The 1994–95

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

season was the team's 86th

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

of play and the last full season in the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...

before moving to the new

Molson Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

. For the first time since the 1969–70 season (and only the second time since 1947–48), the Canadiens failed to qualify for the

Stanley Cup playoffs The Stanley Cup playoffs () is the annual elimination tournament to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, and the league champion of the National Hockey League (NHL). The four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the NHL's regular s ...

Off-season

In the 1994 NHL entry draft, the Canadiens selected defenceman

Brad Brown Bradley Lorne Brown (born December 27, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Playing career As a youth, Brown played in the 1989 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga ...

with their first-round pick, 18th overall. The Canadiens were more fortunate with their second-round pick, selecting Jose Theodore 44th overall. In August 1994, captain

Guy Carbonneau Joseph Harry Guy Carbonneau (born March 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive in the National Hockey League. He was also the president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Chicoutimi Saguenéen ...

was traded to the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Kirk Muller Kirk Christopher Muller (born February 8, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current assistant coach with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in the NHL for 19 seasons from ...

was named his replacement as captain.

Regular season

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. Already gone at the season's debut were several important members of the 1992–93 Stanley Cup champion team, including

, Kevin Haller, Stephan Lebeau, and

Denis Savard Denis Joseph Savard (born February 4, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980 to 1997, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2017 Savard was named one of ...

. On February 9, more players from the 1992–93 team departed, as Eric Desjardins, Gilbert Dionne, and

John LeClair John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1991 to 2006. W ...

were traded to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

in exchange for

Mark Recchi Mark Louis Recchi (; born February 1, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, and he played f ...

. Another major trade nearly two months later on April 5 would send Craig Darby, Mathieu Schneider and fan favourite

to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

in exchange for Vladimir Malakhov and

Pierre Turgeon Pierre Julien Turgeon (''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, TUHR-zhawn'', ; born August 28, 1969) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected List of first overall NHL draft picks, first overall by the Buffa ...

. The team subsequently named forward

Mike Keane Michael John Keane (born May 29, 1967) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger. Undrafted, Keane played over 1,100 games in the National Hockey League from 1988 until 2004. He then played five seasons ...

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 goaltender

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...

'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.

