Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens were a founding member of the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917 of the National Hockey League (NHL) and entered the league with new uniforms and a new crest. The new crest was a stylized "C" with an "H" in the middle, symbolized to represent the team's new official name: Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The "H" in the logo stands for hockey—not, as many believe, for "habitants." This misconception, linked to one of the club's main nicknames, originated from Madison Square Garden owner Tex Rickard, who mistakenly told a reporter in 1924 that the "H" stood for habitants.

The word "habitants" fell out of some favor with French Canadians, as they would come to see it as generally meaning "uncouth peasant;," whereas in contemporary Quebecois French, if a person is considered to have "habitant manners," it is to say that person is a country bumpkin. The word has become, as Quebecers turned their back on the Roman Catholic church and its agricultural past, a rejected symbol once held dear. However, the abbreviation, "Habs," did not suffer the negative association of habitants and continues to be a common and popular nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.

Regulated senior hockey arrived in Montreal thanks to students at McGill University. The students began playing hockey on Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875. The group developed a written set of rules for participants by 1880, and by 1886, they worked to organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). This included four teams from Montreal, one team from Ottawa, and one team from Quebec City (which joined the league in 1892). During this period, the Stanley Cup was not the championship cup of any individual league, and any team in Canada could challenge for the cupCup. During this period, the Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1894 and 1895, and the Montreal Victorias won in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.

After the team's inaugural season, it was sold. The story of the sale has different versions. In one story, the team was unsuccessful in its first season, and therefore O'Brien sold the team to George Kennedy, a sports promoter at the time. The other version of the story was that George Kennedy already owned Le Club Athletique Canadien, a hockey team that entered the NHA in 1910 and traced its roots furtherfarther back. In that history, Kennedy claimed the "Canadiens" team name. The dispute, in the latter version, was settled by $7,500, for which Kennedy purchased the Montreal Canadiens. The players joined Kennedy's club, and Le Club Athletique Canadien adopted the Canadiens monicker. A new logo was introduced for the team, which had a simple printed "C" with an "A" inside, standing for Club Athletique.

The Montreal Canadiens, early in their NHL history, established a reputation for flair, speed, and offensive power. The reputation was built on players such as Joe Malone, Aurèle Joliat, and Howie Morenz, who is largely considered the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The team missed playoffs from 1920 to 1922. They reached the championship in 1922–1923, but during the playoffs, the Canadiens suspended their own captain, Sprague Cleghorn, for a vicious check against Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman. Ottawa went on to win the 1923 league championship and Stanley Cup. By 1924, Montreal would be at itstheir best and win itstheir first Stanley Cup as an NHL franchise.

The 1928–1929 season, however, is still considered one of the most successful in team history. The team only lost seven games, won twenty-two by shutout, and ended the season with an eight-game win streak. However, come playoffs, the team lost to the Boston Bruins.

There was none of the doom and gloom of the beginning of the 1940s to begin the 1950s for the Canadiens. Despite ending the 1949–1950 through to 1951–1952 seasons in defeat, the Canadiensteam began the 1952-53 season with Jacques Plante making his NHL debut in goal and helping the team finish second in the league. That season the Canadiens won their seventh Stanley Cup.

NHL President Clarence Campbell, who had given Richard the suspension, visited Montreal on March 17 of that year, which provoked a riot at the Montreal Forum (their home rink), which would go on to be known as the Richard Riot. This was also a time when the Canadiens were increasingly tied to rising ethnic tensions in Quebec and a factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution. Richard promised the fans and the city he would return the next season and finish with a cupCup.

As the NHL expanded through the 1980s, the Canadiens' domination came to an end. Despite this, the club remained competitive. They were top of the league in scoring thanks to stars like Guy Lafleur, Pierre Larouche, Steve Shutt, and Pierre Mondou, and the return of coach Claude Ruel. But the loss of previous stars and increased competition through the league led to Montreal falling to third place in the decade's first season, and they finished the season without a Cup for the first time in five years.

