Subj : Brian Bellows Trade to Montreal
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Sun Nov 08 2020 04:40 am
For an entire decade, Brian Bellows was a staple of the Minnesota North Stars
and the team';s premier sniper. Selected with the second pick of the 1982 NHL
Entry Draft, he represented the franchise at three different All-Star Games
(1984, 1988, 1992) and was even named an NHL Second Team All-Star in 1990.
Playing in 753 regular season games for the North Stars, plus another 81 in the
playoffs, a parting of ways with Bellows seemed quite unlikely. The left
winger was deeply embedded into the team and the fans of Minnesota.
Understandably, Bellows would be taken aback at first when a trade took shape
after 10 seasons as a North Star. Though he would not have been able to foresee
it at the time, the move is what would garner him a Stanley Cup ring and see
his name engraved on the silver chalice for all of time. We take a look back on
the transaction that saw Bellows moved from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" to the
most storied franchise in hockey history.Setting the Stage
Within Bellows'; 753 games in Minnesota he generated a total of 342 goals and
380 assists for 722 points for the North Stars. Not including the time since
the franchise';s relocation to Dallas, those point totals are the second most
in team history during their Minnesota years. Neal Broten - the only North Star
to score more with 796 - played 123 more games than Bellows did with the team.
The 342 goals scored by Bellows are the most in North Stars history. Arguably
there was no finer player in the history of Twin Cities professional hockey.
Bellows'; most productive season with Minnesota came during the 1989-90 season
when he set career highs in goals (55) and points (99). Timing in the careers
of athletes can oftentimes be strange. For while Bellows compiled such great
totals, this was perhaps the apex of his career in Minnesota. More great
moments were to follow, but in retrospect one can see that this chapter was
coming to a close.Brian Bellows scored 722 points in 753 regular season games
with the Minnesota North Stars (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images).
After his career high season, the North Stars would have a most unexpected run
to the Stanley Cup Final in the 1990-91 NHL season. The team placed seventh
overall in the Clarence Campbell Conference with a losing record of 27-39-14.
Still, it was enough to earn them a playoff spot. Their measly 68 points were
15th of the 16 teams to qualify for the postseason.
With head coach Bob Gainey at the helm, the North Stars went on a wild run that
saw them eliminate the Chicago Blackhawks (4-2), St. Louis Blues (4-2) and the
reigning Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers (4-1) to vault them into a
championship showdown against Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though
Minnesota would eventually lose to a stacked Penguins team� - one that
included not just Lemieux, but was comprised of eventual Hall of Famers Jaromir
Jagr, Mark Recchi, Joe Mullen, Bryan Trottier, Larry Murphy and Ron Francis -
the North Stars would push the series to six games.
Bellows was the only North Stars player to play in all 80 regular season games
and all 23 playoff games. In the postseason he led Minnesota in scoring with 10
goals and 19 assists. After the North Stars improbable run, Bellows would play
one final season in Minnesota. The 1991-92 campaign saw him score 30 goals and
45 assists for 75 points in 80 games.Bellows Is Moved to the Habs
In a surprising move, newly named North Stars general manager Gainey traded
Bellows to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 31, 1992 in exchange for right winger
Russ Courtnall. Bellows had mixed emotions at the time of the trade. He
remarked the following at the time about joining the Canadiens:
"I hope to score more than last year. I want to come in and prove I can still
play to the levels expected. I was shocked [about the trade] but I';m excited
about the new change. My idol was Ken Dryden. It';s every kid';s dream to play
for the Canadiens."
Personal sentiments aside, Montreal seemed to have gotten the better end of the
deal from the get-go. Though Courtnall was also an opening round draft
selection (sixth overall in 1983), his production was well below that of
Bellows. Originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs, his finest numbers up
until that point had come during the 1986-87 season when he scored 29 goals and
44 assists in 79 games. In fact, when all was said and done Courtnall only
surpassed the 30-goal mark once in his 16-year NHL career. Bellows on the other
hand reached or surpassed the mark nine different times.
THIS DAY IN 1992: Minnesota sent Brian Bellows to @CanadiensMTL for Russ
Courtnall. Bellows won a Cup w/ MTL in 1993. pic.twitter.com/4xvx8vs2Fa- NHL
Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 31, 2014
By no means was Courtnall a slouch - he just was not as prolific of a scorer as
Bellows. Still, after coming to the Canadiens in November of 1988, he put
together three seasons in a row of at least 20 goals for the Habs. Even in an
injury-shortened 1991-92 season Courtnall still managed seven goals and 14
assists for 21 points in 27 games. Perhaps where he made the most impact for
Montreal was the season he was traded. Courtnall and the Canadiens made it to
the 1989 Stanley Cup Final where they lost in six games to the Calgary Flames.
With eight goals and five assists in 21 playoff games that year, he was third
overall for the Canadiens in playoff scoring.
When the dust settled after the initial transaction, the Canadiens had
themselves a proven goal scorer capable of hitting between 40 to 50 goals a
year. Minnesota would have themselves a speedy winger, who might not have
generated as many goals, but created opportunities because of how quick he
was.How the Deal Panned out for Minnesota
Oddly enough, during Courtnall';s first season with the North Stars he
assembled the finest offensive season of his entire career. In what would be
the team';s final year in Minnesota, their newly acquired winger proceeded to
score 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points in 84 games - the goal total would
be a career high for Courtnall. His 36 goals were also the most for any North
Star that season, and his 79 points trailed only Mike Modano';s team high of
93.
