There have been 11 American-born players to skate with the Montreal Canadiens. Who are the five to skate in more than 10 games?
In 2023-24, Montreal Canadiens netminder Cayden Primeau skated in 23 games, starting 21, producing an 11-21-6 record. Last year, the 25-year-old played as many games in a single season as he did over the previous three campaigns combined.
Now, with 44 games under his belt, he needs just 11 more games to tie Mike Condon for the most appearances by an American-born goalie in franchise history.
Today, we will see who else is on the list and how they stack up against one another.
Top 5 American-born Goalies in Canadiens History
5. Pat Jablonski (Toledo, OH)
Pat Jablonski is one of two netminders at the top of the list who caught left-handed. As an undrafted goalie who began his career with the St. Louis Blues, he eventually bounced to other clubs before landing in Montreal in 1995-96 in a trade for J.J. Daigneault.
At the time, Jablonski became the first American-born goalie to play more than six games with the Canadiens, dressing for 40 between November 1995 and March 1997. Despite over 2,000 minutes of action, he never reached double digits in wins, finishing his stint with a 9-15-8 record.
4. Al Montoya (Chicago, IL)
Al Montoya was another well-traveled backup goalie who found his way to Montreal to be Carey Price's partner for two seasons, 2016-17 and 2017-18. He signed as a free agent and was eventually traded for a fourth-round pick.
During his time with the club, Montoya played in 23 contests, compiling a 10-7-4 record and a .905 SV%. He is one of only three American-born goalies with an SV% above .900 in team history.
3. Charlie Lindgren (Lakeville, MN)
Heading into the 2024-25 season, Charlie Lindgren, another lefty, is the undisputed number-one goalie for the Washington Capitals. However, his path from an undrafted free agent signing who debuted with the Canadiens to a starter in Washington, D.C., has been long and winding.
Initially signed by Montreal in March 2016, Lindgren never played many games with the club, appearing in only 24 from 2016 to 2020. He finished his time in Quebec with a 10-12-2 record but maintains the best SV% amongst his compatriots at .907.
2. Cayden Primeau (Farmington Hills, MI)
Primeau has been with the Canadiens organization since they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2017 Draft. Until last season, when he played in a career-high 23 games, the son of former NHLer Keith Primeau rarely got a chance to get into a game.
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With one season left on his current contract, valued at $890k, Primeau can become only the second American-born goalie to dress in 50 games. Meanwhile another 10 victories would tie him for the top spot on the wins list. If the Canadiens bring him back next season, there's no doubt he'd become the top statistical netminder from the United States.
1. Mike Condon (Holliston, MA)
Condon was born in Holliston, Massachusetts, about a five-and-a-half-hour drive down I-89 through Vermont and New Hampshire. Another undrafted goalie signed as a free agent, he left Princeton in 2013, eventually working his way into the Canadiens' starting lineup for the 2015-16 season.
When Price was sidelined with a knee injury, Condon was thrust into the starting role, appearing in 55 games, earning a 21-25-6 record while Montreal missed the playoffs by 16 points. After Price returned, Condon was selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, during his brief stay in Quebec, Condon became the first American-born goalie to win 20 games, dress for 50, and record the lowest GAA of any of them at 2.71.
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