Montreal Canadiens
you suck
br />1917-present (NHL)
|arena = Bell Centre (Centre Bell)
|city = Montreal, Quebec
|media_affiliates = English
CJAD (800 AM)
French
RDS
CKAC (730 AM)
|team_colors = Red, Blue, White
|head_coach = Guy Carbonneau
|general_manager =
Bob Gainey
|owner =
George N. Gillett Jr.
|president = Pierre Boivin
|captain =
Saku Koivu
|minor_league_affiliates = Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
|stanley_cups = 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
|conf_titles = 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1992–93
|division_titles = 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.[1]
French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-et-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Les Habitants and Le Grand Club. In English, the team's main nickname is the Habs (coming from "Les Habitants"). The French spelling Canadiens is always used in English (never Canadians).
Founded in 1909, eight years before the founding of the NHL, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously-operating professional ice hockey team and the only continuously-operating club to predate the league. On account of playing in the NHL prior to its 1967 expansion, they are considered one of the "Original Six" teams. With the departure of the Quebec Nordiques in 1995, the Canadiens are the sole NHL team in Quebec. The team's championship season in 1992-93 still marks the last time that a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.[2]
The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups (including their first in 1916, before the NHL existed), more than any other team.[3] On a percentage basis, as of 2008, the franchise has won 26% 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.[4]
The Canadiens play their home games at the Bell Centre, which was named the Molson Centre until 2003.[5] Former homes of the team include Jubilee Rink, Montreal Westmount Arena, Mount Royal Arena and the famous Montreal Forum. The Forum was considered a veritable shrine to hockey fans everywhere,[6] and housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.
History
The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909 as a charter member of the National Hockey Association,[7][8] the forerunner to the National Hockey League. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in the 1915-16 season[7]. In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL[7], and they won their first NHL Stanley Cup during the 1923-24 season, led by Howie Morenz. The team moved to the Montreal Forum for the 1926-27 season[7].
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[7], with another dynastic run of four straight Cups from 1976 to 1979[7]. 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[7], and in 1993[7], continuing their streak of winning at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s. In 1996, the Habs moved from the Montreal Forum, their home during 71 seasons and 22 Stanley Cups, to the Molson Centre[7].
Centennial celebrations
As part of the Canadiens celebrations for their Centennial year of 2008-09, the NHL awarded the 2009 NHL All-Star Game to Montreal,[10] as well as the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[11]
Team colors and mascot
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/MontrealCanadiens1918.png/150px-MontrealCanadiens1918.png)
The current team colors are red, blue and white. These colors have been used in combination since 1914. The Canadiens' famous colors 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.[12] The story was later made into an animated short;[13] a quote from it appears on the Canadian five dollar bill.[14]
Logo
One of sports' oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917-18 season before evolving to its current form in 1952-53. The 'H' does not stand for 'Habs' or Habitants; this misconception stems from an error by an English language newspaper reporter in the 1950s. It actually stands for 'Hockey', as in 'Club de Hockey Canadien', the official name of the team. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."[15].
Uniforms
The home jersey (traditionally called a 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 waist. 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. Because of the team's rich history and significance, the sweater is referred to by many as 'La sainte flanelle' (the holy flannel sweater).
Mascot
Beginning in the 2004-05 NHL season, the Canadiens adopted Youppi as their official mascot, the first in their 90+ year 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.[16] The terms of the deal was reportedly in the six figures.[17]
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 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 | T1 | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
2003-04 | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 | 1039 | 4th, Northeast | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 0-4 (Lightning) |
2004-05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | ||||||||||
2005-061 | 82 | 42 | 31 | — | 9 | 243 | 247 | 93 | 1312 | 3rd, Northeast | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Hurricanes) |
2006-07 | 82 | 42 | 34 | — | 6 | 245 | 256 | 90 | 1119 | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify |
2007–08 | 82 | 47 | 25 | — | 10 | 262 | 222 | 104 | 1072 | 1st, Northeast | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Flyers) |
- 1 As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).
