The Career of Claude Provost

Photo Credit: NHL

By Zane Miller

With the most recent class of the Hockey Hall of Fame just announced, it’s time once again to cover a player who certainly has an argument for enshrinement into the HHoF, that of course being Montreal’s own Claude Provost.

Born on September 17^th, 1933 in the very same city he would spend his entire NHL career, Provost’s earliest recorded season playing hockey occurred in the 1951-52 Quebec Junior Hockey League season while representing the Montreal Nationale. In 49 games, Provost made a solid first impression with 24 goals and 29 assists as the Nationale squeaked by with the final playoff spot. In a grueling playoff battle lasting nine games, the Nationale would give the opposing Quebec Citadelles all they could handle, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Citadelles outlasted Montreal five games to four.

For the 1952-53 season, Provost jumped over to the team that eventually won the QJHL championship in 1952, the Montreal Junior Canadiens. With his new team, Provost improved slightly with 24 goals and 36 assists in 46 games played, enabling him to score second-team All-Star honors as a forward. In the playoffs, the Junior Canadiens easily disposed of the Montreal Junior Royals in a four-game sweep, though their finals rematch against the Citadelles was a bit more complicated. With Quebec up two games to none in the series, the Junior Canadiens scored a controversial game-winning goal with less than a minute left to cut the series lead in half. In protest, the livid Citadelles owner withdrew the team from the QJHL right then and there. The Junior Canadiens were named the champions by default, giving Provost his first of many championship rings, albeit in an unconventional way.

In 1953-54, Provost’s career really began to take off as he had 25 goals and 59 assists in 48 games for the Junior Canadiens, earning first-team All-Star in the process. The team easily won the best regular season record in the league, then swept the Trois-Rivieres Reds in four games to advance to the finals. However, Montreal stumbled at the final hurdle, as the Quebec Frontenacs won the title in a four-game sweep of their own. Having proven himself at the QJHL level, Provost set off for the larger Quebec Hockey League in 1954-55. He would also play for a team outside of Montreal for the first and only time in his career, joining the Shawinigan Falls Cataractes.

For the Cataractes, Provost posted a respectable 25 goals and 23 assists in 61 games. This effort helped propel the team to the best record in the QHL that season, which they followed up on with a first round takedown of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens five games to two. In the finals, Provost and company would face the Montreal Royals, where the Cataractes recovered from an opening game defeat to win the series four games to two. Just like that, Provost had a second trophy under his belt, but he wouldn’t be in the QHL for much longer.

Nine games into a 1955-56 season where Provost scored seven goals and eight assists for Shawinigan Falls, he caught the attention of the big club in Montreal. The Montreal Canadiens were more than happy to build on their already talented lineup, and Provost made his NHL debut on October 29^th, 1955 against the Detroit Red Wings. Although he wasn’t on the Cataractes for most of the season, the team still finished with the best record in the QHL and won the first round of the postseason before falling in the finals to the Royals in six games.

With the Canadiens, Provost captured his first goal on November 6^th versus the Boston Bruins in the Boston Garden, scoring against future Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk. In his 60-game rookie season, Provost nabbed a total of 13 goals and 16 assists. However, he saved his best hockey for the playoffs, which the Canadiens easily made with a 45-15-10 record. After taking care of the New York Rangers in the first round, Provost got on the board for his first Stanley Cup Finals goal midway through the third period in game one, capping off a 6-4 win for Montreal over the Red Wings. He added two assists in the rest of the series as the Canadiens took the finals in five games. At just 22 years old, Claude Provost was officially a Stanley Cup champion. However, for both he and the Canadiens, it was only the beginning of something special.

After winning it all in 1956, the Canadiens looked to defend their title with a strong 1956-57 campaign. Provost added 16 goals and 14 assists in 67 games played during his sophomore season, as Montreal was forced to settle for second place in the regular season standings at 35-23-12. Nonetheless, the team again eliminated the Rangers in the first round, pitting them against the Bruins in the Finals. Though Provost didn’t have a particularly great series with just one assist in total, a game-changing performance was not necessary as the Canadiens took out the Bruins four games to one.

Provost more than doubled his assist output in 1957-58, getting 32 helpers while his goal mark increased slightly to 19. This improved production was helped by Provost playing in all 70 games for the first time in his career, as the Canadiens finished at the top of the regular season standings with a 43-17-10 showing. After sweeping the Red Wings in the opening round, the Canadiens were back in the Finals again in a rematch with Boston. Provost was again mostly held in check by the team he scored his first goal against, only scoring one goal after getting three assists in the previous round. Although the Bruins put up a valiant effort, they were simply overmatched by the Canadiens, who won the 1958 Cup in six games to complete the three-peat and make Provost a three-time champ.