After the team's inaugural season, it was sold. The story of the sale has different versions. In one story, the team was unsuccessful in its first season, and therefore O'Brien sold the team to George Kennedy, a sports promoter at the time. The other version of the story was that George Kennedy already owned Le Club Athletique Canadien, a hockey team that entered the NHA in 1910 and traced its roots further back. OnIn that history, Kennedy claimed the "Canadiens" team name. The dispute, in the latter version, was settled by $7,500, for which Kennedy purchased the Montreal Canadiens. The players joined Kennedy's club, and Le Club Athletique Canadien adopted the Canadiens monicker. A new logo was introduced for the team, which had a simple printed "C" with an "A" inside, standing for Club Athletique.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1930s on a high, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1930 and 1931, the first back-to-back Stanley Cups for the team. However, a loss in the 1932 playoff semifinals to the New York Rangers signaled a downturn for the team. They spent significant parts of the season in the basement of the Canadian Division (as it was then known), and, despite making playoffs, they lost early. This led to the Canadiens finishing last place in 1935–1936. During this period, general manager Leo Dandurand made several trades and was sold to the Canadian Arena Company, who continued to trade players in an attempt to better the team.

In the 1942–1943 season, the NHL league was reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this season, rookie Maurice "Rocket" Richard joined the team and replaced Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch Line" (which included Toe Blake and Elmer Lach). Bill Durnan played goalie for the season and was considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s, which enjoyed a great run of success.

During the summer of 1984, Savard picked goaltender Patrick Roy in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1984–1985 season saw Guy Lafleur announce his retirement. The team recorded a mediocre 1985–1986 season, but before the playoffs began, coach Jean Perron sequestered the team in a hotel in Montreal in a bid to focus the team's energies. The gamble worked as the Canadiens won their twenty-third Stanley Cup in 1986, led by rookie goaltender Patrick Roy, who would also win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, becoming the youngest player at that point to win the honors. The team reached the finals again in the 1988–1989 season but fell short of the win.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1990s as a top team in the NHL, but coach Pat Burns left to coach the rival team, Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple Leafs, at the end of the 1992 playoffs. Jacques Demers took the reins as the coach in the 1992–1993 season, and the club went on to win an unexpected twenty-fourth Stanley Cup in that season, defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in five games. The team was once again led by the goaltending of Patrick Roy, who won a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Montreal Canadiens, early in their NHL history, established a reputation for flair, speed, and offensive power. The reputation was built on players such as Joe Malone, Aurèle Joliat, and Howie Morenz, who is largely considered the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The team missed playoffs from 1920 to 1922. They reached the championship in 1922–1923, but during the playoffs saw, the Canadiens suspendsuspended their own captain, Sprague Cleghorn, for a vicious check against Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman. Ottawa went on to win the 1923 league championship and Stanley Cup. By 1924, Montreal would be at its best and win its first Stanley Cup as an NHL franchise.

In the 1942–1943 season, the NHL saw the league reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this season, rookie Maurice "Rocket" Richard joined the team and replaced Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch LIneLine" (which included Toe Blake and Elmer Lach). Bill Durnan played goalie for the season and was considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s, which enjoyed a great run of success.

The 1943–1944 season saw the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. TheDuring the 1944–1945 season saw, the team leadled the league with the most goals scored, the fewest goals allowed, and the most penalty minutes. Maurice Richard became the league's first 50-goal scorer, and though the Canadiens missed out on the Cup in 1945, 1947, and 1949 (missing the playoffs altogether in 1948), the club took home the Stanley Cup in 1946.

TheDuring the 1957–1958 season saw, young star Dickie Moore, nicknamed Digging Dickie, leadled the NHL's point race, followed closely by Maurice Richard's younger brother, Henri, nicknamed the Pocket Rocket. The Canadiens that season would win the Cup and mark the league's second "three-peat." This would extend to a fourth straight championship in 1958–1959 and a fifth straight in 1959–1960. The 1960 Stanley Cup would see Maurice Richard retire at the end of the season.

TheDuring the 1967–1968 season saw, the NHL expandexpanded with an additional six teams, one of the largest expansions in professional sports history. The expansion season saw the Canadiens at the bottom of the league in the first thirty-three games before finishing at the top of the league by the end of the season. This success was partially due to Jean Béliveau, who scored his 400th goal and reached 1,000 career points during the season. They would win their fifteenth Stanley Cup against the St. Louis Blues, one of the new expansion teams, in 1968. They repeated the defeat of the St. Louis Blues in 1969 and won their sixteenth Stanley Cup. During that final season of the decade, the team was playing in a renovated Montreal Forum under coach Claude Ruel.