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
Updated at completion of 2007–2008 season
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 | .83 |
Maurice Richard | RW | 978 | 544 | 421 | 965 | .99 |
Larry Robinson | D | 1202 | 197 | 686 | 883 | .73 |
Yvan Cournoyer | RW | 968 | 428 | 435 | 863 | .89 |
Jacques Lemaire | C | 853 | 366 | 469 | 835 | .98 |
Steve Shutt | LW | 871 | 408 | 368 | 776 | .89 |
Bernie Geoffrion | RW | 766 | 371 | 388 | 759 | .99 |
Elmer Lach | C | 664 | 215 | 408 | 623 | .94 |
Individual records
Career
- Most Seasons: Henri Richard, 20
- Most Games: Henri Richard, 1256
- Most Goals: Maurice Richard, 544
- Most Assists: Guy Lafleur, 728
- Most Points: Guy Lafleur, 1246 (518G, 728A)
- Most Penalty Minutes: Chris Nilan, 2248
- Most Shutouts: George Hainsworth, 75
- Most Consecutive Games Played: Doug Jarvis, 560
- Most Stanley Cups: Henri Richard, 11*
Season
- Most Goals in a season: Steve Shutt & Guy Lafleur, 60 (1976-77; 1977-78)
- Most Powerplay goals in a season: Sheldon Souray, 19 (2006-07)
- Most Assists in a season: Pete Mahovlich, 82 (1974-75)
- Most Points in a season: Guy Lafleur, 136 (1976-77)
- Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Chris Nilan, 358 (1984-85)
- Most Points in a season, defenceman: Larry Robinson, 85 (1976-77)
- Most Points in a season, rookie: Mats Naslund; Kjell Dahlin, 71 (1982-83; 1985-86)
- Most Wins in a season: Jacques Plante; Ken Dryden, 42 (1955-56 & 1961-62; 1975-76)
- Most Shutouts in a season: George Hainsworth, 22 (1928-29)*
- Most Goals in a season, defenceman: Guy Lapointe, 28 (1974-75)
* Indicates a League Record
Current roster
Updated August 19, 2024[18][19]
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 & 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- present
Head coaches
- Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette, 1909–10
- Adolphe Lecours, 1910–11
- Napoleon Dorval, 1911-13
- James Henry "Jimmy" Gardner, 1913-15
- Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde, 1915-21
- Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde
and Leo Dandurand, 1921-22 - Leo Dandurand, 1922-26
- 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, 1968-71
- Al MacNeil, 1971
- 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 coach)
- Guy Carbonneau, 2006 - present
Honoured members
Hockey Hall of Famers
In the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadiens boast the second-most enshrined Hall-of-Famers with forty-two. All of their inductees are from Canada with the exception of former defenceman Joe Hall, who was from England. 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 Vézina were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Patrick Roy and Dick Duff were the most recently inducted, in 2006.
Retired numbers
The Canadiens have retired thirteen numbers, by 14 players, in their history,[20] the most of any team in the National Hockey League, and the fourth highest total of any North American professional sports franchise. All of the honourees were born in Canada. Howie Morenz was the first honouree on November 2, 1937. Although not officially retired under his name, Jacques Laperriere who wore No. 2 after Doug Harvey, was present on the ice in the Montreal Forum the night the number was retired. In addition, Patrick Roy will have his 33 retired in a pregame ceremony on November 22, 2008.[21]
Montreal Canadiens Retired Numbers | |||||
No. | Player | Retired | No. | Player | Retired |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jacques Plante | October 7, 1975 | 12 | Dickie Moore | November 12, 2005 |
2 | Doug Harvey | October 26, 1985 | 12 | Yvan Cournoyer | November 12, 2005 |
4 | Jean Beliveau | October 9, 1971 | 16 | Henri Richard | December 10, 1975 |
5 | Bernard Geoffrion | March 11, 2006 | 18 | Serge Savard | November 18, 2006 |
7 | Howie Morenz | November 2, 1937 | 19 | Larry Robinson | November 19, 2007 |
9 | Maurice Richard | October 6, 1960 | 23 | Bob Gainey | February 23, 2008 |
10 | Guy Lafleur | February 16, 1985 | 29 | Ken Dryden | January 29, 2007 |
References
- ^ Club de hockey Canadien, Inc. (2008). "Montreal Canadians: Privacy Policy" (HTML). canadiens.com. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "The Complete List of Stanley Cup Champions". About.com. 2007. Retrieved 2006-02-14.
- ^ "Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists". NHL.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ As of July 2008, the Boston Celtics have the highest percentage of NBA championships with 28%, and in MLB, the New York Yankees have the highest percentage with 25%. "NBA Finals: All-Time Champions" (HTML). NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved 2008-07-22. "World Series History: Championships by Club" (HTML). MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Molson Centre renamed Bell Centre". CBC Sports. 2002. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ "The end of an era (The Montreal Forum)". High Beam Research. 1996. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Montreal Canadiens Hockey Team". Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ Stubbs, Dave (2008-09-04), "Canadiens toy with game at Olympic Stadium" (HTML), Montreal Gazette, pp. C2, retrieved 2008-09-04
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Habs to honor their 100th season" (Press release). Montreal Canadiens. 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ^ "Montreal will host 2009 NHL All-Star events". NHL.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ "Canadiens to host 2009 NHL Entry Draft" (Press release). NHL.com. 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ Tarasoff, Tamara (2004-12-10). "Roch Carrier and The Hockey Sweater" (HTML). Civilization.ca. Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ National Film Board of Canada Production (2008). "The Sweater" (HTML). NFB — Collection. National Film Board of Canada Production. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2008). "The Virtual Hot Stove" (HTML). Hockey: A People's History. National Film Board of Canada Production. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Why are the Montreal Canadiens called the Habs?". About.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ^ "Canadiens adopt Youppi! as their mascot". NBC. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Canadian Press (2005-09-16). "Canadiens get Youppi! to be Mascot" (HTML). tsn.ca. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ "Montreal Canadiens Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ "Montreal Canadiens Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Club de hockey Canadien (2008). "Montreal Canadiens - History" (HTML). canadiens.nhl.com. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Associated Press (September 11 2008). "Habs to retire Roy's number". NHL.com. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
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See also
- Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners
- Montreal Junior Canadiens
- Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry
- List of Montreal Canadiens presidents
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- List of Montreal Canadiens goaltenders