2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season

The 2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season is their 100th season of play and 92nd in the National Hockey League (NHL). The 2009 NHL Entry Draft took place in Montreal, Quebec, on June 26–27.
==Season events==
===Off-season===
The Canadiens announced Jacques Martin as their new head coach to replace Guy Carbonneau. Martin, the former coach and general manager of the Florida Panthers, and former coach of the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues, is known for his defense-first style.
On June 20, the Canadiens announced that owner George Gillett had reached an agreement to sell his 80% share of the team, the Bell Centre and the Gillett concert promotion company to Geoffrey, Justin and Andrew Molson. This represents the third time that the hockey club will be owned by the Molson family, which owned it from 1957 to 1971 and from 1978 to 2001. The purchase price was not disclosed but was estimated at between $506 and 537 million. The deal was approved by the NHL board of governors on December 1.
At the Entry Draft, this year held in Montreal at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens made Louis Leblanc their first-round pick. The pick was notable as it was the Canadiens' first first-round pick of a francophone since the team picked Eric Chouinard in the 1998 Entry Draft. Leblanc was born in the Montreal suburb of Kirkland, Quebec.
General Manager Bob Gainey pursued a policy of change for the lineup. Prior to free agency, he traded for top center Scott Gomez in a seven-player deal from the New York Rangers. In free agency, the Canadiens signed Gomez's former New Jersey linemate Brian Gionta, high-scoring Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri, checking line winger Travis Moen, and three defencemen: Hal Gill from Pittsburgh Penguins, Jaroslav Spacek from Buffalo Sabres, and Paul Mara from New York Rangers. Captain Saku Koivu was not offered a contract and instead signed with Anaheim Ducks. Alexei Kovalev turned down a contract and signed with Ottawa Senators. Mike Komisarek signed with Toronto Maple Leafs and Tom Kostopoulos signed with Carolina Hurricanes.
===Regular season===
For the first time in franchise history, the Canadiens enter the regular season without a captain. On October 6, 2009, the Canadiens signed defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron due to early injuries to Andrei Markov.
On December 28, 2009, forward Michael Cammalleri scored the 20,000th goal in franchise history in a game against the Ottawa Senators.
On February 8, general manager (GM) Bob Gainey announced his retirement as GM from the club, staying on as advisor to the club. Assistant GM Pierre Gauthier becomes the interim GM. Gauthier and coach Jacques Martin held the same positions with the Ottawa Senators in the late 1990s.
==Schedule and results==
=== Pre-season ===
Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)	Preseason: 4–2–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 0–2–0)
Game 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	Location 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap 	
1 	September 17 	Florida Panthers 	2–3 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	1–0–0 	 	
2 	September 18 	Ottawa Senators 	1–2 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	2–0–0 	 	
3 	September 19 	@ Ottawa Senators 	6–1 	Scotiabank Place 	17,931 	2–1–0 	 	
4 	September 20 	@ Boston Bruins 	2–1 	Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City 	15,399 	2–2–0 	 	
5 	September 21 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	3–4 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	3–2–0 	 	
6 	September 24 	Boston Bruins 	2–1 SO 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	3–2–1 	 	
7 	September 26 	Buffalo Sabres 	2–3 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	4–2–1 	 	
===Regular season===
2009–10 game log	2009–10 game log	 	 	 	 	 	 	
October: 7–7–0 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–5–0)
