FRANK MAHOVLICH CAPPED OFF HIS STELLAR CAREER IN A CANADIENS SWEATER WITH AT LEAST 80 POINTS IN HIS FINAL THREE SEASONS.

Frank Mahovlich was no stranger to the Montreal Forum the first time he pulled a Canadiens sweater over his head. By the time he arrived midway through the 1970-71 season, he had spent 15 years visiting the building as a member of the Maple Leafs and Red Wings.

“The Big M” broke into the NHL with a bang in 1957-58, beating out Chicago star rookie Bobby Hull for the Calder Trophy. He had picked up over 400 goals, been a member of four Stanley Cup winning teams in the years since, and was well on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Mahovlich thrived as a member of the Habs, enjoying some of his most productive seasons with the Canadiens.

On the road when they acquired him from Detroit in 1970-1971, the Habs were unable to provide the Big M with the number he had worn for most of his career. He played his first game wearing the number 10, filling the jersey vacated when Bill Collins was sent to the Motor City in the swap.

Mahovlich had his familiar number 27 back in pretty short order and picked up 41 points in the 38 regular season games that remained on the schedule.

At playoff time, a re-energized Mahovlich came out to play. His 27 points led all playoff performers that year, setting a team record that still stands. The season ended with Mahovlich having his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for a fifth time.

In the fall of 1972, Mahovlich suited up for Team Canada against the Soviet Union in the famous eight-game Summit Series that pitted the world’s best against each other. Patrolling the left wing in six of the contests, he scored two goals and added an assist, returning home a winner.

The 1972-73 season was a successful campaign for Mahovlich. He led the team with a career high 96 points, scoring 43 goals and an unprecedented 53 assists. The following season, he repeated his personal success with 93 points and added another 23 during the Habs’ 17-game Stanley Cup playoff run, the sixth and final time the Big M’s name was engraved on the trophy.

In his last NHL season in 1973-74, Mahovlich also led the Canadiens with 80 points.

Appearing in 253 regular season games with Montreal, Frank Mahovlich scored 129 goals and assisted on 181 others, averaging more points per season in his last three and a half years than he did in the first 15.

Though Mahovlich played less than 50 playoff games with the Canadiens, his 27 playoff goals rank him 15th on the team’s all-time list. He also sits 25th for total playoff points.

Enshrined among the game’s immortals in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, Frank Mahovlich was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1998.