2008 – 09 Montreal Canadiens season The 2008 – 09 Montreal Canadiens season is their 99th season of play and 91st in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The organization was celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1909 . The Montreal Canadiens hosted the 57th NHL All - Star Game at the Bell Centre on January 25 , 2009 , and the 59th NHL Entry Draft in June 2009 , as part of the team ' s celebrations for its centennial anniversary . Key dates prior to the start of the season include : Offseason . Throughout much of the offseason , Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey pursued a possible contract with unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin , formerly the captain of Montreal ' s historic rival the Toronto Maple Leafs . The signing efforts started prior to July 1 , 2008 , and continued into August as Gainey was still actively pursuing Sundin . This , despite the fact that Sundin ' s agent mentioned his player " wasn ' t close " to making a decision on his future , and was strongly considering retirement . The chase ended with the acquisition of forward Robert Lang from the Chicago Blackhawks . The Canadiens also acquired veteran forward Alex Tanguay from the Calgary Flames in exchange for the 25th overall pick in the 2007 - 2008 entry draft . Enforcer George Laraque and goaltender Marc Denis were signed to the team through free agency . Unrestricted free agents Michael Ryder , Mark Streit , and Bryan Smolinski did not return to the team . Pre - season . The pre - season schedule consisted of the team playing nine games in thirteen days . The team claimed victory in six of these encounters . The initial game of the pre - season was played against the Boston Bruins in Halifax , Nova Scotia . The Montreal Canadiens took part in the CBC ' s Kraft Hockeyville Series by playing a game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Sporting Centre Benoit Levesque in Roberval , Quebec . Some noteworthy performances at the Canadiens training camp were put forth by prospects Max Pacioretty , Yannick Weber , and Ben Maxwell . Regular season . Centennial year celebrations . The team has announced its intention to retire two uniform numbers during the 2008 – 09 season . As of March 2009 , the only confirmed number is Patrick Roy ' s number 33 , which was retired on November 22 , 2008 . In celebration of the Montreal Canadiens ' centennial , the 2009 NHL All - Star Game was held in Montreal on January 25 , 2009 and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft , scheduled for June 2009 , was awarded to the city . October . On October 10 , the Canadiens embarked on a trip for three consecutive road games where they opened the season against the Buffalo Sabres , at the HSBC Arena . Montreal lost the opening game of the season in shootout , but subsequently won 6 - 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 11 and 5 - 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 13 . The team returned to Montreal after four days on the road and a 2 – 0 – 1 record . The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Boston Bruins for their 100th home opening game and won 4 - 3 in shootout , with Alex Tanguay scoring the winning goal . On October 18 , Saku Koivu achieved his 422nd assist with the Montreal Canadiens and surpassed Maurice " the Rocket " Richard at rank number 7 for all - time assists in franchise history . Two days later , he got his 600th NHL career point when the Canadiens defeated the Florida Panthers 3 - 1 . According to a Forbes report published in late October 2008 , the franchise ranks as the 3rd most valuable in the league at US $ 334 million , making an 18 % increase in the past season . The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings were respectively ranked 1st and 2nd in the report . The Canadiens finished October with a 7 – 1 – 1 record in Minnesota and concluded the month with two consecutive road wins and a perfect overall road record . November . On November 1 , against the New York Islanders , Andrei Markov became the second defenceman in franchise history , after Guy Lapointe , to get 5 points in his first 5 road games of the season . On November 10 , the league announced that forward Tom Kostopoulos was suspended for three games after hitting Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn from behind . On November 11 , Christopher Higgins got his first NHL career hat - trick in a 4 - 0 win against the Ottawa Senators . On November 22 , the jersey number 33 of legendary goaltender Patrick Roy was retired . On November 24 , against the New York Islanders , Ryan O ' Byrne scored on his own net during a delayed penalty call , where Carey Price was pulled off for an extra attacker . On November 29 , Mike Komisarek — who was not playing due to injury — temporarily took a place behind the bench as an assistant coach , in replacement of Doug Jarvis , who was at his father ' s bedside . Rookie right winger Matt D ' Agostini was recalled from Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League and Roman Hamrlik got his 400th NHL career assist in a 3 - 2 win over the Buffalo Sabres . December . On December 2 , Saku Koivu achieved his 612th point with the Montreal Canadiens after recording two assists in a 5 - 4 win over the Atlanta Thrashers . He tied Mats Naslund at rank number 11 for all - time points in franchise history . Koivu then surpassed Naslund on December 6 after recording an assist in a 2 - 1 overtime loss over the New Jersey Devils . Matt D ' Agostini scored his first NHL career goal and point and Roman Hamrlik played his 100th game with the club . The Montreal Canadiens celebrated the 99th anniversary of the franchise on December 4 with a 6 - 2 win over the New York Rangers . Matt D ' Agostini got his first NHL assist in a 2 - points performance . Georges Laraque got his first two points with his new team . D ' Agostini had a successful debut with the team , recording 6 goals and 2 assists in his first eleven games . On December 13 , Ben Maxwell played his first game in the NHL against the Washington Capitals after Saku Koivu was placed on the