The Canadiens began the 1969–1970 season with players fighting injuries. Thesethat kept stars, including Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson, and Serge Savard, off the ice for various periods of time. Further, Jacques Laperrière and John Ferguson were suspended, and Gilles Tremblay retired due to illness. The team slipped in the standings and failed to make the 1970s playoffs.

As the NHL expanded through the 1980s, the Canadiens domination came to an end. Despite this, the club remained competitive. They were top of the league in scoring thanks to stars like Guy Lafleur, Pierre Larouche, Steve Shutt, and Pierre Mondou, and the return of coach Claude Ruel. But the loss of previous stars and increased competition through the league sawled to Montreal fallfalling to third place in the decade's first season, and they finished the season without a Cup for the first time in five years.

Forward Max Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and fractured vetebravertebrae after a hit that sent him colliding into a stanchion. Pacioretty missed the remainder of the 2010–2011 season but returned in the 2011–2012 season that sawhad few other bright spots. That season saw theThe general manager and coach were fired after the team finished last in their division and conference.

The general manager and coaching positions were filled by Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, respectively. TheDuring the 2012–2013 lockout-shortened season saw, Canadiens' star defenseman P.K. Subban win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (for best defenseman). The NHL returned to a full season in 2013–2014, and the Canadiens advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the New York Rangers. In the following year, in part due to the performance of goaltender Carey Price, the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division and finished with 110 points, the most for the franchise since 1988–1989. However, the team fell in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. For his efforts, Price was awarded the Vezina, Hart, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

The 2015–2016 season saw Max Pacioretty named the twenty-ninth captain in franchise history. But early in the season, Carey Price was injured, suffering a knee injury, which would be aggravated soon after his return and cause Price to miss the remainder of the season—aseasonseason—a season in which the Canadiens would miss the playoffs. ThisIn the 2016 off-season saw, the Canadiens make a stunning move in sending their star defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber. Controversy followed the trade, as P.K. Subban was a popular figure in Montreal, especially for his charisma and charitable work.

The 2016–2017 season sawincluded Carey Price's return, and with itthat, the competitive Montreal Canadiens, winningwon the Atlantic Division, but the team faltered in the first round to the New York Rangers. The 2017–2018 season sawto follow, the Canadiens strugglestruggled with their defense, and the Canadiensthey would make changes in the resulting offseason, including trading captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights for Tomas Tatar and prospect Nick Suzuki. The 2018–2019 season was equally deflating, as the team once again failed to reach the playoffs.

The 2019–2020 season saw anwas interruptioninterrupted withby the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a pause in March 2020. The Canadiens, at the pause, were outside of the playoffs, ranked twelfth in the Eastern Conference. But given the modified post-season tournament, intended to give those teams just outside the playoffs a chance to play-in, the Canadiens were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five qualifying series. They ultimately lost against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The Canadiens beat the much higher and Stanley Cup-favored Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, after falling three games to one and being put on the brink of elimination. TheIn the second round saw, the Canadiens sweepswept the Winnipeg Jets, and in the Conferenceconference Finals sawfinals, the Canadiens defeatdefeated the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canadiens went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final but became the first Canadian NHL team to reach the finals since Vancouver reached them in 2011. The playoff run became a last gasp for the group, which had been largely assembled during the previous decade.

Through the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons, the Canadiens committed to rebuilding. This sawThe general manager, Marc Bergevin, and the club partparted ways, withand Kent Hughes comingcame in as the new general manager under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, who. hadGorton previously guided the New York Rangers through a rebuild as general manager, (but whohe would not be named general manager of the Canadiens because he does not speak French). Dominique Ducharme would, in turn, bewas replaced as head coach, as the club felt he was not the right person for developing the young team, and in his place,. Martin St. Louis took over coaching duties.

After the team's inaugural season, it would bewas sold. The story of the sale has different versions. In one story, the team was unsuccessful in its first season, and therefore O'Brien sold the team to George Kennedy, a sports promoter at the time. The other version of the story was that George Kennedy already owned Le Club Athletique Canadien, a hockey team that entered the NHA in 1910 and traced its roots further back. On that history, Kennedy claimed the "Canadiens" team name. The dispute, in the latter version, was settled by $7,500, for which Kennedy purchased the Montreal Canadiens. The players joined Kennedy's club, and Le Club Athletique Canadien adopted the Canadiens monicker. A new logo was introduced for the team, which had a simple printed "C" with an "A" inside, standing for Club Athletique.

