Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens
(Canadiens de Montréal)
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
Colours Red, Blue, White
              
Media English
CJAD (800 AM)
French
RDS
CKAC (730 AM)
Owner(s) Flag of the United States George N. Gillett Jr.
General Manager Flag of Canada Bob Gainey
Head Coach Flag of Canada Guy Carbonneau
Captain Flag of Finland 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
Conference Championships 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1992–93
Division Championships 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. The franchise is one of the "Original Six" teams, a description used for teams that were part of the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. 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 marks the last time 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.

Contents

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,[7][8] 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.[9] The team's first season was not a success, placing last. After the first year, ownership was transferred to George Kennedy of Montreal[10] and the team's fortunes improved over the next seasons. 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

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 will host the 2009 NHL All-Star Game,[12] as well as the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[13]

Team colours and mascot

For more details on this topic, see 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' 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.[14] The story was later made into an animated short, The Sweater, narrated by Carrier.[15] A passage from the short appears on the 2002 issue of the Canadian five dollar bill.[16][17]

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."[18]

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.[19] The terms of the deal was reportedly in the six figures.[20]

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

For more details on this topic, see List of Montreal Canadiens records.

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

Season

* Indicates a league record.

Current roster

Updated December 13, 2008. [1]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
22 Flag of Canada Begin, SteveSteve Begin LW L 31 2003 Trois-Rivières, Quebec
51 Flag of the United States Bouillon, FrancisFrancis Bouillon D L 34 2002 New York, New York
71 Flag of Canada Brisebois, PatricePatrice Brisebois (A) D R 38 2007 Montreal, Quebec
36 Flag of Canada D'Agostini, MattMatt D'Agostini RW R 23 2005 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
25 Flag of Canada Dandenault, MathieuMathieu Dandenault Injured Reserve D R 33 2005 Sherbrooke, Quebec
26 Flag of Canada Gorges, JoshJosh Gorges D L 25 2007 Kelowna, British Columbia
41 Flag of Slovakia Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak G L 24 2003 Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
44 Flag of the Czech Republic Hamrlik, RomanRoman Hamrlik D L 35 2007 Zlín, Czechoslovakia
21 Flag of the United States Higgins, ChristopherChristopher Higgins (A) Injured Reserve RW L 26 2002 Smithtown, New York
11 Flag of Finland Koivu, SakuSaku Koivu (C) Injured Reserve C L 34 1993 Turku, Finland
8 Flag of the United States Komisarek, MikeMike Komisarek Injured Reserve D R 27 2001 West Islip, New York
46 Flag of Belarus Kostitsyn, AndreiAndrei Kostitsyn LW L 24 2003 Navapolatsk, U.S.S.R.
74 Flag of Belarus Kostitsyn, SergeiSergei Kostitsyn LW L 22 2005 Navapolatsk, U.S.S.R.
6 Flag of Canada Kostopoulos, TomTom Kostopoulos RW R 30 2007 Mississauga, Ontario
27 Flag of Russia Kovalev, AlexeiAlexei Kovalev (C) RW L 36 2004 Tolyatti, U.S.S.R.
20 Flag of the Czech Republic Lang, RobertRobert Lang C R 38 2008 Teplice, Czechoslovakia
40 Flag of Canada Lapierre, MaximMaxim Lapierre C R 24 2003 St. Leonard, Quebec
17 Flag of Canada Laraque, GeorgesGeorges Laraque RW R 32 2008 Montreal, Quebec
84 Flag of Canada Latendresse, GuillaumeGuillaume Latendresse RW L 22 2005 Sainte-Catherine, Quebec
79 Flag of Russia Markov, AndreiAndrei Markov (A) D L 30 1998 Voskresensk, U.S.S.R.
80 Flag of Canada Maxwell, BenBen Maxwell C L 21 2006 North Vancouver, British Columbia
3 Flag of Canada O'Byrne, RyanRyan O'Byrne D R 25 2003 Victoria, British Columbia
14 Flag of the Czech Republic Plekanec, TomasTomas Plekanec C L 26 2001 Kladno, Czechoslovakia
31 Flag of Canada Price, CareyCarey Price G L 22 2005 Anahim Lake, British Columbia
13 Flag of Canada Tanguay, AlexAlex Tanguay LW L 29 2008 Sainte-Justine, Quebec

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

  • Joseph Cattarinich and Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette, 1909–1911
  • George Kennedy, 1911 – 1921
  • 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


Source: (1909–1987) Mouton, Claude (1987). The Montreal Canadiens. Toronto, ON: Key Porter Books. pp. 193. ISBN 155013051X. 

Honoured members

For more details on this topic, see Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners.

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 Vezina were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Patrick Roy and Dick Duff were the most recently inducted, in 2006.

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

Retired numbers

The Canadiens have retired fourteen numbers, by 15 players, in their history,[21] 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.

Montreal Canadiens retired numbers
No. Player Retired
1 Jacques Plante October 7, 1995
2 Doug Harvey October 26, 1985
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
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

References

  1. ↑ Club de hockey Canadien, Inc. (2008). "Montreal Canadians: Privacy Policy" (HTML). canadiens.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  2. ↑ "The Complete List of Stanley Cup Champions". About.com (2007). Retrieved on 2006-02-14.
  3. ↑ "Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists". NHL.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
  4. ↑ 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 on 2008-07-22. "World Series History: Championships by Club" (HTML). MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved on 2008-07-22.
  5. ↑ "Molson Centre renamed Bell Centre". CBC Sports (2002). Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
  6. ↑ "The end of an era (The Montreal Forum)". High Beam Research (1996). Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 "Montreal Canadiens Hockey Team". Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
  8. ↑ Stubbs, Dave (2008-09-04), "Canadiens toy with game at Olympic Stadium" (HTML), Montreal Gazette: C2, http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=80701a02-5dd4-4624-89fd-6b6de145f41c, retrieved on 2008-09-04 
  9. ↑ Jenish, pp. 10-11
  10. ↑ "Canadian Dictionary of Biography online". Government of Canada Library and Archives (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  11. ↑ Montreal Canadiens (2008-08-26). "Habs to honor their 100th season". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
  12. ↑ "Montreal will host 2009 NHL All-Star events". NHL.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
  13. ↑ NHL.com (2008-07-15). "Canadiens to host 2009 NHL Entry Draft". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  14. ↑ Tarasoff, Tamara (2004-12-10). "Roch Carrier and The Hockey Sweater" (HTML). Civilization.ca. Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  15. ↑ National Film Board of Canada Production (2008). "The Sweater" (HTML). NFB — Collection. National Film Board of Canada Production. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  16. ↑ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2008). "The Spirit of Hockey" (HTML). CBC Archives. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
  17. ↑ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2008). "The Virtual Hot Stove" (HTML). Hockey: A People's History. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  18. ↑ "Why are the Montreal Canadiens called the Habs?". About.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
  19. ↑ "Canadiens adopt Youppi! as their mascot". NBC (2005). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  20. ↑ Canadian Press (2005-09-16). "Canadiens get Youppi! to be Mascot" (HTML). tsn.ca. Retrieved on 2008-07-25.
  21. ↑ Club de hockey Canadien (2008). "Montreal Canadiens - History" (HTML). canadiens.nhl.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.

See also

External links

Montreal Canadiens
History • Centennial • Players • Coaches • GMs • Seasons • Heritage Classic • Records • Draft picks
Youppi • Bell Centre • Montreal Forum
Stanley Cups
1916, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993
Retired Numbers
1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 12, 16, 18 19, 23, 29, 33
Affiliates
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)