Long gone are the days when the Montreal Canadiens dominated the acquisition of junior-age players in the Province of Quebec through the minor league NHL Sponsorship Program. Legendary players such as Maurice Richard, Jacques Plante, and Emile Bouchard were plucked from their junior squads in Québec and promoted up to a Canadiens farm team, and then to the illustrious team itself.
That all changed in 1963 when the NHL introduced the Amateur Draft, phasing out the Sponsorship Program, and opening up the availability of unsponsored junior aged players to all the teams in the NHL. With the first selection in the 1963 Amateur Draft, Montreal picked Garry Monahan out of St.