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Game 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	Location 	Attendance	Record	Points	Recap
1 	October 1 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs	4–3 OT	Air Canada Centre 	19,617 	1–0–0 	2 	
2 	October 3 	@ Buffalo Sabres 	2–1 OT	HSBC Arena 	18,690 	2–0–0 	4 	
3 	October 6 	@ Calgary Flames 	3–4 	Pengrowth Saddledome	19,289 	2–1–0 	4 	
4 	October 7 	@ Vancouver Canucks 	1–7 	General Motors Place	18,810 	2–2–0 	4 	
5 	October 10 	@ Edmonton Oilers 	2–3 	Rexall Place 	16,839 	2–3–0 	4 	
6 	October 15 	Colorado Avalanche 	2–3 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	2–4–0 	4 	
7 	October 17 	Ottawa Senators 	1–3 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	2–5–0 	4 	
8 	October 20 	Atlanta Thrashers 	2–1 SO	Bell Centre 	21,273 	3–5–0 	6 	
9 	October 22 	New York Islanders 	5–1 	Bell Centre 	21,273 	4–5–0 	8 	
10 	October 24 	New York Rangers 	5–4 OT	Bell Centre 	21,273 	5–5–0 	10 	
11 	October 26 	New York Islanders 	3–2 OT	Bell Centre 	21,273 	6–5–0 	12 	
12 	October 28 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	1–6 	Mellon Arena 	16,965 	6–6–0 	12 	
13 	October 30 	@ Chicago Blackhawks 	2–3 	United Center 	20,807 	6–7–0 	12 	
14 	October 31 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	5–4 SO	Bell Centre 	21,273 	7–7–0 	14 	
===Playoffs===
2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
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{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width: 100%;"	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals	Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) Washington Capitals
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Series 	Recap 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1 	April 15 	Montreal Canadiens 	3–2 	Washington Capitals 	OT 	Halak 	18,377 	Canadiens lead 1–0 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
2 	April 17 	Montreal Canadiens 	5–6 	Washington Capitals 	OT 	Halak 	18,377 	Series tied 1–1 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
3 	April 19 	Washington Capitals 	5–1 	Montreal Canadiens 	 	Halak 	21,273 	Capitals lead 2–1 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
4 	April 21 	Washington Capitals 	6–3 	Montreal Canadiens 	 	Price 	21,273 	Capitals lead 3–1 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
5 	April 23 	Montreal Canadiens 	2–1 	Washington Capitals 	 	Halak 	18,377 	Capitals lead 3–2 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
6 	April 26 	Washington Capitals 	1–4 	Montreal Canadiens 	 	Halak 	21,273 	Series tied 3–3 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
7 	April 28 	Montreal Canadiens 	2–1 	Washington Capitals 	 	Halak 	18,377 	Canadiens win 4–3 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Standings ==
=== Divisional standings ===
=== Conference standings ===
==Player stats==
===Skaters===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
	Regular season	 	Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; padding: 2;"	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; padding: 2;"	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; padding: 2;"	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; padding: 2;"	Player	GP 	G 	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	 	GP	G 	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
	82 	25	45 	70 	5 	50	 	7 	4 	3 	7 	-3	14	 	 	 	
	78 	12	47 	59 	1 	60	 	7 	1 	3 	4 	-2	15	 	 	 	
	65 	26	24 	50 	7 	16	 	7 	5 	5 	10	-4	2 	 	 	 	
	61 	28	18 	46 	3 	26	 	7 	2 	2 	4 	-2	4 	 	 	 	
	45 	6 	28 	34 	11 	32	 	7 	0 	4 	4 	-3	0 	 	 	 	
	60 	13	21 	34 	-7 	16	 	7 	0 	4 	4 	-3	0 	 	 	 	
	59 	15	18 	33 	1 	32	 	7 	3 	3 	6 	-2	6 	 	 	 	
	69 	16	13 	29 	-1 	24	 	5 	0 	1 	1 	-1	2 	 	 	 	
	75 	6 	20 	26 	-2 	56	 	7 	0 	3 	3 	-4	2 	 	 	 	
	39 	15	9 	24 	8 	31	 	7 	0 	1 	1 	-1	6 	 	 	 	
	74 	3 	18 	21 	9 	50	 	3 	0 	2 	2 	-2	0 	 	 	 	
	81 	8 	11 	19 	-2 	57	 	7 	1 	0 	1 	0 	2 	 	 	 	
	47 	7 	11 	18 	4 	8 	 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	 	 	 	
