| TEAM |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
T
Ties - Games that have ended in a tie
|
PTS
Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings
|
GF
Goals for - Number of goals the team has scored
|
GA
Goals against - Number of goals scored against the team
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 100 | 299 | 264 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 89 | 273 | 249 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 81 | 292 | 278 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 73 | 238 | 276 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 46 | 236 | 354 |
| # | SKATERS |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Russ Courtnall | 79 | 26 | 50 | 76 |
| 44 | Stéphane Richer | 75 | 31 | 30 | 61 |
| 18 | Denis Savard | 70 | 28 | 31 | 59 |
| 47 | Stéphan Lebeau | 73 | 22 | 31 | 53 |
| 27 | Shayne Corson | 71 | 23 | 24 | 47 |
| # | #1 GOALIE |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
RECORD
Record - Goalie record (W-L-T)
|
SO
Shutouts - Number of games where the goaltender has not allowed a goal
|
GAA
Goals against average - Mean goals-per-game scored on the goaltender
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Patrick Roy | 48 | 25-15-6 | 1 | 2.71 |
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
The Canadiens’ front office has a very busy offseason. For starters, general manager Serge Savard trades Chris Chelios, the team’s co-captain and top defenseman, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Denis Savard, who has recorded more than 1,000 points in 10 seasons in the Windy City.
GM Savard immediately signs his newly acquired star to a three-year contract that makes Denis Savard the first millionaire in team history. In shorter order, Patrick Roy will become the second.
In September, the team flies to Europe to finish its training camp and play a series of exhibition games against club teams in Sweden and the U.S.S.R. Before the Canadiens head overseas, they make two more significant trades. First, Claude Lemieux is dealt to the New Jersey Devils in return for forward Sylvain Turgeon. Craig Ludwig is then sent to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Gerald Diduck.
The team also has to do without the services of Mats Naslund, who has decided to pursue his playing career in Switzerland to be closer to his family.
Finally, Bobby Smith returns to Minnesota seven years after leaving the North Stars.
Despite all of the departures, the team has a strong crop of rookies ready to step in, particularly Benoit Brunet, Stephan Lebeau, John LeClair and Sylvain Lefebvre.
The Canadiens get off to a good start and establish themselves as one of the best teams in the Wales Conference. The Habs hold on tightly behind the Boston Bruins, the Adams Division leaders.
Things go even better in January as the Habs win 10 of 13 games to draw closer to the Bruins.
Russ Courtnall leads the way on offense and notches the only hat trick of his career in Montreal in February. Courtnall finishes the season at the team’s leading scorer.
The team’s pace slackens in February and March, and the Adams Division title slips away for a second straight season.
On March 30, Guy Lafleur, now a member of the Quebec Nordiques, makes his final appearance on Forum ice. The Canadiens are on hand once again the following day when Lafleur plays the final game of his legendary career at the Colisée in Quebec City.
At the end of the season, team president Ronald Corey announces that the team will build a new arena on a lot adjacent to Windsor Station in downtown Montreal.
THE PLAYOFFS
For the second consecutive year, the team faces the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the postseason. Goals are the story of the series even though neither team is particularly renowned for its offensive production. Both teams win their first two home games and a total of 40 goals are scored throughout the first four games of the series. The Habs win the next two games to eliminate the Sabres and move on to the division final. The team’s 29 goals overall are the second highest series total in Canadiens history, behind only the record-setting 33 goals Montreal scored in the 1973 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Moving on to face the Bruins, the Habs face off against a tougher opponent. Neither team is able to win consecutive games, and the series goes to a decisive seventh game. It marks the fourth time that a Canadiens-Bruins series requires a seventh game, with Montreal winning the previous three in 1952, 1971 and 1979, the famous “Too Many Men” game that was decided by an Yvon Lambert goal in overtime.
This time, though, Boston finally gets the upper hand as Cam Neely delivers the winning goal in a 2-1 Bruins victory at Boston Garden.
During the playoffs, Shayne Corson and Stephane Richer lead the way on offense with 15 and 14 points, respectively, including nine goals each, in 13 games.
| Adams Division semi-finals - Buffalo Sabres | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 3rd, 1991 | BUF 5 | MTL 7 | ||
| April 5th, 1991 | BUF 4 | MTL 5 | ||
| April 7th, 1991 | MTL 4 | BUF 5 | ||
| April 9th, 1991 | MTL 4 | BUF 6 | ||
| April 11th, 1991 | BUF 3 | MTL 4 | ||
| April 13th, 1991 | MTL 5 | BUF 1 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-2 | ||||
| Adams Division finals - Boston Bruins | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 17th, 1991 | MTL 1 | BOS 2 | ||
| April 19th, 1991 | MTL 4 | BOS 3 | ||
| April 21st, 1991 | BOS 3 | MTL 2 | ||
| April 23rd, 1991 | BOS 2 | MTL 6 | ||
| April 25th, 1991 | MTL 1 | BOS 4 | ||
| April 27th, 1991 | BOS 2 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 29th, 1991 | MTL 1 | BOS 2 | ||
| Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3 | ||||
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