Over the past 10 years, hockey has become a faster, stronger, more skilled and more exciting global game, with countless new superstars emerging. As the decade wraps up with the clock striking midnight on Dec. 31, it's time to look back on the players who dominated the 2010s for the NHL's seven Canadian teams.
So, before we sing "Auld Lang Syne" and ring in a new year — and a new chapter in hockey — let's take a look at Sporting News' Montreal Canadiens all-decade team.
All-Decade Teams: Calgary Flames | Edmonton Oilers | Ottawa Senators | Toronto Maple Leafs | Vancouver Canucks | Winnipeg Jets
Forward: Brendan Gallagher
Why he's here: Every team wants to have a player like Gallagher in the lineup; like an Energizer Bunny on skates, he just keeps on going to the net, and going, and going . . . And that smirk!
In the blink of an eye, Gallagher developed from a gem of a prospect into a key part of Montreal’s leadership. He closed out the decade with two straight 30-goal seasons and is well on his way to carrying that pace on into the first one of the 2020s.
By the numbers: One Molson Cup. NHL All-Rookie Team. Calder Trophy finalist.
Forward: Max Pacioretty
Why he's here: Arguably Montreal’s best pure scorer since Stéphane Richer in the late 1980s, Pacioretty had five 30-goal seasons for the Canadiens during the decade. He scored a career-high 39 goals in 2013-14 and averaged over 35 goals per season from 2013-17.
By the numbers: One Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Forward: Tomas Plekanec
Why he's here: Plekanec was the one constant the Canadiens could count on at center during a decade where they fell short of developing or acquiring a bonafide No. 1. He began the 2010s with a career-high 70-point season and was a key — and reliable — component of Montreal’s two playoff runs to the conference final during the decade.
Defense: Andrei Markov
Why he's here: Markov was surely a member of any Canadiens all-decade team of the 2000s, and he held onto that stature on defense through his second calendar decade in Montreal.
Plagued by a rash of injuries at the outset of the 2010s, Markov was the definition of a top-pair defenseman when he was in the lineup, which he was for all but two of 284 regular-season games over four complete seasons from 2013-2016. The left side of the defense has been wanting since the unceremonious end of his run with the Canadiens, 10 games short of playing 1,000 in the NHL.
Defense: P.K. Subban
Why he's here: A fan favorite in Montreal, Subban had them on the edge of their seats at Bell Centre with his spectacular rushes from the back end, and often on their feet cheering wildly when his exploits ended with the red light brightly lit behind the opposing goal.
While the Carey Price-Jaroslav Halak debate made for a divisive debut to the decade among Montreal’s fan base, Subban’s 2016 trade to Nashville — three years after he won the Norris Trophy — took the level of those armchair discussions to a different stratosphere because the Canadiens acquired Predators captain, and perennial all-star, Shea Weber in return.
By the numbers: Two NHL First All-Star Teams. One Norris Trophy. One NHL All-Star Game. NHL All-Rookie Team. Norris Trophy finalist.
The 2010s: Crosby named NHL Athlete of the Decade | NHL All-Decade Team
Goaltender: Carey Price
Why he's here: The decade began with Price playing second fiddle to Halak in Montreal’s run to the 2010 East Conference final; however, he emerged from that invaluable backup experience as general manager Bob Gainey’s clear and unequivocal choice to carry the Canadiens forward.
After delivering one of the most dominant goaltending performances in Olympic history to help Canada defend its gold medal in Sochi, Price led Montreal to another conference final in 2014 before he was injured in the series opener. He came back stronger than ever the following season to become the first — and only player — to win the Hart, Vezina and Jennings trophies and the Ted Lindsay Award in the same season after posting nine shutouts and leading the NHL with 44 wins, a 1.99 goals-against-average and a .933 save percentage.
Price ends the decade as the Canadiens’ all-time leader in wins and games played by a goalie. A worthy successor to the likes of Georges Vezina, George Hainsworth, Bill Durnan, Jacques Plante, Gump Worsley, Rogie Vachon, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, who he may one day follow into the Hockey Hall of Fame, he is unquestionably not only Montreal’s goaltender of the decade but the franchise's player of the decade.
By the numbers: Seven Molson Cup trophies. Five NHL All-Star Games. One Vezina Trophy. One Hart Trophy. One William M. Jennings Award. One Ted Lindsay Award. One NHL First All-Star Team.
Coach: Michel Therrien
Why he's here: Therrien’s second go-round in Montreal was a distinct improvement on his first. While he didn’t make the cut on the all-decade team of the 2000s, Therrien is the Canadiens’ coach of the 2010s on the basis of two division titles, including a 50-win season in 2014-15, and a run to the conference final in 2014 in the midst of three straight playoff appearances.