Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Canadiens de Montréal
2011–12 Montreal Canadiens season
Conference	Eastern
Division	Northeast
Founded	December 4, 1909
History	Montreal Canadiens 1909–1917 (NHA) 1917–present (NHL)
Home arena	Bell Centre (Centre Bell)
City	Montreal, Quebec
File:ECN-Uniform-MTL.PNG
Team colours	red, white, blue
Media	English TSN Radio (990 AM) TSN French RDS 98,5 FM
Owner(s)	Molson family (Geoff Molson, chairman)
General manager	Pierre Gauthier
Head coach	Randy Cunneyworth (interim)
Captain	Brian Gionta in the old times the habs were created in 1909
Minor league affiliates	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	24 (1915–16, 1923–24, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1992–93)
Conference championships	8 (1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1992–93)
Presidents' Trophy	0
Division championships	22 (1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1936–37, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 2007–08)

The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien. French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle,Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Les Habitants, Le CH and Le Grand Club. In English, the team's main nickname is the Habs, an abbreviation of "Les Habitants". (Note: Even in English, the French spelling, Canadiens, is always used.)

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL, as well as one of the oldest North American sports franchises. The franchise is one of the "Original Six" teams, a description used for the teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. Following the departure of the rival Quebec Nordiques in 1995, and the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, DC in 2004, the Canadiens remain the sole team of the four major sports leagues of Canada and the United States that is based in the province of Quebec. The team's championship season in 1992–93 was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other franchise. They have won 24 championships, 22 of them since 1927, when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Stanley Cup. On a percentage basis, as of 2010, the franchise has won 25% of all Stanley Cup championships contested after the Challenge Cup era, making it one of the most successful professional sports teams of the traditional four major sports of Canada and the United States.

Since 1996, the Canadiens have played their home games at the Bell Centre, which was named the Molson Centre until 2003. Former homes of the team include Jubilee Rink, Montreal Westmount Arena, Mount Royal Arena and the Montreal Forum. The Forum was considered a veritable shrine to hockey fans everywhere, and housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.

History

Main article: History of the Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of the National Hockey Association, the forerunner to the National Hockey League. It was to be the team of the francophone community in Montreal, composed of francophone players, and under francophone ownership as soon as possible. The team's first season was not a success, as they placed last. After the first year, ownership was transferred to George Kennedy of Montreal and the team's fortunes improved over the next seasons. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in the 1915–16 season. In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL, and they won their first NHL Stanley Cup during the 1923–24 season, led by Howie Morenz. The team moved from the Mount Royal Arena to the Montreal Forum for the 1926–27 season.

In the 1930s, the club started the decade successfully with Stanley Cup wins in 1930 and 1931. However, the club and its then Montreal rival, the Montreal Maroons, declined both on the ice and economically during the Depression. Losses grew to the point where the team owners considering selling the team to Cleveland, Ohio interests. However, local investors were found and instead it was the Maroons that suspended operations, and several of the Maroons players moved to the Canadiens.

Led by the "Punch Line" of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach in the 1940s, the Canadiens enjoyed success again atop the NHL. From 1952 to 1960, the franchise won six Stanley Cups, including a record five straight from 1956 to 1960, with a new set of stars coming to prominence: Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Doug Harvey, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Jacques Plante, and Richard's younger brother, Henri.

The Canadiens added ten more championships in fifteen seasons from 1965 to 1979, with another dynastic run of four straight Cups from 1976 to 1979. In the 1976–77 season, the Canadiens set a modern-day record for fewest losses by only losing eight games in an 80-game season. The next generation of stars included Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Pete Mahovlich, Steve Shutt, Bob Gainey, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson. Scotty Bowman, who would later set a record for most NHL victories by a coach, was the team's head coach for its last five Stanley Cup victories in the '70s.

The Canadiens won Stanley Cups in 1986, led by rookie star goaltender Patrick Roy, and in 1993, continuing their streak of winning at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s (this streak ended in the 2000s). In 1996, the Habs moved from the Montreal Forum, their home during 70 seasons and 22 Stanley Cups, to the Molson Centre (now the Bell Centre).

