Underrated Habs Players: Cristobal Huet

To start the 2005-06 season, Huet lost the backup job at training camp to Yann Danis and was sent to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL to begin his time with the Habs organization. Unfortunately, he struggled in his four starts, going 0-4 with a 3.79 GAA and  .862 save percentage. Despite his bad first impressions with the team, he was brought back up to earn his expected backup role, and he ran with it. 

It wasn’t long before he started outplaying starter Jose Theodore and earning the starting job with the Canadiens by the beginning of February. The most remarkable part of Huet’s first season with the Habs was when he posted back-to-back shutouts on Super Bowl weekend in a 2-0 victory against the Boston Bruins and then a 5-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s already rare that goaltenders play back-to-back days, much less get two shutouts, but Huet did it. 

Eventually, at the 2006 NHL Trade Deadline, the Habs traded Theodore to the Colorado Avalanche for goaltender David Aebischer to split duties with Huet, but the French netminder ended up playing more than half the games from that point. 

Huet finished the season with an 18-11-4 record, which included 7 shutouts, a .929 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA in 36 games with the Canadiens. His seven shutouts were tied for 2nd-most in the NHL, and his .929 save percentage was the best in the league among goaltenders who played 25+ games, earning him the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, which was given to the goaltender with the best save percentage at the time. His performance also helped the Habs clinch a playoff berth, where they lost in Round 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite his great season, Huet didn’t earn a single vote for the Vezina Trophy that season. 

The next season, Huet was very solid yet again, as he posted a 19-16-3 record with a. 916 and 2.81 GAA in 42 games, which earned him a spot at the 2007 NHL All-Star game. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury in February that caused him to miss the majority of the rest of the season. As a result, the Habs just missed out on the 2007 NHL Playoffs by two points. 

The 2007-08 season was Huet’s last in a Habs uniform. He played 39 games for the Canadiens, going 21-12-6 with a .916 save percentage once again and a 2.56 GAA. However, the Canadiens decided to trade the netminder to the Washington Capitals for a 2009 2nd Round pick, as the team decided to hand over the reins of starting goaltender to the young Carey Price. At the time, it was a lot of pressure for Price to be given that responsibility, and many fans were upset with this trade, but it eventually worked out. 

Huet’s time with the Habs was short but excellent nonetheless. In 2.5 years with the Canadiens, Huet played 117 games, posting a 58-39-13 record with a .920 save percentage, 2.53 GAA and 11 shutouts. He still has the 2nd-best save percentage in team history, behind the legendary Ken Dryden. Huet’s time may be long gone, but he should not be forgotten. 

How did you feel about Huet’s play when he was with the Habs?