mooseOAK said:
Then you have to take into account the Canadiens having rights to the Quebec born players that were also parts of those teams before the entry draft as we know it happened. It wasn't as if they were at some disadvantage as far as obtaining very good players, an advantage if anything.
Who knows what ??
Here's a pretty good post from Minos writen some months ago about this...
" I'm so tired of people say this - and I don't mean for it to sound like a personal attack on you - but it's absolutely not true. The Canadiens didn't get to select the 1st two Quebec born players at each draft - because at the time, there wasn't a draft! Teams did their own scouting and signed prospects to what were called "C Forms" (confirmation forms). In 1936 because of the Great Depression the Canadiens were nearly bankrupt - the league had already lost a few teams, including the original Ottawa Senators to bankruptcy. The league developed a rule refered to as the French Canadian Rule, which would allow the Canadiens to sign any 2 players born in Qubec who hadn't already been signed to C forms. The league thought that having more French players in Montreal could help them fight off bankruptcy. They made other rules to help out other franchises during the same time for the same reason (fight off bankruptcy during the Great Depression).
The fact that the Canadiens were able to sign 2 players who hadn't been signed to C forms had almost no effect on the history of the Canadiens. It would be like the modern equivalent of allowing the Canadiens to draft 2 French players after the entry draft had taken place....as if the league had a 9 round draft, but the Canadiens had a 11 round draft and in the 10th and 11th rounds they had to draft French players.
From 1936 to 1943 the Canadiens protected 14 players under the French Canadian rule. NOT ONE of them ever played a SINGLE MINUTE in the NHL. From 19944-46 no players were signed (WWII). In 1947 the Canadiens abandoned the rule, and instead began to sponsor minor league teams - buying teams in various minor leagues and stocking those team with players they had signed to C forms (this was the very first farm system in NHL history). This is how Montreal truely built up its dynastys....they owned serveral teams and tought all the players to play in a similar style and system - a 3rd liner from one team could play on the 3rd line of another team and fit right in because all of their teams played in the same system. This allowed Montreal to develope players MUCH quicker than any other team, players grew up playing with each other, and were able to seamlessly play with other players in Montreal's system so when they arrived in the NHL they knew exactly how the whole team played - just by knowing on what lined they played on. It was 3 full years before any other NHL team caught on and followed Montreal's example but by then it was too late - they were playing catch up to the Canadiens.
In 1963, the league began the first ever entry Draft and the French Canadien rule was also brought back (in the same way, Montreal could draft any two French players not drafted). The draft was ONLY for player's who hadn't signed a C form (most top players were scouted and signed to C forms....thats how the Bruins got Bobby Orrr, he wasn't drafted). So in a draft for all the rejects that no one had already signed, the Canadiens got 2 extra French players. From 1963-1968 again, not one player ever played a SINGLE MINUTE in the NHL. 1969 was the first year that the Canadiens drafted a French rule player who played in the NHL - Michel Plasse. The Canadiens drafted him, then loaned him to the expansion St. Louis Blues...the first ever player drafted under the French Canadian rule who actually made it to the NHL didn't even play for Montreal, it was the Blues who benefited!!!
In 1969 the league cancelled NHL sponsorships of minor league teams, ended the signing of players to C forms and instituted the Universal Amateur Draft (same as the modern day entry draft). The Canadiens were allowed to protect 2 final players before the UAD took place, and the protected Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif.
So from 1936 to 1969 only 3 players drafted under the French Canadian rule ever played in the NHL - and one of those 3 played for St. Louis. All the great French Canadians who played for Montreal over the years were all either signed to C forms (a process that every team in the league had an equal chance to sign a player) or came from Montreal's invention of a farm system (that was Frank Selke's idea....thanks for firing him Maple Leafs!).
As for the players you mentioned, the Canadiens were able to get Beliveau by buying the entire league he played in and they drafted Guy Lafleur with a pick that Sam Pollack got in a deal with the California Golden Seals (thanks Sam Pollock!) "