Final standings

Schedule and results

, - , 1, , January 21, 1995, , 2–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Rangers, , 0–1–0 , , , - , 2, , January 25, 1995, , 2–0 , , style="text-align:left;", Washington Capitals, , 1–1–0 , , , - , 3, , January 28, 1995, , 5–1 , , style="text-align:left;", New Jersey Devils, , 2–1–0 , , , - , 4, , January 29, 1995, , 2–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", Philadelphia Flyers, , 2–1–1 , , , - , 5, , January 31, 1995, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Tampa Bay Lightning, , 2–2–1 , , , - , - , 6, , February 2, 1995, , 1–1 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ Florida Panthers, , 2–2–2 , , , - , 7, , February 4, 1995, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", New York Islanders, , 3–2–2 , , , - , 8, , February 7, 1995, , 4–7 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Boston Bruins, , 3–3–2 , , , - , 9, , February 8, 1995, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Ottawa Senators, , 4–3–2 , , , - , 10, , February 11, 1995, , 1–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Pittsburgh Penguins, , 4–4–2 , , , - , 11, , February 13, 1995, , 2–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", Hartford Whalers, , 4–4–3 , , , - , 12, , February 15, 1995, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Hartford Whalers, , 4–5–3 , , , - , 13, , February 16, 1995, , 2–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Rangers, , 4–5–4 , , , - , 14, , February 18, 1995, , 5–2 , , style="text-align:left;", New York Rangers, , 5–5–4 , , , - , 15, , February 20, 1995, , 3–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", New York Islanders, , 6–5–4 , , , - , 16, , February 23, 1995, , 5–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Florida Panthers, , 7–5–4 , , , - , 17, , February 25, 1995, , 0–7 , , style="text-align:left;", Philadelphia Flyers, , 7–6–4 , , , - , 18, , February 27, 1995, , 1–6 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New Jersey Devils, , 7–7–4 , , , - , 19, , February 28, 1995, , 1–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Islanders, , 7–8–4 , , , - , - , 20, , March 4, 1995, , 1–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Washington Capitals, , 7–9–4 , , , - , 21, , March 5, 1995, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Buffalo Sabres, , 7–10–4 , , , - , 22, , March 8, 1995, , 2–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo Sabres, , 7–10–5 , , , - , 23, , March 11, 1995, , 3–1 , , style="text-align:left;", New York Rangers, , 8–10–5 , , , - , 24, , March 13, 1995, , 2–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Pittsburgh Penguins, , 8–11–5 , , , - , 25, , March 15, 1995, , 8–5 , , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh Penguins, , 9–11–5 , , , - , 26, , March 16, 1995, , 0–6 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Boston Bruins, , 9–12–5 , , , - , 27, , March 18, 1995, , 5–4 , , style="text-align:left;", Quebec Nordiques, , 10–12–5 , , , - , 28, , March 20, 1995, , 4–8 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Philadelphia Flyers, , 10–13–5 , , , - , 29, , March 22, 1995, , 2–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Florida Panthers, , 10–14–5 , , , - , 30, , March 25, 1995, , 3–1 , , style="text-align:left;", Ottawa Senators, , 11–14–5 , , , - , 31, , March 27, 1995, , 2–3 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ Tampa Bay Lightning, , 11–15–5 , , , - , - , 32, , April 1, 1995, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New Jersey Devils, , 11–16–5 , , , - , 33, , April 3, 1995, , 5–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Ottawa Senators, , 12–16–5 , , , - , 34, , April 5, 1995, , 6–5 , , style="text-align:left;", Quebec Nordiques, , 13–16–5 , , , - , 35, , April 6, 1995, , 2–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Quebec Nordiques, , 13–17–5 , , , - , 36, , April 8, 1995, , 2–1 , , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh Penguins, , 14–17–5 , , , - , 37, , April 10, 1995, , 2–1 , , style="text-align:left;", New Jersey Devils, , 15–17–5 , , , - , 38, , April 12, 1995, , 2–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Philadelphia Flyers, , 15–18–5 , , , - , 39, , April 14, 1995, , 3–4 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ Hartford Whalers, , 15–19–5 , , , - , 40, , April 15, 1995, , 2–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Boston Bruins, , 15–20–5 , , , - , 41, , April 17, 1995, , 5–2 , , style="text-align:left;", Washington Capitals, , 16–20–5 , , , - , 42, , April 19, 1995, , 4–1 , , style="text-align:left;", Ottawa Senators, , 17–20–5 , , , - , 43, , April 22, 1995, , 3–1 , , style="text-align:left;", Tampa Bay Lightning, , 18–20–5 , , , - , 44, , April 24, 1995, , 3–4 , , style="text-align:left;", Hartford Whalers, , 18–21–5 , , , - , 45, , April 26, 1995, , 1–1 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ Quebec Nordiques, , 18–21–6 , , , - , 46, , April 29, 1995, , 3–3 OT, , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo Sabres, , 18–21–7 , , , - , - , 47, , May 1, 1995, , 0–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Buffalo Sabres, , 18–22–7 , , , - , 48, , May 3, 1995, , 2–4 , , style="text-align:left;", Boston Bruins, , 18–23–7 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Player statistics

Scoring

* ''Position abbreviations: C =

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

; D =

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

; G =

Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

; LW =

Left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

; RW =

Right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

'' * '' = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.'' * '' = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.''

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

* February 9, 1995: Montreal traded

, Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the

in exchange for

and Philadelphia's third-round pick in the 1995 NHL entry draft (used to select (

Martin Hohenberger Martin Hohenberger (born 29 January 1977) is an Austrian former ice hockey player. He played the majority of his career in Austria, and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, though he never played in the NHL. Inter ...

). LeClair gelled immediately with new Flyers line-mate

Eric Lindros Eric Bryan Lindros (; born February 28, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Oshawa Generals prior to being chosen first overall in the 1991 NHL entry d ...

and quickly became one of the NHL's most feared goal-scorers. * April 5, 1995: Montreal acquired

and Vladimir Malakhov from the

in exchange for

, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby.

Draft picks

Montreal's draft picks at the 1994 NHL entry draft in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:1994-95 Montreal Canadiens Season Montreal Canadiens seasons Montreal Canadiens season, 1994-95

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

1994 in Montreal 1995 in Montreal 1994 in sports in Quebec 1995 in sports in Quebec

Off-season

Regular season

Final standings

Schedule and results

Player statistics

Scoring

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

Draft picks

See also

References