Today In Habs History: February 18th

Starting things off is not just a moment in Canadiens history but also a very first in NHL history. On February 18th, 1918, Habs netminder George Vezina became the first NHL goaltender in league history to record a shutout in a 9-0 victory against the Toronto Arenas. Unfortunately, during the NHL’s inaugural season, they didn’t calculate the amount of shots both teams took in the game, and therefore we don’t know the amount of saves Vezina made. Shots on goal weren’t actually tracked until the start of the 1955-56 season, so it would be a long time until we would be able to confidently know the amount of saves a goaltender made in a shutout. Nonetheless, it was clearly a great moment for Vezina, as he lives on posthumously as the very first goaltender to record a shutout.

Vezina would go on to have 13 shutouts in the NHL, including a career-high 5 in his final season, before he would be forced to retire due to tuberculosis that would go on to take his life on March 27th, 1926. He would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after spending 16 years as the Habs’ first-ever goalie, where he won 2 Stanley Cups in 1916 and 1924.

Another notable event in Habs history on February 18th came in 1970. Hall of Fame forward Henri Richard became the 4th Canadiens player to score his 300th NHL goal in a 5-3 loss on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unlike his older brother Maurice, Henri Richard, who was more known for his playmaking abilities as a centre, would end up scoring a total of 358 goals over 20 seasons with the Canadiens, which ranks him 8th all-time in team history in goals today.

The Habs legend does own 3 records in Canadiens history that still stand today. He has the most Stanley Cups as a player with 11, games played with 1256, and his 20 seasons are also the most ever by a Montreal Canadien.

There are no other big individual events that occurred in Canadiens history; however, two Hall of Famers that played with the Habs were born on this day.

Firstly, defenseman Tom Johnson was born on February 18th, 1928. He was best known as the partner of star defenseman Doug Harvey, but he was nothing to scoff at either, as he was a solid defensive defender who allowed Harvey to bring the puck up on the regular. Johnson even won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in the 1958-59 season. He would go on to win 6 Stanley Cups in 14 seasons with the Canadiens from 1947 to 1963. He played 857 games with the Habs, where he scored 47 goals and 230 points in the regular season. He also played in 111 playoff games, where he scored 8 goals and 23 points. The defenseman had himself a very successful career before getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970. Johnson would pass away at the age of 79 on November 21st, 2007.

The 2nd Habs legend’s birthday is Dick Duff, who was born on February 18th, 1936, and turns 90 years old today. Duff played primarily a two-way game alongside Claude Provost, where he was never much of a point getter, but he still helped the Canadiens win 4 Stanley Cups during the 6 seasons that he spent with the team. He was traded to the Canadiens in 1964 by the New York Rangers mid-season and would play with the Habs until 1970, when he was shipped out to the L.A. Kings. The defensive forward played 305 games with the Canadiens, where he scored 87 goals and 172 points in the regular season. During the playoffs he scored 16 goals and 42 points in 60 games with the Habs. Duff would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, well past his career, in 2006.