On December 29, 2008 the Canadiens won 5–2 over the Florida Panthers to become the first team in NHL history to reach 3,000 victories.

Commemorative 100th anniversary logo for 2008–09

Centennial celebrations

Main article: Montreal Canadiens centennial

The Montreal Canadiens retired various uniform numbers as part of its leadup to its celebrations during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. As part of the scheduled events for 2009, Montreal hosted the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Pour toujours, les Canadiens! is a 2009 Quebec feature film about the centennial celebrations, written by Jacques Savoie and directed by Sylvain Archambault. The film debuted in theatres on December 4, 2009, the Canadiens' centennial.

Team colours and mascot

Logo used (1917–19, 1921–22)

Further information: History of the Montreal Canadiens

The current team colours are red, blue and white. These colours have been used in combination since 1914. The Canadiens' colours are an important part of French Canadian culture. In the short story "The Hockey Sweater", Roch Carrier described the influence of the Canadiens and their jersey within rural Quebec communities during the 1940s. The story was later made into an animated short, The Sweater, narrated by Carrier. A passage from the short story appears on the 2002 issue of the Canadian five dollar bill.

Logo

One of sport's oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917–18 season, when the club changed its name to "Club de hockey Canadien" from Club athlétique Canadien, before evolving to its current form in 1952–53. The "H" stands for "hockey", not "Habs" or "Habitants", a popular misconception. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard, owner of the Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."

Uniforms

The home sweater is predominantly red in colour. There are four blue and white stripes, one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waistline. The main road sweater is mainly white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves and the shoulders are also draped with red. The basic design has been in use since 1914, with the current version dating from 1952. Because of the team's lengthy history and significance in Quebec, the sweater has been referred to as 'La Sainte-Flanelle' (the holy flannel sweater).

The Canadiens had a barber pole or "barber shop" design jersey for the year 1912–1913.

The original shirt of the 1909-1910 season was blue with a white C, as can be seen worn by Georges Poulin.

Motto

Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high.

The motto is from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae which was written in 1915, the year the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup championship. The motto appears on the wall of the Canadiens dressing room, originally at the Montreal Forum and currently at the Bell Centre.

Mascot

Beginning in the 2004–05 NHL season, the Canadiens adopted Youppi as their official mascot, the first costumed mascot in their long history. Youppi was the longtime mascot for the Montreal Expos baseball team, but was dropped from the franchise when they moved to Washington, D.C. in 2004 and became the Washington Nationals. With the switch, Youppi became the first mascot in professional sports to switch leagues. The team has previously had children as mascots who would skate with the team during warm-ups and during intermissions. One notable child mascot was the son of player Howie Morenz, Howie Morenz Jr. Other mascots were typically the children of players or Canadiens management.

Seasons and records

Season by season results

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Canadiens. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Montreal Canadiens seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2006–07	82	42	34	6	90	245	256	4th, Northeast	Did not qualify
2007–08	82	47	25	10	104	262	222	1st, Northeast	Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1–4 (Flyers)
2008–09	82	41	30	11	93	249	247	2nd, Northeast	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Bruins)
2009–10	82	39	33	10	88	217	223	4th, Northeast	Lost in Conference Finals, 1–4 (Flyers)
2010–11	82	44	30	8	96	216	209	2nd, Northeast	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Bruins)

Franchise individual records

Further information: List of Montreal Canadiens records

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Points	Goals	Assists
Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G Guy Lafleur RW 961 518 728 1246 1.30 Jean Beliveau C 1125 507 712 1219 1.08 Henri Richard C 1256 358 688 1046 0.83 Maurice Richard RW 978 544 421 965 0.99 Larry Robinson D 1202 197 686 883 0.73 Yvan Cournoyer RW 968 428 435 863 0.89 Jacques Lemaire C 853 366 469 835 0.98 Steve Shutt LW 871 408 368 776 0.89 Bernie Geoffrion RW 766 371 388 759 0.99 Saku Koivu C 792 191 450 641 0.81	Player Pos G Maurice Richard RW 544 Guy Lafleur RW 518 Jean Beliveau C 507 Yvan Cournoyer RW 428 Steve Shutt LW 408 Bernie Geoffrion RW 371 Jacques Lemaire C 366 Henri Richard C 358 Aurele Joliat LW 270 Mario Tremblay RW 258	Player Pos A Guy Lafleur RW 728 Jean Beliveau C 712 Henri Richard C 688 Larry Robinson D 686 Jacques Lemaire C 469 Saku Koivu C 450 Yvan Cournoyer RW 435 Maurice Richard RW 421 Elmer Lach C 408 Guy Lapointe D 406