	52 	3 	11 	14 	-5 	20	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	76 	7 	7 	14 	-14	61	 	7 	1 	0 	1 	-1	6 	 	 	 	
	68 	2 	9 	11 	-10	68	 	7 	0 	1 	1 	1 	4 	 	 	 	
	21 	2 	9 	11 	4 	8 	 	7 	2 	0 	2 	0 	0 	 	 	 	
	29 	5 	5 	10 	2 	4 	 	3 	0 	0 	0 	-3	0 	 	 	 	
	82 	3 	7 	10 	2 	39	 	7 	0 	1 	1 	-1	4 	 	 	 	
	42 	0 	8 	8 	-16	48	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	40 	2 	3 	5 	-5 	10	 	7 	0 	0 	0 	-3	0 	 	 	 	
	55 	1 	3 	4 	-3 	74	 	4 	0 	0 	0 	1 	8 	 	 	 	
	40 	2 	2 	4 	-12	26	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	28 	1 	2 	3 	-6 	28	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	23 	2 	1 	3 	-4 	4 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	16 	0 	2 	2 	-6 	16	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	2 	0 	2 	2 	1 	2 	 	2 	0 	1 	1 	1 	0 	 	 	 	
	6 	0 	1 	1 	-1 	0 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	2 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	0 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	3 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	0 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	5 	0 	0 	0 	-3 	11	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	3 	0 	0 	0 	1 	4 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	5 	0 	0 	0 	-5 	4 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	2 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	13 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	6 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	19 	0 	0 	0 	-10	16	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
	7 	0 	0 	0 	0 	5 	 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	. 	 	 	 	
:†Player spent time with another team before joining Canadiens. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
:‡Traded from Canadiens mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
===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
Regular season	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%;"	Player	GP	GS	W 	L	OT	SO 	GA 	SA 	Sv% 	TOI 	GAA
 	45 	43	26	13	5	5 	105	1386	.924	2,629:56	2.40	
 	41 	39	13	20	5	0 	109	1244	.912	2,358:21	2.77	
:Four empty net goals scored against in the regular season.
Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%;"	Player	GP	GS	W	L	SO	GA 	SA 	Sv% 	TOI 	GAA
 	12 	12	7 	5	0	28	411	.932	684:58	2.45	
 	3 	1 	0 	1	0	6 	62 	.903	104:33	3.43	
:Two empty net goals scored against in the playoffs.
== Awards and records ==
=== Records ===
=== Milestones ===
Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season
Player 	Milestone 	Reached 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Team 	Milestone 	Reached 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Montreal Canadiens	20,000th NHL goal	December 28, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
===Awards===
Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season
Player 	Award 	Date 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Mike Cammalleri	NHL Second Star of the Week	October 26, 2009 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Carey Price 	NHL Second Star of the Week	November 23, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Jaroslav Halak 	NHL First Star of the Week 	December 28, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Jaroslav Halak 	NHL First Star of the Week 	April 5, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Transactions ==
The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.
===Trades===
Date 	Details 	Details
June 27, 2009 	To Pittsburgh Penguins 6th-round pick in 2010 	To Montreal Canadiens 7th-round pick (#211 overall) in 2009
June 30, 2009 	To New York Rangers Christopher HigginsRyan McDonaghPavel ValentenkoDoug Janik	To Montreal Canadiens Scott GomezTom PyattMichael Busto
November 23, 2009	To Minnesota Wild Guillaume Latendresse 	To Montreal Canadiens Benoit Pouliot
December 2, 2009 	To Anaheim Ducks Kyle Chipchura 	To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2011
February 11, 2010	To Florida Panthers 2nd-round pick in 2011 	To Montreal Canadiens Dominic Moore
