Though this celebration has inevitably lost some steam due to relentless marketing and pre-game ceremonies for all of living memory, it would be a shame to let it pass unnoticed just because Mr. Gillett wanted to cash in before he cashed out.
1919-1929
It's quite difficult to put each decade into a numbered box (well except for this last one). It seems there have always been loads of positives over each ten year period, and more often than not Stanley Cup finals and victories.
The 1920s are no exception. They started in 1919 from a position of strength, after all they had been poised to possibly win the Stanley Cup before the influenza outbreak led to the cancellation of the competition that year. But the Canadiens of the day didn't use that success as a springboard, but rather spent the next four or five seasons just being better than weaklings Hamilton. A Cup came in the middle of the decade, but it was not until another poor finish in 1926 that a true rebound occurred.
Again, we have 10 players here from our top 100 voting that have been allocated to the 1920s because a) they best represent that era, and b) it best represents their overall exploits.
[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – sorry Brisebois fans]
10. Art Gagne (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1926-29 | 132 | 41 | 16 | 57 | 149 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1927-28 | 44 | 20 | 10 | 30 | 75 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1927-29 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1927-28 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
A decent foil for the dynamic duo that was Joliat-Morenz.
9. Harry Cameron (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1919-20 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 36 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1919-20 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 36 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | N/A | ||||||
| Decade best (Playoffs) | N/A |
A classy defenceman into the Hall of Fame. The original Bobby Orr, the first Gordie Howe hat-trick and general innovator. Who cares that he only played 16 games for the Canadiens, he behaved like Bobby Orr while he was here...
8. Amos Arbour (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1915-21 | 66 | 41 | 8 | 49 | 59 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1919-20 | 22 | 21 | 5 | 26 | 13 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1916-21 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | N/A |
A sometime Hab, who had a big hand in Cup #1 and a stunning goalscoring start to the 1920s.
7. Louis Berlinquette (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1911-23 | 235 | 61 | 47 | 108 | 194 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1921-22 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 10 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1914-23 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 17 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1922-23 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
From supporting cast to important offensive cog in the early 1920s machine.
6. Billy Couture (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1916-26 | 198 | 24 | 16 | 40 | 357 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1925-26 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 95 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1917-25 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 81 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1923-24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | SC |
A pioneer in the art of intimidation. Habs defence was built with some degree of intimidation at that time, and after Joe Hall passed away, Couture was the provider. Also captained the team in his final season.
5. Albert "Battleship" Leduc (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1925-35 | 341 | 56 | 32 | 88 | 574 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1925-26 | 32 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 62 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1927-33 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 32 | 2 SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1928-29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Smallish big-hitting defenceman. Replacing Sprague Cleghorn as the anchor at the back end, Leduc learned lots in the 1920s and took the Canadiens to their most successful stint to date in the late decade and early 1930s.
4. Billy Boucher (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1921-27 | 156 | 86 | 36 | 122 | 339 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1922-23 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 31 | 55 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1923-25 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1923-24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | SC |
One of Morenz's earlier wingers and a fixture of the 1920s Habs gamesheets and scoresheets.
3. Odie Cleghorn (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1918-25 | 159 | 93 | 33 | 126 | 134 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1919-20 | 21 | 20 | 4 | 24 | 30 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1919-25 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 5 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1924-25 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
A hold-over star from the first decade. His greatest offensive achievements may have been in the 1918-19 playoffs, but his influence and scoring was pivotal in the 1923-24 season that ended in the Habs' second Cup.
2. Herb Gardiner (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1926-29 | 95 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 52 | H, HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1926-27 | 44 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 26 | H |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1927-29 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1927-28 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
The first Canadiens player to win the Hart trophy, the first defenceman to win the Hart trophy.
1. Sprague Cleghorn (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1921-25 | 98 | 42 | 31 | 73 | 248 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1921-22 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 80 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1923-25 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1924-25 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Captain and impetus for the Canadiens second Cup victory. His 1921-22 season was another marvel for a defenceman, and epitmoised his influence on the way the team played during his tenure.
* Awards: H = Hart trophy; HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.
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