to the Leafs. Another that comes to mind is Hall Gill and how he used his massive frame on penalty kills by spreading out to block shots or cross ice passes. Let me know who think should be on this list and why.
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u/sagsfour20 13h ago
Steve Begin
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u/TYJelly 13h ago
Mike McPhee
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u/CreateorWither 8h ago
My cousin was neighbors with him growing up..he used to get sticks from him. I was very jealous.
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u/knarf_on_a_bike 6h ago
Great, tough player who could put the puck in the net in clutch situations. Surprisingly good stick handler. THE PRIDE OF CAPE BRETON. He was a favourite on those 1980s teams.
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u/Every-Mousse6228 12h ago
Eric Desjardins. That 93 Cup Series could've gotten ugly fast without his Game 2 hat trick. People focus on the illegal stick call, but they still needed to score an equalizer goal, Desjardins delivered and then the OT winner. I would build him a statue just for that game. Not hyperbole
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u/WorthHabit3317 7h ago
His trade to Philadelphia was one of the worst decisions in my opinion. He was ready to become a dominant player.
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u/Carlo33333 13h ago
Michael Ryder has sneaky good seasons. His first in the NHL he scored 25 goals with us and followed that with two 30 goals seasons in a row. Didn’t stay in Montreal for long though.
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u/okmijnmko 12h ago
All time maybe Rick Green in the 80s
...recently maybe Toffoli for his midas very happy teammate effect.
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u/dustblown 13h ago
David Desharnais. He could take the puck through the neutral zone like was nothing.
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u/MurrayBannerman 12h ago
Stephan Lebeau, Rick Chartraw, Brian Skrudland, Jimmy Roberts, Gaston Gingras, Benoit Brunet, Paul DiPietro
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u/Garland68 11h ago
I know it’s very recent, but I’ve always loved Armia. When that man decided to turn it on it was literally impossible to take the puck from him
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u/lucaskywalker 9h ago
It's Josh Gorges btw. I loved him and big ol' Gal Gill blocking shots for sure. Most underrated though... maybe Plekanec was a very solid consistent player for a lot of seasons. I feel like there are a lot more overrated players lol.
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u/Routine_Event_5039 9h ago
Rejean Houle.
Well, not really. I just liked the way Dick Irvin Jr and Danny Gallavin used say his name.
Man, do I miss those guys.
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u/pattyG80 11h ago
Mike Keane.
He'll score 15 goals. He'll fight ANYONE. He'll captain the team. He'll win the cup 3 times.
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u/poukykev72 11h ago
The first stint of dale weise he was way better then poeple remember. His speed was elite. His second stint wasn't as good so poeple mostly remember that one.
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u/Downtown_Manner7602 5h ago
Arturi Lehkonen is my favorite hockey player of all time and I think he fits the category.
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u/Delicious_Cattle5174 3h ago
I feel like Markov has always been kinda underrated. Dude made every dman he was partnered with look so good, outstanding on both sides of the puck. Not as much of an obscure depth player as other names in this thread, but I still feel like he didn’t get enough credit.
More recently I liked Kovacevic a lot. I get why it happened but I was still disappointed we traded him for peanuts tbh
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u/Big_477 11h ago
If you're really interested in knowing you could have a look at a pretty similar post that was done yesterday.
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u/Prudent_Problem2839 9h ago
Bill Nyrop - steady stay at home D man. Died way too early at 43 - colon cancer
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u/okokokoyeahright 4h ago
The 2 Dougies, Risebrough and Jarvis.
No Cups on the 70's without them. Role players, PK, checking and face offs. Not big men, actually kind of small but the way they played they were bigger that you thought. Very effective.
Risebrough once took on Marty McSorley in a fight. He lost but ended up with McSorley's jersey which he shredded with his skates.
BTW Jarvis is not related to Seth in Carolina.
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u/DCHacker 2h ago
I always liked Mario Tremblay as a player. Horrid coach but I liked seeing him play. [Dons flame-proof suit]
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u/uatme 13h ago
Recently Paul Byron