| 1994–95Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
| Division | 6thNortheast |
| Conference | 11thEastern |
| 1994–95 record | 18–23–7 |
| Home record | 15–5–4 |
| Road record | 3–18–3 |
| Goals for | 125 |
| Goals against | 148 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Serge Savard |
| Coach | Jacques Demers |
| Captain | Kirk Muller(Oct.–Apr.) Mike Keane(Apr.–May) |
| Alternate captains | J. J. Daigneault Vincent Damphousse Mike Keane(Oct.–Apr.) |
| Arena | Montreal Forum |
| Average attendance | 16,964 |
| Minor league affiliates | Fredericton Canadiens Wheeling Thunderbirds |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Mark Recchi (14) |
| Assists | Vincent Damphousse (30) |
| Points | Mark Recchi (43) |
| Penalty minutes | Lyle Odelein (152) |
| Plus/minus | Vincent Damphousse (+15) |
| Wins | Patrick Roy (17) |
| Goals against average | Patrick Roy (2.97) |
The1994–95Montreal Canadiens season was the team's86thseason of play and the last full season in theMontreal Forum before moving to the newMolson Centre. For the first time since the1969–70 season (and only the second time since1947–48), the Canadiens failed to qualify for theStanley Cup playoffs.
In the1994 NHL entry draft, the Canadiens selected defencemanBrad Brown with their first-round pick, 18th overall. The Canadiens were more fortunate with their second-round pick, selectingJose Theodore 44th overall.
In August 1994, captainGuy Carbonneau was traded to theSt. Louis Blues.Kirk Muller was named his replacement as captain.
The season started later and was abbreviated by a lockout of the players by the NHL owners; the regular season was only 48 games. It was a forgettable season for the Canadiens and their fans, as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. The Canadiens only won 3 of 24 games on the road.[1] Already gone at the season's debut were several important members of the 1992–93 Stanley Cup champion team, includingGuy Carbonneau,Kevin Haller,Stephan Lebeau, andDenis Savard. On February 9, more players from the 1992–93 team departed, asEric Desjardins,Gilbert Dionne, andJohn LeClair were traded to thePhiladelphia Flyers in exchange forMark Recchi. Another major trade nearly two months later on April 5 would sendCraig Darby,Mathieu Schneider and fan favouriteKirk Muller to theNew York Islanders in exchange forVladimir Malakhov andPierre Turgeon. The team subsequently named forwardMike Keane as its new captain. After a 7–5–4 start, Montreal won only 11 of its final 32 games, going 11–18–3. It was the first and only season of goaltenderPatrick Roy's NHL playing career in which he lost more games than he won, and the only season of his NHL playing career that his team did not make the playoffs.
The Canadiens tied the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators for the fewest shorthanded goals scored during the regular season with one.[2]
| No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Quebec Nordiques | 48 | 30 | 13 | 5 | 185 | 134 | 65 |
| 2 | 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 48 | 29 | 16 | 3 | 181 | 158 | 61 |
| 3 | 4 | Boston Bruins | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | 150 | 127 | 57 |
| 4 | 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 48 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 130 | 119 | 51 |
| 5 | 10 | Hartford Whalers | 48 | 19 | 24 | 5 | 127 | 141 | 43 |
| 6 | 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 18 | 23 | 7 | 125 | 148 | 43 |
| 7 | 14 | Ottawa Senators | 48 | 9 | 34 | 5 | 117 | 174 | 23 |
| R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quebec Nordiques | NE | 48 | 30 | 13 | 5 | 185 | 134 | 65 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 48 | 28 | 16 | 4 | 150 | 132 | 60 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 48 | 29 | 16 | 3 | 181 | 158 | 61 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | NE | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | 150 | 127 | 57 |
| 5 | New Jersey Devils | AT | 48 | 22 | 18 | 8 | 136 | 121 | 52 |
| 6 | Washington Capitals | AT | 48 | 22 | 18 | 8 | 136 | 120 | 52 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 48 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 130 | 119 | 51 |
| 8 | New York Rangers | AT | 48 | 22 | 23 | 3 | 139 | 134 | 47 |
| 9 | Florida Panthers | AT | 48 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 115 | 127 | 46 |
| 10 | Hartford Whalers | NE | 48 | 19 | 24 | 5 | 127 | 141 | 43 |
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 48 | 18 | 23 | 7 | 125 | 148 | 43 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Lightning | AT | 48 | 17 | 28 | 3 | 120 | 144 | 37 |
| 13 | New York Islanders | AT | 48 | 15 | 28 | 5 | 126 | 158 | 35 |
| 14 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 48 | 9 | 34 | 5 | 117 | 174 | 23 |
Divisions:AT – Atlantic,NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs
| 1994–95 regular season[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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January: 2–2–1 (home: 2–0–1; road: 0–2–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 5–6–3 (home: 3–1–1; road: 2–5–2)
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March: 4–7–1 (home: 4–1–1; road: 0–6–0)
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April: 7–6–2 (home: 6–2–1; road: 1–4–1)
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Legend:W Win (2 points)L Loss (0 points)T Tie (1 point) |
| No. | Player | Regular season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | ||
| 33 | Patrick Roy | 43 | 17 | 20 | 6 | 1357 | 127 | 2.97 | .906 | 1 | 2566 |
| 1 | Ron Tugnutt | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 172 | 18 | 3.12 | .895 | 0 | 346 |
| Type | Award/honour | Recipient | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy | Benoit Brunet | [6] |
| Molson Cup | Patrick Roy | [7] |
| Milestone | Player | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| First game | Craig Darby | February 8, 1995 | [8] |
| Craig Conroy | February 15, 1995 | ||
| Valeri Bure | February 28, 1995 | ||
| Yves Sarault | March 25, 1995 | ||
| Chris Murray | April 12, 1995 | ||
| David Wilkie | April 14, 1995 | ||
| Craig Rivet | April 15, 1995 | ||
| 500th game played | Patrick Roy | February 20, 1995 | [9] |
Montreal's draft picks at the1994 NHL entry draft inHartford,Connecticut.[11]
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Brad Brown | Defence | North Bay Centennials (OHL) | |
| 2 | 44 | Jose Theodore | Goaltender | Saint-Jean Lynx (QMJHL) | |
| 3 | 54 | Chris Murray | Right wing | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) | |
| 3 | 70 | Marko Kiprusoff | Defence | TPS (Finland) | |
| 3 | 74 | Martin Belanger | Defence | Granby Bisons (QMJHL) | |
| 4 | 96 | Arto Kuki | Centre | Espoo Blues (Finland) | |
| 5 | 122 | Jimmy Drolet | Defence | Saint-Hyacinthe Laser (QMJHL) | |
| 6 | 148 | Joel Irving | Centre | Regina Pat Canadiens (Midget AAA) | |
| 7 | 174 | Jessie Rezansoff | Right wing | Regina Pats (WHL) | |
| 8 | 200 | Peter Strom | Left wing | Frölunda HC (Sweden) | |
| 9 | 226 | Tomas Vokoun | Goaltender | HC Kladno (Czech Republic) | |
| 10 | 252 | Chris Aldous | Defence | Northwood School (USHS-NY) | |
| 11 | 278 | Ross Parsons | Defence | Regina Pats (WHL) |
Played in 500th National Hockey League game (vs. NY Islanders), February 20, 1995.