The Stanley Six: Keepers of the Cup

MONTREAL - When the numbers 21, 34, 44, 73, 67, and 94 all appeared together on the Canadiens' game-night roster for the first time in April, it was a historic night for the club.

That's because the players who wear those numbers for Montreal this year each own a Stanley Cup ring and when they all dressed on the same night, the Habs became just the fifth team in the NHL's modern era to dress at least six Stanley Cup winners after having none during the previous campaign.
Coincidence? Most certainly not.
In fact, general manager Marc Bergevin's acquisitions of forwards Eric Staal, Tyler Toffoli, Michael Frolik, and Corey Perry, defenseman Joel Edmundson, and goalie Jake Allen were made very deliberately in part because of what's in their jewelry boxes.
Bergevin has long professed his mantra about building teams with "guys who get you in the playoffs and guys who get you through," and now that this unique group of Cup-winning veterans - the Stanley Six, if you will - helped contribute towards the former, they're focused on the latter.
Take Perry for starters. The 36-year-old is competing in his 16th season in the NHL and is a member of the elite Triple Gold Club, meaning he's won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championship gold medal.
The legendary Peterborough native has proven to be a valuable addition so far this season, both in terms of his contributions on the scoresheet and as an example for his new teammates to follow in the room.
"Given what Corey did in the playoffs and his past track record, not only last year but throughout his whole career, it's what made him the player he is, along with his compete level. We know when the playoffs start, it goes to another level," Bergevin described of the veteran of over 1,000 games at the start of training camp. "Given what he did last year with Dallas, and with the team we have now, I think it sends a message to the whole league and our own players that we mean business."

Perry contributed five goals for nine points in 27 postseason games in 2020, including a two-goal effort in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Stars were down 3-1 in the series and attempting to mount a comeback in a quest for their - and Perry's - second title, although they ultimately would falter the following game.
"Everybody knows how weird of a season it was with the break in March and then coming back, and nobody knowing if we were going to going to finish the season," shared Perry, who has 41 goals and 98 points in 145 career playoff games. "But we got [the season] in and we got it finished. Losing in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, it just rips you apart and you're hungrier for more."
Perry isn't the only player whose appetite for hoisting Lord Stanley's mug only grew after doing it the first time. Edmundson - along with Allen - won hockey's ultimate prize in 2019 and is certainly in the market for a repeat.
"I got that one Stanley Cup in St. Louis, but that just makes you want another one and another one. I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team win their next Stanley Cup," affirmed Edmundson, who registered one goal and six assists to help the Blues to their first championship. "I feel like every year of my career so far in playoffs, where obviously there's the most pressure on you, that's where I perform at my best."

Stanley Cup-winning players are often asked about how they can help their past experiences translate into future success with their new teams. Perry has spoken often about the importance of leading by example, and it's something Toffoli said he'd set out to do when he spoke to the media after signing with the Canadiens.
"When you play the right way, that's how you win games. You might not score every night, but if you're playing the right way and you're winning games, there's no better feeling. Winning the Stanley Cup, it truly is the best feeling," shared the Scarborough native, who set a new Kings record for rookie playoff scoring during Los Angeles' 2014 title run. "I would want to get back to that level, help bring these young guys along, and bring a Stanley Cup to Montreal."

For his part, Allen put his past experience to good use when he was thrust into the starter's role after Carey Price got hurt on April 5. He started 15 of the team's final 21 games of the season, and drew on his memories of winning the Cup with the Blues to help ensure his young team was following the right mindset.
"It's always about building your game and building your game at the right time. It's about momentum in the playoffs. It's about containing the other team's momentum and building yours and not letting it slip," outlined Allen in early May. "The guys are putting together some good efforts right now, especially without a lot of the leaders on our team, and it's good to see."
Canadiens fans are all too familiar with the team's most recent addition from the Triple Gold Club - Staal - who recorded eight points in the Hurricanes' first-round series against Montreal the year Carolina won its first-ever Cup in 2006. But now that he's wearing the 'right' kind of red jersey, hopefully those fans will be able to look beyond his past transgressions and focus on the mentorship he hopes to provide to the team's exciting crop of younger players.
"It's the understanding of knowing what needs to get done, whether it's a practice day, a day off, or a game day. The focus is doing what's right for each individual to help the team have success," outlined Staal, who has 51 points (21G, 30A) in 62 postseason contests. "When I was a younger guy watching the Rod Brind'Amours, Glen Wesleys, Ron Francis, guys ahead of me... watching how they prepared, watching how they took care of themselves, watching how they competed in practice, I learned a lot."

Speaking of preparation, what does it mean for a player to prepare the right way and how does a champion do it? We asked Alex Burrows, who went to the Cup Final with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 and has the unique perspective of being able to observe the Stanley Six up close in his new role as assistant coach.
"They come into work like pros, they eat properly, they sleep properly, they watch games. They're passionate about the game. They want to learn all the time," described Burrows, who scored two goals - including the overtime winner - in Game 2 of the 2011 Cup Final against Boston. "And just seeing these guys in practice: every drill, every shot they take, every situation, they apply themselves and they try to get better. They're never satisfied; they're always pushing for more."
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Never satisfied, and never downtrodden. Burrows noted that championship players also take a different mentality when the going gets tough, one that doesn't involve giving up or hoping to do better the next time around.
"These guys who have been around and have had success, they fight through adversity. They keep grinding, they roll up their sleeves and put their work boots on and they go back at it," explained the veteran of 913 games with the Canucks and Ottawa Senators. "That's the only way they know how to get out of a slump, or get out of that adversity."
From his vantage point behind the bench, Burrows is confident this squad is capable of doing some damage as the postseason gets set to begin and the chemistry in the room, enhanced greatly by these Cup-winning additions, is a big reason why.
"What I'm most optimistic about is that we have a really good group of guys who care about each other. That goes a long way - when the locker room is tight and the locker room environment is good," he concluded. "When the culture is good, anything's possible."