2005–06 Montreal Canadiens season
| 2005–06 Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Northeast |
| Conference | 7th Eastern |
| 2005–06 record | 42–31–9 |
| Home record | 24–13–4 |
| Road record | 18–18–5 |
| Goals for | 243 |
| Goals against | 247 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Bob Gainey |
| Coach |
Claude Julien (Oct–Jan) Bob Gainey (interim) (Jan–Apr) |
| Captain | Saku Koivu |
| Alternate captains |
Alexei Kovalev Craig Rivet Sheldon Souray (Oct–Jan) Richard Zednik (Oct–Jan) |
| Arena | Bell Centre |
| Average attendance | 21,273 (100%) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Michael Ryder (30) |
| Assists | Saku Koivu (45) |
| Points | Alex Kovalev (65) |
| Penalties in minutes |
Mike Komisarek Sheldon Souray (116) |
| Plus/minus | Andrei Markov (+13) |
| Wins | Cristobal Huet (18) |
| Goals against average | Cristobal Huet (2.20) |
The 2005–06 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 97th season, 89th in the National Hockey League. The Canadiens would qualify for the playoffs, eventually being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals by the Carolina Hurricanes 4 games to 2.
Claude Julien started the season as coach but was fired and replaced on an interim basis by manager Bob Gainey. The Canadiens's number one goaltender Jose Theodore was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. His place was taken by Cristobal Huet. Huet would lead the league in save percentage of 92.9% and placed fourth overall in goals against average of 2.20.
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime/Shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot
The Canadiens placed 3rd in the Northeast division, and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens played the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the first round and lost four games to two. The Canadiens were winning 2–0 in the series when Saku Koivu sustained a serious injury to his left eye. Hurricanes forward Justin Williams attempted to lift Koivu's stick but instead struck him in the eye. Koivu was rushed to the hospital, where he would remain overnight and for the remainder of the playoffs. Koivu remained out of the lineup for the rest of the series and underwent surgery to repair a detached retina during the off-season.
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