Despite missing just one game in 1958-59, Provost’s offensive output decreased a bit with a total of 16 goals and 22 assists. Come playoff time, however, he was a completely different beast as Montreal won the regular season title at 39-18-13. The team eliminated the Chicago Black Hawks (now Chicago Blackhawks) four games to two, with Provost scoring four goals in those six games. In game two of the Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 11th, Provost had his first career multi-goal Finals performance, scoring twice in the third period to seal a 3-1 victory. The Canadiens went on to defeat their longtime rival in five games, closing out the decade by becoming the first team in NHL history to win four championships in a row. However, Provost and his teammates were hungry to make it a full hand’s-worth of Stanley Cup rings in 1959-60.

Off the back of another spectacular regular season where the Canadiens topped the standings at 40-18-12, Provost finished with 17 goals and 29 assists after taking the ice in all 70 games. No team would stand in Montreal’s way on their quest for a fifth straight title, as they swept Chicago in the first round before doing the same to the Maple Leafs in the Finals, with Provost playing in all eight contests. No other NHL team has been able to win five championships in a row, putting Provost in elite company as one of the 12 players to be a part of all five Stanley Cups won from 1956 to 1960.

While the Habs led the way in the regular season for the fourth straight season in 1960-61 thanks to a 41-19-10 record, their postseason run of dominance came to a halt in the first round as they were knocked out by the eventual champion Black Hawks in six games. Provost was hampered by injury for most of the season, playing 49 games with just 11 goals and four assists to show for it. However, the biggest statistical season of his career was right around the corner.

Provost played all 70 games of the 1961-62 campaign, scoring a career-high in goals by a longshot with 33 while adding 29 assists. For the fifth straight year, the Canadiens had the best regular season record at 42-14-14, but were again stymied by the Black Hawks, who won the opening round series in six games. The 1962-63 season was a fairly forgettable one for the Habs, as the team ended up with a 28-19-23 record to end their streak of regular season titles. Despite this, Provost continued to produce consistent numbers, getting 20 goals and 30 assists for his third career 50-point season. The Canadiens still managed to reach the playoffs but quickly squittered out, falling in the first round to the eventual champion Maple Leafs in five games.

In 1963-64, the Canadiens made history before the season even started, as they drafted first overall in the inaugural NHL draft, selecting forward Garry Monahan with the first pick. Though Monahan would not join the major league team for several more years, Montreal was back on top in the regular season standings, edging the Black Hawks by one point with a 36-21-13 result. However, Provost’s offensive stats took a noticeable dip, only scoring 15 goals and 17 assists in 68 games played. Though he had a decent run in the first round of the playoffs against Toronto with two goals and two assists, the Canadiens were unable to hold off the eventual champs, who won it in seven games.

You may recall that, after a rather disappointing 1960-61 season, Provost bounced back with a career year in 1961-62. Well, after the off year of 1963-64, Provost did it again in 1964-65. That season, he potted 27 goals and a career-high 37 assists for 64 points (also a personal best) after playing all 70 games. This allowed him to receive first-team All-Star honors for the first and only time of his career, as the Canadiens finished second to the Red Wings for the regular season title, but still qualified for the playoffs. After netting two goals and four assists in the first round victory over the Maple Leafs four games to two, Provost and the Canadiens were back in the Finals after a four-year long gap. Facing the Black Hawks for the 1965 Stanley Cup, the series was a tight one for both teams as a game seven was required. In that game seven, though, the Canadiens were up to the task as goaltender Gump Worsley posted a 20-save shutout in the 4-0 victory. The Habs had their 12^th Stanley Cup title since joining the NHL, and Provost could lift the Cup for the sixth time in his career.

Provost’s numbers returned to normal in 1965-66, collecting 19 goals and 36 assists in the full 70 games. Montreal retook the top spot in the standings with a 41-21-8 record, setting up a rematch with the Maple Leafs in the first round. The Canadiens easily disposed of the Leafs in a four-game sweep to challenge Detroit for the 1966 Stanley Cup. Although the Red Wings earned the first two wins of the series, Montreal fought back with four straight to secure back-to-back Cups, giving Provost his seventh Finals triumph as he also led the playoffs in plus/minus with +6.

For the 1966-67 campaign, Provost struggled offensively, scoring just 11 goals and 13 assists in 64 games, though the Canadiens got into the postseason with the second-best record at 32-25-13. Continuing a recurring theme, the Canadiens faced the Rangers in the first round before handing them an early exit in a four-game sweep. The team was ready to take on Toronto in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, but this would be the first Finals matchup between the two clubs since 1960. Montreal took the opening game of the series, but the Maple Leafs responded with a pair of victories to take the series lead. The Canadiens scored a convincing 6-2 win in game four, but Toronto was unfazed as they went on to take the Stanley Cup in six games, though it remains their most recent championship as of this writing. Provost was banged up and left out of the lineup in two Finals games, but was determined to win Stanley Cup #8 in 1968, albeit under a completely different landscape.

