Canadiens All-Era Team: Postwar Era

The Rocket's younger brother Henri, another Canadiens hero, twice led the league in assists. AP The Canadiens Century   Features Michael Farber: Keepers of the Flame Michael Farber: This City Is Hockey All-Era Teams The Prewar Years The Postwar Years The 1960s The 1970s The 1980s and 90s The 2000s and beyond

Maurice Richard
Right wing, 1942-60
Famed for his skill and feistiness, the marquee player of his era became the first to score 50 goals in 50 games in 1944-45, one of five times he'd top the NHL in goals. The Rocket was the first player to reach 500 goals in a career and held the career goals record from 1952 until Gordie Howe broke it in 1963.

Jean Béliveau
Center, 1950-51, '52-71
Nobody's name is engraved more times on the Stanley Cup than Béliveau's, who was part of 10 championship teams as a player and seven more as an executive with the Canadiens. A two-time Hart Trophy winner and the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy winner, in '71, Béliveau retired as the NHL's alltime postseason scoring leader.

Dickie Moore
Left wing, 1951-63
Digging Dickie was always working on the ice, and it showed in the results. Moore led the league in goals and points in 1957-58 despite playing with a broken wrist for three months. A year later he set a league record with 96 points. The Hall of Famer was part of six Cup title teams and played in the All-Star Game three times.

Doug Harvey
Defenseman, 1947-61
A dominant defenseman both with and without the puck, Harvey's skating and stickhandling made him an integral part of the Canadiens' dynasty of the 1950s. He won the Norris Trophy in six of his final seven seasons with Montreal, a streak interrupted only by teammate Tom Johnson in 1958-59.

Tom Johnson
Defenseman, 1947-48, '49-63
Only three defensemen played in more games for Montreal than the 1970 Hall of Fame inductee. Overshadowed for most of his career by Harvey, the spectacular two-way defenseman and two-time All-Star remains 11th in points and 12th in assists alltime among Canadiens defenders.

Jacques Plante
Goaltender, 1952-63
During his Canadiens tenure Jake the Snake developed and introduced the goaltending mask and was the first to regularly skate behind the net to play the puck. He holds the Montreal records for games (556) and wins (312) and ranks second in shutouts (58) and goals-against average (2.23).