injured reserve list . On December 18 against the Philadelphia Flyers , Alex Kovalev got his 900th NHL career point . After the Christmas break , the Canadiens were back in action on the road on December 27 and won 3 - 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins . The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed their 3000th franchise victory , with a 5 - 2 win over the Florida Panthers at Sunrise on December 29 , solidifying their place as the most successful team in NHL history . Andrei Kostitsyn and Maxim Lapierre scored their first career hat - trick s during this road trip . January . General manager Bob Gainey presented his mid - season report on January 13 . He stated that he was looking to improve the team ' s power play , which was 26th in the league , and he wanted to acquire a proven player capable of helping the power play . When asked by a reporter what was his best transaction since taking over as the team ' s general manager , he answered that the hiring of Guy Carbonneau as head coach was his best move . February . In order to help bolster their power play , Bob Gainey acquired Matthieu Schneider from the Atlanta Thrashers for a combination of draft picks . This is Schneider ' s second tenure with the Canadiens , who began his career in Montreal after being drafted by the team in 1987 . On February 17 , Alex Kovalev was asked by Managing Director Bob Gainey to go home and take a rest . He missed two games . There were rumors that he would be traded and the city was abuzz . Kovalev rejoined the team on February 21 and scored one goal and added two assists in a convincing 5 - 3 win over the Ottawa Senators . Kovalev received the 1st star of the game to the delight of the Montreal crowd . A reporter for the Montreal newspaper " La Presse " stated on the evening of February 19 that the February 20 edition of the paper would have an exposé that would make the Kovalev situation seem inconsequential . The paper reported that Roman Hamrlik and brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn were involved with a person believed to be part of an organized crime ring in Montreal . Although the players have admitted that they know the person in question , no accusations nor proof has been provided indicating that the players were involved in any illegal activities . The article has since been written off as tabloid journalism and a major example on how the Montreal media negatively treat the Canadiens players . On February 26 , Gainey traded Steve Begin to the Dallas Stars for Doug Janik , who was immediately sent to the Hamilton Bulldogs . Begin , who was often a healthy scratch during the season , would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season . Saku Koivu scored his 624th point with the Canadiens with an assist in a February 27 game against the Philadelphia Flyers . He became the 10th all - time leading scorer in Canadiens history , surpassing Elmer Lach . The Canadiens claimed Glen Metropolit off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers on February 27 . Metropolit was practicing with the Flyers earlier in the day when Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren informed him : " I ' ve got good news and bad news . The good news is that you ' re playing tonight . The bad news is that you ' re playing for the Canadiens " . The Canadiens were in town playing the Flyers that same day and Metropolit simply moved his equipment to the visitor ' s dressing room . March . Approaching the NHL trade deadline , Bob Gainey traded for Mathieu Schneider and claimed Glen Metropolit . Gainey confirmed that he couldn ' t risk trading away his young prospects for any " rental players " . On 9 March , Gainey announced that he was replacing Guy Carbonneau as head coach until the end of the season . Don Lever was named assistant - coach . Patrice Brisebois played his 1 , 000th NHL game on March 14 in a 3 - 2 lost to the New Jersey Devils . During that same game , Martin Brodeur tied the all - time NHL record for career wins with 551 , tying Canadiens great Patrick Roy , who was in attendance at that game . Brodeur was given the 1st star of the game and received a standing ovation from his home province crowd . Alex Tanguay had a season high of 5 points ( 2 goals , 3 assists ) on March 24 in a 6 - 3 win against the Atlanta Thrashers at the Bell Centre . Alex Kovalev scored his 100th goal as a member of the Canadiens ( and 23rd goal of the season ) in a 4 - 1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 31 . Playoffs . The Montreal Canadiens clinched a playoff spot following a 5 – 4 OT loss against the Boston Bruins on April 9 , 2008 , their 81st game of the season . Eastern Conference Quarter - finals : vs . ( 1 ) Boston Bruins . The Montreal Canadiens earned the # 8 seed in the Eastern Conference by finishing with 93 points in the conference . With key players missing such as Andrei Markov , Mathieu Schneider and Alex Tanguay , they were swept in four games . " * Player scoring winning goal is shown in italics . " Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; + / - = Plus / minus ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Goaltenders . " Note : GP = Games played ; TOI = Time on ice ( minutes ) ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OT = Overtime losses ; GA = Goals against ; SO = Shutouts ; SA = Shots against ; SV = Saves ; SV % = Save percentage ; GAA = Goals against average " Roster . Player roster . Awards and records . Team awards . On April 11 , following the final home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins , the team announced it ' s award winners for the season . Transactions . The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2008 – 09 season . Draft picks . Montreal ' s picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa , Ontario . Farm teams . Hamilton Bulldogs . The Hamilton Bulldogs remain Montreal ' s top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2008 – 09 . Cincinnati Cyclones . Montreal continues their affiliation alongside the Nashville Predators for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in 2008 – 09 .