Courtnall would remain with the team as the franchise moved to Dallas and
shortened their name to the Stars. He remained the team';s most productive
winger during their first season in the new city. While his goal production
dropped to 23 goals in 84 games during the 1993-94 season, Courtnall';s 57
assists became a career high and led all Stars players. His 80 points that year
were also his career high and placed him second behind Modano once more, who
once again had 93 himself.After coming over from the Montreal Canadiens, winger
Russ Courtnall played two and a half seasons with the Minnesota/Dallas
franchise. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
After two full seasons with the franchise, Courtnall would be on the move
again. In the lockout shortened 1994-95 season his production for Dallas left
something to be desired. Through 32 games he managed to score just seven goals
and 10 assists for 17 points, while also being a minus-eight for plus/minus.
Dallas would end up shipping Courtnall to the Vancouver Canucks at that
season';s trade deadline.
The only other factor worth noting during Courtnall';s brief stay with
Minnesota/Dallas was that he scored two of�his career 29 shorthanded goals
while with the team. He often used his speed to generate scoring chances on the
penalty-kill, and he still stands in the top-25 in NHL history for most
shorthanded goals in a career. Furthermore, at the very least Minnesota/Dallas
got out of Courtnall his finest seasons of his career. In 200 regular season
games between the two cities he scored 66 goals and 110 assists for 176
points.How the Deal Panned out for Montreal
The length of Bellows'; time in Montreal was only slightly longer than
Courtnall';s with Minnesota/Dallas. However, his tenure with the Canadiens paid
the left winger and the team much greater dividends. He would have an
immediate impact in his first year with the Habs. Bellows led the team in goal
scoring with his 40 goals in 82 games. Similarly, his 88 points placed him
third in scoring behind Vincent Damphousse and Kirk Muller.
The 1992-93 season would see the Canadiens win their 24th Stanley Cup, and
Bellows would be a key part of the achievement. This particular Montreal team
was led by a collection of players, who like Bellows, had already been
well-established in the NHL with other teams but had never won a Cup prior.
Damphousse, Muller, Denis Savard, Gary Leeman, and J.J. Daigneault to name a
few.
On this day in 1992, the North Stars traded Brian Bellows to the Canadiens for
Russ Courtnall #tbt pic.twitter.com/eKi2fKvN9Q- Mike Commito (@mikecommito)
August 31, 2017
Once the playoffs came, Bellows would tie with Mike Keane to be third in
postseason scoring for Montreal. He played in 18 of Montreal';s 20 games those
playoffs as Montreal eliminated the Quebec Nordiques (4-2), Buffalo Sabres
(4-0), New York Islanders (4-1) and then finally the Los Angeles Kings (4-1).
11 times during the playoffs the Canadiens played games that ended in overtime.
For Bellows'; 18 games he scored six goals and nine assists. In the Cup Final
he played in each of the five games where he recorded one of his goals and an
assist. Bellows'; lone assist helped set up John LeClair';s OT-winner in Game
Three of the championship series.
After the Cup win, Bellows would play two more full seasons for Montreal but
his numbers dipped each year. As Montreal tried to defend the championship for
the 1993-94 season, the left winger scored a decent 33 goals and 38 assists for
71 points in 77 games. Still solid numbers for a player not quite 30 years old
yet. However, even when considering it was a lockout year, the 1994-95 season
saw Bellows'; numbers drop considerably. In 41 games he generated a mere eight
goals and eight assists. After having the least productive season of his
career, he was traded in June of 1995 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.A Brief Time
in Both Players Careers
Neither Bellows nor Courtnall are best remembered for the teams that they ended
up being traded to as part of this particular deal, although each played for
less illustrious teams afterward. That is important to note as part of this
discussion. Bellows would go onto play four more seasons in the NHL after
leaving Montreal, but for three different teams (Tampa Bay, the Mighty Ducks of
Anaheim, and the Washington Capitals). Courtnall would also play four more
seasons after he was traded from Dallas and had three stops as well (Vancouver,
New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings).
Putting statistics and production numbers aside for the moment, the most
important takeaway from this trade is that adding Bellows brought Montreal a
Stanley Cup upon his arrival. Though his overall time with the Canadiens was
relatively brief he was integral in that specific championship. On a more
sentimental level, the trade brought Bellows the one and only Stanley Cup ring
of his career.
Brian Bellows, Mike Modano recall miracle '91 North Stars run to the
#StanleyCup Final
http://t.co/pPRSb9qdw3 pic.twitter.com/8kRUmi9d66- Sportsnet
(@Sportsnet) May 5, 2015
In addition to the 1991 Final with Minnesota and the win with Montreal, he
would also help the Washington Capitals reach their first Stanley Cup Final in
1998. Even then he still had some magic left at age 33, as he scored nine
points (six goals, three assists) in 11 regular season games that year and had
13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 21 playoff games en route to the Final.
Unfortunately, Bellows and the Caps would be swept by the Detroit Red Wings in
four games.
17 years in the NHL, three trips to the Final, and one Cup across a career
total of 1,331 games (regular season and playoffs). That is quite a sizable
career for any player. It makes for more of a "feel good" story to know that
the trade to Montreal put Bellows'; name onto the Cup for all of time, and
deservedly so.
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