When Sam Pollock retired as the Montreal Canadiens GM, there were a few people in the organization who were interested in taking up the role, including Scotty Bowman and Al MacNeil, but it’s Irving Grundman who got the nod.
Pollock had appointed him because he considered that Bowman and MacNeil were the best people to do their current jobs and he didn’t want to see one of them leave because the other got the job they both wanted. It backfired though, after a year of working with Grundman, both men left: Bowman to be both head coach and GM of the Buffalo Sabres and MacNeil to coach the Atlanta Flames.
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Left to his own devices, Grundman made some questionable trades and was the one who dismantled the Big Three, sending both Serge Savard to Winnipeg for a sixth-round pick at the 1982 draft and Guy Lapointe to the St. Louis Blues for a second-round pick, which became Sergio Momesso. Trading aging defensemen is one thing, but trading a young promising one is another story.
The Trade
Six months after trading Lapointe, Grundman packaged defenseman Rod Langway with Doug Jarvis, Brian Engblom, and Craig Laughlin and shipped them to the Washington Capitals. In return, he obtained defenseman Rick Green and center Ryan Walter.
Related: Canadiens: About the Harris-Laine Trade
Back then Langway was 25 years old and already had a Stanley Cup to his name on top of being a very solid defenseman. In his last year in Montreal, the Canadiens only surrendered 223 goals, and in their first year without him, they gave up 63 more goals for 286 total. Of course, goaltending factored into this, but still, he was missed.
The Aftermath in Washington
In Washington, Langway became the foundation of the defense and is remembered as the player who saved hockey in Washington. In his first season in the USA capital, he registered three goals and 29 assists for 32 points and became the first Capitals player to win a major award, claiming the James Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. He repeated the feat the following season when he put 33 points on the board, nine goals and 24 assists.
Yes, there was a time when the Norris wasn’t awarded to an offense-first defenseman. Paul Coffey racked up 96 points in 1982-1983 and was the runner up in the scoring race in 1983-1984 with 126 points playing in Edmonton with Wayne Gretzky.
Related: Canadiens: It Worked Once, Let’s Bring Him Back
Langway played in Washington for 11 seasons and wore the captain’s C until it was time to pass it on to his successor as the Capitals anchor on the blue line Kevin Hatcher in February 1993. On the day, he told the media:
It is a good opportunity for myself and a great opportunity for Kevin Hatcher. I’ve worn it 10 years and it is time. And again, it is my decision. There was no pressure from anyone in the organization to take it off.
1993 was his final season in the NHL, the fact he wore the C for so long and was never traded again by the Capitals is a true testament to the value of not only the player, but also the man and the leader that he was. At the end of his career, Langway had played 994 games in the league and picked up 329 points and 849 penalty minutes along the way.
Jarvis, who had won four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens in the ’70s, would only play four seasons with the Caps before being traded to the Hartford Whalers. As for Engblom, who had also been part of three Stanley Cup winning editions of the Canadiens, he only stayed in the American capital for a season and a bit, being traded after playing only six games in 1983-1984. Meanwhile Laughlin spent five and a half seasons in Washington and was a productive forward for most of them, even having a 75-point season in 1985-1986.
The Aftermath in Montreal
In Montreal, Rick Green was a solid contributor for seven seasons, helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup final twice and winning it once. His contribution was nowhere near Langway’s level however. After Montreal, he spent a season in Detroit with the Red Wings and finished his career with four games as a New York Islander. He then became as assistant coach for the Isles for the next three seasons before occupying the same role with the Los Angeles Kings for four seasons. After a brief hiatus, he found his way behind the Canadiens’ bench as an assistant coach for three and a half seasons.
Related: One of the Worst Trade in Canadiens History
As for Ryan Walter, the Canadiens had hoped he would become an important part of their attack, but he could never replicate the 87-point campaign he had in Washington just before the trade. In his first season in Montreal, he gathered 79 points, but after that his production severely declined. He spent part of nine seasons in town before signing with the Vancouver Canucks where he retired after a couple of seasons. When all was said and done, he had a 1006-game tenure in the NHL and his final tally included 645 points and 946 penalty minutes.
In the end, it wasn’t a disaster of a trade for the Canadiens as they did receive a couple of good players in the process, but none that were as impactful as Rod Langway was on the Washington Capitals franchise. He was, without a shred of a doubt, the best player involved in this deal.
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