March 2, 2010 	To St. Louis Blues Matt D'Agostini 	To Montreal Canadiens Aaron Palushaj
=== Free agents acquired ===
Player 	Former team 	Contract terms
Andre Benoit 	Sodertalje SK 	1 year, 2-way contract
Michael Cammalleri 	Calgary Flames 	5 years, $30 million, 1-way contract
Hal Gill 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	2 years, $4.5 million, 1-way contract
Brian Gionta 	New Jersey Devils 	5 years, $25 million, 1-way contract
Mikael Johansson 	Färjestads BK 	1 year, 2-way contract
Jaroslav Spacek 	Buffalo Sabres 	3 years, $11.5 million, 1-way contract
Mathieu Darche 	Portland Pirates 	1 year, 2-way contract
Paul Mara 	New York Rangers 	1 year, $1.675 million
Travis Moen 	San Jose Sharks 	3 years, $4.5 million
Andreas Engqvist 	Djurgårdens IF Hockey 	3 years, 2-way contract
Curtis Sanford 	Vancouver Canucks 	1 year, 2-way contract
Philippe Lefebvre 	Drummondville Voltigeurs	3 years
Marc-Andre Bergeron	Minnesota Wild 	1 year, $750,000
Hunter Bishop 	Ohio State Buckeyes 	2 years
Brendon Nash 	Cornell University 	2 years
=== Free agents lost ===
Player 	New team 	Contract terms
Mike Komisarek 	Toronto Maple Leafs	5 years, $22.5 million, 1-way contract
Alexei Kovalev 	Ottawa Senators 	2 years, $10 million
Saku Koivu 	Anaheim Ducks 	1 year, $3.25 million
Tom Kostopoulos 	Carolina Hurricanes	3 years, $2.75 million
Mathieu Schneider	Vancouver Canucks 	1 year, $1.55 million
Alex Tanguay 	Tampa Bay Lightning	1 year, $2.5 million
Robert Lang 	Phoenix Coyotes 	1 year
Francis Bouillon 	Nashville Predators	1 year, $750,000
=== Claimed via waivers ===
Player 	Former team 	Date claimed off waivers
Jay Leach	New Jersey Devils	November 6, 2009
=== Lost via waivers ===
Player 	New team 	Date claimed off waivers
Jay Leach	San Jose Sharks	December 1, 2009
=== Lost via retirement ===
* Patrice Brisebois
=== Player signings ===
Player 	Contract terms
P. K. Subban 	3 years
Andre Benoit 	1 year, 2-way contract
Alex Henry 	1 year, 2-way contract
Mike Glumac 	1 year, 2-way contract
Kyle Chipchura 	1 year, $500,000
Guillaume Latendresse	1 year, $803,000
Shawn Belle 	1 year 2-way contract
Tomas Plekanec 	1 year, $2.75 million
Gregory Stewart 	1 year, $500,000
Matt D'Agostini 	1 year
Gabriel Dumont 	3 year entry-level contract
== Roster ==
=== Player roster ===
=== Staff ===
Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff	Montreal Canadiens staff
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	Executive operations
*Ownership - Molson Group
*Chairman - Molson Family
*Vice Chairman - Jeff Joyce
*President: Pierre Boivin
*Vice-President/General Manager - Pierre Gauthier	  	 	
Hockey operations
*Assistant General Manager, hockey administration - Julien Brisebois
*Director, player personnel - Trevor Timmins
*Head coach - Jacques Martin
*Assistant coaches - Kirk Muller, Perry Pearn
*Goaltending coach - Pierre Groulx
*Strength and conditioning - Lorne Goldenberg	 	
== Draft picks ==
Montreal's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Quebec.
Round	# 	Player 	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1 	18 	Louis Leblanc 	C 	 	Omaha Lancers (United States Hockey League)
3 	65 (from Atlanta) 	Joonas Nättinen 	C 	 	Blues Jr. (SM-Liiga)
3 	79 	Mac Bennett 	D 	 	Hotchkiss School (United States High School)
4 	109 	Alexander Avtsin	F 	 	HC Dynamo Moscow (Russian Hockey First League)
5 	139 	Gabriel Dumont 	C 	 	Drummondville Voltigeurs (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
6 	169 	Dustin Walsh 	C 	 	Kingston Voyageurs (OJHL)
7 	199 	Michael Cichy 	C 	 	Indiana Ice (USHL)
7 	211 (from Pittsburgh)	Petteri Simila 	G 	 	Kärpät (Jr. A SM-Liiga)
== Farm teams ==
=== Hamilton Bulldogs ===
The Hamilton Bulldogs remain Montreal's top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2009–10.
=== Cincinnati Cyclones ===
Montreal continues their affiliation alongside the Nashville Predators for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in 2009–10.
== See also ==
* 2009–10 NHL season
== References ==
Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons
Category:2009 in hockey
Category:2010 in hockey