The 1967-68 brought the abrupt end of the “Original Six” era, as six new expansion franchises were brought into the NHL. Provost had another solid bounce back season with 14 goals and 30 assists and was able to play in all but one of the now 74 games. On November 23^rd, 1967, Provost scored his 500^th career point with an assist in the Canadiens’ 7-0 thumping of the Black Hawks. The Canadiens paced the 12-team field with a 42-22-10 record to make the playoffs for the 20^th straight year, but would now have to contend with a three-round playoff setup instead of just two. This was no problem for Montreal, as they took down the Bruins with a four-game sweep in the first round to face Chicago in the East Division finals. The Canadiens kicked off the series with another blowout victory, winning game one by a score of 9-2 with Provost having a three-assist game. This appropriately set the tone for the rest of the series, which the Canadiens won handily in five games. With that, the Canadiens would take on the newly-minted St. Louis Blues for the Stanley Cup Finals. However, to put it candidly, the expansion Blues were no match for the superstar-filled Canadiens, who got the sweep for Provost’s eighth Stanley Cup title.

For 1968-69, Provost played in 73 games once again, though he was definitely in the twilight of his career at this point as he reached his age-35 season. Contributing 13 goals and 15 assists, he and the Canadiens led the way in the regular season standings at 46-19-11, with the team reaching a triple-digit point total for the first time since 1955-56 thanks to the number of games being increased from 74 to 76. The first round matchup against the Rangers ended the same as every other time, with New York promptly being swept in four games. That left a matchup against the Bruins for the East Division title, though Boston would not go down easy after forcing Montreal to win in overtime in the first two games before tying up the series once they came back to the Garden. However, Provost scored twice in game five to propel the Canadiens to a 4-2 win, followed by another overtime victory to establish another Stanley Cup Finals date against the Blues. The 1969 version of the Finals turned out to basically be a carbon copy of the previous year’s bout, as the Canadiens took care of St. Louis in a four-game sweep. Although Provost was unable to play in the final game of the series, he was able to take home his ninth career Stanley Cup ring.

Unfortunately for both Provost and the Canadiens organization, their 1969-70 season would be one of the most infamous in franchise history due to what could have been. To begin with a positive, though, Provost was able to play in his 1,000^th career game on March 25^th, 1970, in a 5-2 home victory over the Maple Leafs. However, there would be little for Montreal fans to cheer about in the remainder of the season, as they shockingly missed the playoffs for the first time since 1948 with a 38-22-16 record and Provost claiming 10 goals and 11 assists in 65 games. The Canadiens went on to reach the playoffs for the next 24 years afterwards, meaning that the team would have had a 46-year long playoff streak had they made the playoffs in this season. Provost would not be a part of the subsequent playoff runs. After the 1969-70 season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, before announcing his retirement that same offseason.

In 1,005 games played (all of which with the Canadiens), Provost scored a total of 254 goals and 335 assists for 589 points, earning nine Stanley Cups and a first-team All-Star nod. He was also the first-ever recipient of the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1968, presented to the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.” While it’s easy to look at his offensive stats and say that they don’t warrant a Hall of Fame selection, it’s also important to note that Provost was known more for his defensive prowess. Unfortunately for his Hall of Fame case, Provost’s career took place before the 1978 introduction of the Selke Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s best defensive forward. Given how well-known he was for his defensive skill, it’s quite possible that he would have been a multi-time winner of the award had it existed. Other players, such as fellow Canadiens legends Bob Gainey and Guy Charbonneau, were able to build a successful Hall of Fame resume on the strength of their Selke awards, despite not having Hall of Fame-worthy numbers otherwise. Further complicating matters, the plus/minus statistic was not officially recorded in the NHL until the 1959-60 season, meaning that the primary defensive stats for the first four years of his career are lost to time. With the data that is available, however, it supports the claim about Provost being an exceptional defensive player, hitting career highs of +20 in 1961-62 and +22 in 1965-66.

Also of note, Provost played in a total of 11 All-Star games during his career (not to be confused with the first-team All-Star award). While I don’t normally mention All-Star game appearances in these career retrospectives as I don’t find them relevant towards determining whether or not a player should be in the Hall of Fame, it still jumped out at me when I saw it. At the time, the All-Star game was held between a typical mish-mosh of All-Star selections throughout the league and the previous year’s Stanley Cup-winning team. Of course, this meant that Provost essentially made it into the All-Star game by default for most of his career due to the high frequency of Canadiens championships. In another oddity, Provost set the NHL record for the quickest goal scored to start a period, as he found the back of the net just four seconds into the second period in a game against the Bruins on November 9^th, 1957. The mark has been tied three more times, most recently by Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour in overtime on March 12^th, 2025, but never broken.

Sadly, on April 17^th, 1984, Provost passed away from a heart attack at the far too young age of 50. Since the Hockey Hall of Fame does not have any eligibility time limit for players on its ballot, he remains a potential candidate for induction to this day. In any case, Provost had both a unique and legendary career, building the foundation for the most unstoppable dynasty in NHL history.