Sources: "Statistics | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved June 27, 2009., "Hockey-Reference.com". June 17, 2010.

Records – skaters

Career

• Most seasons: 20, Henri Richard
• Most games: 1256, Henri Richard
• Most goals: 544, Maurice Richard
• Most assists: 728, Guy Lafleur
• Most points: 1246 (518G, 728A), Guy Lafleur
• Most penalty minutes: 2248, Chris Nilan
• Most consecutive games played: 560, Doug Jarvis

Season

• Most goals in a season: 60, Steve Shutt (1976–77); Guy Lafleur (1977–78)
• Most powerplay goals in a season: 20, Yvan Cournoyer (1966–67)
• Most powerplay goals in a season, defenceman: 19, Sheldon Souray (2006–07)*
• Most assists in a season: 82, Pete Mahovlich (1974–75)
• Most points in a season: 136, Guy Lafleur (1976–77)
• Most penalty minutes in a season: 358, Chris Nilan (1984–85)
• Most points in a season, defenceman: 85, Larry Robinson (1976–77)
• Most points in a season, rookie: 71, Mats Naslund (1982–83); Kjell Dahlin (1985–86)
• Most goals in a season, defenceman: 28, Guy Lapointe (1974–75)

* Indicates a league record.

Source: "Season records – Individual records – Skaters | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved December 12, 2008.

Records – goaltenders

Career

• Most games played: 556, Jacques Plante
• Most shutouts: 75, George Hainsworth
• Most wins: 314, Jacques Plante

Season

• Most games in a season: 72, Carey Price (2010–11)
• Most wins in a season: 42, Jacques Plante (1955–56 & 1961–62); Ken Dryden (1975–76)
• Most shutouts in a season: 22, George Hainsworth (1928–29)*

* Indicates a league record.

Source: "Season records – Individual records – goaltenders | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved December 12, 2008.

Current roster

Updated November 6, 2024

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
17		Josh Anderson	RW	R	30	2020	Burlington, Ontario
40		Joel Armia	RW	R	31	2018	Pori, Finland
52		Justin Barron	D	R	22	2022	Halifax, Nova Scotia
13		Cole Caufield	RW	R	23	2019	Mosinee, Wisconsin
82		Lucas Condotta	C	L	27	2022	Georgetown, Ontario
77		Kirby Dach	C	R	23	2022	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
28		Christian Dvorak	C	L	28	2021	Palos, Illinois
71		Jake Evans	C	R	28	2014	Toronto, Ontario
11		Brendan Gallagher (A)	RW	R	32	2010	Edmonton, Alberta
21		Kaiden Guhle	D	L	22	2020	Edmonton, Alberta
49		Rafael Harvey-Pinard	LW	L	25	2019	Saguenay, Quebec
51		Emil Heineman	LW	L	22	2022	Leksand, Sweden
48		Lane Hutson	D	L	20	2022	Holland, Michigan
92		Patrik Laine	RW	R	26	2024	Tampere, Finland
8		Mike Matheson (A)	D	L	30	2022	Pointe-Claire, Quebec
35		Sam Montembeault	G	L	28	2021	Bécancour, Quebec
15		Alex Newhook	C	L	23	2023	St. John's, Newfoundland
55		Michael Pezzetta	LW	L	26	2016	Toronto, Ontario
31		Carey Price	G	L	37	2005	Anahim Lake, British Columbia
30		Cayden Primeau	G	L	25	2017	Farmington Hills, Michigan
58		David Savard	D	R	34	2021	Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
20		Juraj Slafkovsky	LW	L	20	2022	Košice, Slovakia
47		Jayden Struble	D	L	23	2019	Cumberland, Rhode Island
14		Nick Suzuki (C)	C	R	25	2018	London, Ontario
72		Arber Xhekaj	D	L	23	2021	Hamilton, Ontario

