7 Fascinating Statistics About Canadiens’ Montembeault

For 15 years, the Montreal Canadiens had their number-one goalie, Carey Price, who became the franchise’s winningest netminder.

However, his time guarding the crease at the Bell Centre has ended, leaving his position in the blue paint open for someone like Sam Montembeault to claim.

Since joining the Canadiens from the Florida Panthers through a waiver claim on Oct. 2, 2021, Montembeault has become Price’s heir apparent, having played in the most games, 119.

As Montreal and Montembeault prepare for the 2024-25 season and the start of their new four-year agreement together, here are seven fascinating statistics about the 27-year-old.

Winningest Canadiens Goalie to Wear No. 35

The Canadiens have employed 89 goalies in their history, with seven masked men wearing No. 35. Surprisingly, the first goalie to ever pull on the sweater was famous “Hab-killer” Andy Moog, who wore the digits for a single season in 1998.

When Montreal selected Montembeault off waivers from the Panthers, he switched numbers from No. 33 to No. 35 and has worn it for the past three seasons.

Even though the competition for the winningest record in the jersey was slim, Moog had the best statistics with an 18-17-5 record. After the 2023-24 season, Montembeault is 40-52-18 with No. 35, making him the best netminder to wear the sweater.

No Decision in Only Career Appearance Against Montreal

After 144 games in the NHL, Montembeault has played all 32 teams, including his current one, the Canadiens. On Mar. 26, 2019, he came in for James Reimer, who surrendered three goals on six shots in just 14:28 of ice time.

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Montreal would win 6-1, with Montembeault giving up three goals to Artturi Lehkonen, Phillio Denault, and Max Domi to finish the evening with a .833 SV%, making 15 saves on 18 shots.

Struggles in Games When Facing More Than 40 Shots

During Montembeault’s two seasons with the Panthers, he never faced more than 38 shots in a game. Since relocating to Montreal, he’s faced more than 40 in a contest 22 times.

With an overall win-loss record of 49-60-21, it is unsurprising that he is 8-12-2 in contests where he’s overworked. Even though he is 4-3-1 in games facing more than 45 shots, he struggles with a workload between 40 and 45 shots, going 4-9-1.

Still Searching for First Win Against Five Franchises

As mentioned, Montembeault has skated against all 32 teams, securing at least one win against 27. Ahead of the 2024-25 season, he’s still chasing that exclusive first victory against five teams: the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Canadiens.

Although securing a win against Montreal would be difficult these days, he’ll get to play the other four teams at some point during the season. Montembeault will try to improve upon his records against Calgary (0-2-0), Carolina (0-5-1), Ottawa (0-3-0), and Vegas (0-1-2).

Has More Games With Six Goals Against Than One-Goal Games

Montembeault has recorded one shutout in his career, which came against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 23, 2022, at the Bell Centre. On 10 other occasions, he’s lost his bid for a shutout by surrendering a single goal.

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Interestingly, the Quebec native is just 5-4-1 in contests where he gives up a single goal. But that’s not the only craziest statistic when discussing his goals against totals.

In 144 games, Montembeault has surrendered more than six goals on 11 occasions, producing a 0-10-1 record in those contests. His worst performances include eight goals against, with five games of seven.

40th Quebec-born Netminder in Canadiens History

Quebec has produced some of the game’s greatest netminders, including Jacques Plante, Patrick Roy, and Martin Brodeur. Through 107 seasons, the Canadiens have employed only 40 netminders from Quebec, including Montembeault.

Thanks to 40 wins, he ranks 14th on the list for most wins by a Quebec-born netminder and is chasing Paul Bibeault (41) and Denis Herron (43), Richard Sevigny (67), and Jocelyn Thibault (67) to climb into the top 10.

Career-Best Statistics Came at the 2023 World Championships

After appearing in a then-career-high 40 games in 2022-23, earning a 16-19-3 record with a .901 SV% and 3.42 GAA, Montembeault headed to Latvia to represent Canada at the IIHF World Championships.

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As the country’s number one goalie, he helped Team Canada win their 26th world title, giving up just 10 goals in seven games to post a 1.42 GAA and .938%, ranking among the top netminders at the event.

Until then, Montembeault never produced an SV% over .918 (AHL) or a GAA under 2.86, the totals he produced in the AHL in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

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