Max Pacioretty Joins Toronto Maple Leafs list of Ex-Habs
Max Pacioretty is not the first Montreal Canadiens star to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, here is a list of other notable names
This past training camp the Toronto Maple Leafs signed former Montreal Canadiens star forward Max Pacioretty to a professional tryout which led to a one-year contract with the team.
Pacioretty was not just a five-time 30-goal scorer for the bleu, blanc et rouge, but he served as the franchise captain for three seasons. But now he's playing for the enemy - the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pacioretty played ten seasons and over 600 games in Montreal collecting 226 goals, however, with a retool in the process he was traded to Vegas and after a couple of stops found himself in Toronto. It had to be painful for some Canadiens fans to watch one of their beloved players wear the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, which led to him receiving some unpleasant "boos" from the crowd during their season open.
He was not the first former Canadiens star to play in Toronto and he won't be the last, so to dig the knife a little deeper here is a list of other turncoats to come wear the blue and white.
Max Pacioretty Joins Toronto Maple Leafs list of Ex-Habs
Kirk Muller
While he did not start his career in Montreal, Kirk Muller had his most notable seasons playing in Quebec including his 1992-93 season where he tied his career high with 94-points and helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. He earned the name of "Captain Kirk" because of his leadership skills that earned being named the captain of the team at the start of the 1994-95 season. He would be part of a blockbuster deal later that year with the New York Islanders finishing with 267 games in a Canadiens uniform, including 33 wearing the "C" on his jersey.
Less than a year later, Muller would be traded to Toronto along with Don Beaupre for Damien Rhodes and Ken Belanger part way through the 1995-96 season. The Kingston, Ontario native would be a fan favorite in his short time in Toronto thanks to his work ethic and collecting 20-goals to start his 1996-97 season in 66 games, however with the Maple Leafs struggling, he was traded to the Florida Panthers. Canadiens fans got to see their former captain wearing the Maple Leafs jersey for over 100-games.
Shayne Corson
The Montreal Canadiens drafted Shayne Corson with the eight overall selection in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and within two seasons he was already playing games for them. The Barrie, Ontario native would spend his first six full seasons with the Canadiens even being named to the 1990 All-Star Game. A fan favourite due to his ability to get the crowd going with a bit hit, a timely goal or a fight he was traded in the summer of 1992 that landed them Vincent Damphousse.
Management must have listened to fans when they said they wanted him back as he was re-acquired at the start of the 1996-97 season. Unfortunately for their fans, Corson decided to come home to Toronto at his first opportunity when he became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2000. Although his star days were behind him, Corson, played an effective agitator depth role on the Maple Leafs even collecting seven points in 19 games during the team's run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001.
Mathieu Schneider
If you want to know who the most underrated defenseman in the 1990s, it has to go to Mathieu Schneider who lacked appreciation even during his draft. The New York native was left unselected until the third round in 1987, but despite being the 44th overall pick he would get into four games with the Canadiens that season.
Schneider would remain with the Canadiens until 1995, collecting a 1993 Stanley Cup and 199-points in 360 games. He joined captain Muller in being shipped to Long Island as part of the blockbuster trade that landed Montreal Pierre Turgeon. Just over a year after joining the Islanders, Schneider would be part of another massive deal when he joined Wendel Clark on a flight to Toronto.
The offensive defenseman who once quarterbacked the Montreal Canadiens powerplay was now doing it in Toronto over parts of three seasons where he would collect 56-points in 115 games. He would eventually be too good for a rebuilding Maple Leafs team and was traded to the New York Rangers in 1998 for Alexander Karpovtsev.
Tomáš Plekanec
This one still seems odd, a career Montreal Canadiens forward, Tomáš Plekanec was a third round selection by the team in 2001. He would play 14 years, 981 games and have a trio of 60-point seasons wearing the Canadiens jersey, however, with his team well out of the playoffs and the Maple Leafs continuing to make strides in year two of the Auston Matthews era he was traded to Ontario.
Montreal landed a couple of prospects that never amounted to anything, as well as a second round pick that is still playing in Europe. Plekanec would be underwhelming on the Maple Leafs roster collecting just two assists in 17 games during the regular season, but lifted his play during the playoffs. Plekanec collected a pair of goals and four points in a seven game series loss to the Boston Bruins before he would return to Montreal in free agency.
His time in Toronto was very short, but the memories of Canadiens fans seeing the turtle neck under the Maple Leafs jersey can't sit well with them.
Jacques Plante
With no disrespect to the Carey Price, the three most famous Montreal Canadiens goalies has to be Jacques Plante, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden. Plante is most famous for being the best goalie of his generation, introducing the goalie mask and being a legendary Canadiens goalie.
During Plante's years in the NHL the Toronto and Montreal rivalry was at it's peak. The Shawinigan Falls native would play 11 seasons in the blue, white and red where he would win six Vezina trophies and as many Stanley Cups. However, as he aged, the franchise management decided to trade him to the New York Rangers where he would play a couple of seasons before retiring.
After a couple seasons away from the NHL, Plante came back and joined the St. Louis Blues between the pipes; and at the age of 42 he did what everyone Canadiens fan hated and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some may think, he could not have been that good anymore being in his early 40s, however, he was just as dominant and even finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting in 1971 when he posted a 1.89 GAA and .944 save percentage.
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Plante would finish his 106 game Maple Leafs career with a 48-38-15 record recording a 2.46 GAA and .925 save percentage, which puts him 21st all-time wins and tied for the franchise lead in save percentage.