Leaders

Team captains

• Jack Laviolette, 1909–10
• Newsy Lalonde, 1910–11
• Jack Laviolette, 1911–12
• Newsy Lalonde, 1912–13
• Jimmy Gardner, 1913–15
• Howard McNamara, 1915–16
• Newsy Lalonde, 1916–22
• Sprague Cleghorn, 1922–25
• Billy Coutu, 1925–26
• Sylvio Mantha, 1926–32
• George Hainsworth, 1932–33
• Sylvio Mantha, 1933–36
• Albert "Babe" Siebert, 1936–39
• Walter Buswell, 1939–40
• Toe Blake, 1940–48
• Bill Durnan, 1948 (January–April)
• Emile Bouchard, 1948–56

• Maurice Richard, 1956–60
• Doug Harvey, 1960–61
• Jean Beliveau, 1961–71
• Henri Richard, 1971–75
• Yvan Cournoyer, 1975–79
• Serge Savard, 1979–81
• Bob Gainey, 1981–89
• Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios, 1989–90 (co-captains)
• Guy Carbonneau, 1990–94
• Kirk Muller, 1994–95
• Mike Keane, 1995 (April–December)
• Pierre Turgeon, 1995–96
• Vincent Damphousse, 1996–99
• Saku Koivu, 1999–2009
• No captain, 2009–10
• Brian Gionta, 2010–present

Head coaches

Main article: List of Montreal Canadiens head coaches

• Joseph Cattarinich
  and Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette, 1909–1910
• Adolphe Lecours, 1911
• Napoleon Dorval, 1911–1913
• Jimmy Gardner, 1913–1915
• Newsy Lalonde, 1915–1921
• Leo Dandurand, 1921–26
• Cecil Hart, 1926–32
• Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde, 1932–34
• Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde
  and Leo Dandurand, 1934–35
• Sylvio Mantha, 1935–36
• Cecil Hart, 1936–38
• Cecil Hart and Jules Dugal, 1938–39
• Albert "Babe" Siebert, 1939
• Alfred "Pit" Lepine, 1939–40
• Dick Irvin, 1940–55
• Hector "Toe" Blake, 1955–68
• Claude Ruel, 1968–70

• Al MacNeil, 1970–71
• Scotty Bowman, 1971–79
• Bernie Geoffrion, 1979
• Claude Ruel, 1979–81
• Bob Berry, 1981–84
• Jacques Lemaire, 1984–85
• Jean Perron, 1985–88
• Pat Burns, 1988–92
• Jacques Demers, 1992–95
• Mario Tremblay, 1995–97
• Alain Vigneault, 1997–00
• Michel Therrien, 2000–03
• Claude Julien, 2003–06
• Bob Gainey, 2006 (January–May) (interim)
• Guy Carbonneau, 2006–09
• Bob Gainey, 2009 (March–June) (interim)
• Jacques Martin, 2009–2011
• Randy Cunneyworth, 2011-present (interim)

Source: "Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved December 12, 2008.

Honoured members

Further information: List of Montreal Canadiens award winners

Hockey Hall of Fame

Sixty-one people associated with the Canadiens have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Thirty-six of these players are from three separate notable dynasties: 12 from 1955–1960, 11 from 1964–1969 and 13 from 1975–1979. Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Doug Gilmour was the most recently inducted, in 2011.

Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famers
Player	Nat.	Position	Inducted
Howie Morenz		C	1945
Georges Vezina		G	1945
Aurele Joliat		LW	1947
Newsy Lalonde		C	1950
Joe Malone		C	1950
Sprague Cleghorn		D	1958
Herb Gardiner		LW	1958
Sylvio Mantha		D	1960
Maurice "Rocket" Richard		RW	1961
Joe Hall		D	1961
George Hainsworth		G	1961
Harry Cameron		D	1962
Jack Laviolette		D	1962
Jimmy Gardner		LW	1962
Didier Pitre		RW	1962
Albert "Babe" Siebert		LW	1964
Bill Durnan		G	1964
Marty Barry		C	1965
Ken Reardon		D	1966
Hector "Toe" Blake		LW	1966
Emile Bouchard		D	1966
Elmer Lach		C	1966
Tom Johnson		D	1970
Jean Beliveau		C	1972
Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion		RW	1972
Doug Harvey		D	1973
Dickie Moore		LW	1974
Gord Drillon		RW	1975
Jacques Plante		G	1978
Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard		C	1979
Lorne "Gump" Worsley		G	1980
Frank Mahovlich		LW	1981
Yvan Cournoyer		RW	1982
Ken Dryden		G	1983
Jacques Lemaire		C	1984
Bert Olmstead		RW	1985
Serge Savard		D	1986
Jacques Laperriere		D	1987
Guy Lafleur		RW	1988
Tony Esposito		G	1988
Bud O'Connor		RW	1988
Bob Gainey		LW	1992
Guy Lapointe		D	1993
Steve Shutt		LW	1993
Larry Robinson		D	1995
Denis Savard		C	2000
Rod Langway		D	2002
Patrick Roy		G	2006
Dick Duff		LW	2006
Doug Gilmour		C	2011

The following are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders category. The first inductee was Vice President William Northy in 1945. The most recent inductee was coach Scotty Bowman in 1991 who coached the Canadiens from 1971 to 1979, leading them to 5 Stanley Cups in only 8 seasons.

Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famers
Builder	Nat.	Title	Inducted
William Northey		Vice President	1945
Hon. Donat Raymond		Owner	1958
Dick Irvin		Coach	1958
Frank J. Selke		General Manager	1960
J. Ambrose O'Brien		Owner	1962
Leo Dandurand		Owner	1963
Tommy Gorman		General Manager	1963
Hon. H de M Molson		Owner	1973
Joe Cattarinich		Owner	1977
Sam Pollock		General Manager	1978
Scotty Bowman		Coach	1991

Retired numbers

The Canadiens have retired fifteen numbers in honour of seventeen players, the most of any team in the National Hockey League, and the third highest total of any of the four major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. All of the honourees were born in Canada. Howie Morenz was the first honouree on November 2, 1937.

Montreal Canadiens retired numbers
No.	Player	Retired
1	Jacques Plante	October 7, 1995
2	Doug Harvey	October 26, 1985
3	Emile Bouchard	December 4, 2009
4	Jean Beliveau	October 9, 1971
5	Bernard Geoffrion	March 11, 2006
7	Howie Morenz	November 2, 1937
9	Maurice Richard	October 6, 1960
10	Guy Lafleur	February 16, 1985
12	Dickie Moore	November 12, 2005
12	Yvan Cournoyer	November 12, 2005
16	Henri Richard	December 10, 1975
16	Elmer Lach	December 4, 2009
18	Serge Savard	November 18, 2006
19	Larry Robinson	November 19, 2007
23	Bob Gainey	February 23, 2008
29	Ken Dryden	January 29, 2007
33	Patrick Roy	November 22, 2008
99	Wayne Gretzky	February 6, 2000 (Retired League-Wide)

See also

• List of Montreal Canadiens award winners
• Montreal Junior Canadiens
• Bruins–Canadiens rivalry
• List of Montreal Canadiens presidents
• List of Montreal Canadiens general managers
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of Montreal Canadiens goaltenders
• Bell Sports Complex

Further reading

• D'Arcy, Jenish (2009). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory. Anchor Canada. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
• Leonetti, Mike (2003). Canadiens legends : Montreal's hockey heroes. Raincoast Books. ISBN 1-55192-731-4Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
• Mouton, Claude (1987). The Montreal Canadiens. Toronto, ON: Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55013-051-X.

External links

• Official website of the Montreal Canadiens
• Official historical website of the Montreal Canadiens
• CBC Digital Archives: Montreal Canadiens at 100
• canadiensmtl
• Bell Centre
• Bell Sports Complex