The 1928–1929 season, however, is still considered one of the most successful in team history. The team would, over the course of the season, only loselost seven games, won 22 gamestwenty-two by shutout, and ended the season with an eight-game win streak. However, come playoffs, the team would loselost to the Boston Bruins.

The Montreal Canadiens would beginbegan the 1930s on a high, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1930 and 1931, the first back-to-back Stanley Cups for the team. However, a loss in the 1932 playoff semifinals to the New York Rangers would signalsignaled a downturn for the team. They would spendspent significant parts of the season in the basement of the Canadian Division (as it was then known) and, despite making playoffs, wouldthey loselost early. This led to the Canadiens finishing last place in 1935–1936. During this period, general manager Leo Dandurand made several trades and would bewas sold to the Canadian Arena Company, who would continuecontinued to trade players in an attempt to better the team.

Howie Morenz would returnreturned to Montreal for the 1936–1937 team, to tragic results. On January 28, 1937, Morenz broke his leg during a game, and would die on March 8 of that year, he died from complications with the break. The Canadiens mourned the loss of their former star and were again were booted from the playoffs early. They would closeclosed the decade at a low point.

The new decade saw a fanbase accustomed to disappointment. Beyond the on-ice struggles, and the tragic loss of a former star player, the team would lose coach Babes Siebert ahead of the 1939–1940 season in a drowning accident. The Canadiens would fail to earn a playoff spot and finish in last place that season.

In the 1942–1943 season, the NHL would seesaw the league reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this seaosnseason, rookie Maurice "Rocket" Richard would joinjoined the team and replacereplaced Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch LIne" (which included Toe Blake and Elmer Lach). Bill Durnan would playplayed goalie for the season, and largelywas considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s, which enjoyed a great run of success.

The 1943–1944 season saw the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. The 1944–1945 season saw the team lead the league with the most goals scored, fewest goals allowed, and most penalty minutes. Maurice Richard became the league's first 50 goal50-goal scorer, and though the Canadiens would missmissed out on the Cup in 1945, 1947, and 1949 (missing the playoffs altogether in 1948), the club would taketook home the Stanley Cup in 1946.

There was none of the doom and gloom of the beginning of the 1940s to begin the 1950s for the Canadiens. Despite ending the 1949–1950 through to 1951–1952 seasons in defeat, the Canadiens would beginbegan the 1952-53 season with Jacques Plante making his NHL debut in goal and helphelping the team finish second in the league. That season the Canadiens would winwon their seventh Stanley Cup.

They missed out on the Cup in 1954 and would loselost an opportunity to compete for the Cup in 1955, when star forward Maurice Richard was suspended for the remainder of the season, including playoffs, after getting into an altercation, which included Richard punching linesman Cliff Thompson. The suspension roseraised tensions in Montreal, with fans believing it was not only too long but was motivated by Richard's French Canadian ethnicity.

NHL President Clarence Campbell, who had given Richard the suspension, would visitvisited Montreal on March 17 of that year, which provoked a riot at the Montreal Forum (their home rink), which would go on to be known as the Richard Riot. This was also a time when the Canadiens were increasingly tied to rising ethnic tensions in Quebec and a factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution. Richard promised the fans and the city he would return next season and finish with a cup.

Stanley Cup winningCup-winning Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s.

His promise would be kept. The 1955–56 season would beingbegan an era of success unmatched since in the NHL, if not professional hockey. The Canadiens had a new coach in Hector "Toe" Blake, and had; two unstoppable lines of Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Bert Olmstead, Henri Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, and Dickie Moore,; and the best goalie in the NHL in, Jacques Plante. They would leadled the league by 24 points and resultresulted in the team's first 10-point season. They would followfollowed the 1956 Stanley Cup with a Stanley Cup win in 1957, marking a league record for the most Cup wins.

The 1957–1958 seasonsseason saw young star Dickie Moore, nicknamed Digging Dickie, lead the NHL's point race, followed closely by Maurice Richard's younger brother, Henri, nicknamed the Pocket Rocket. The Canadiens that season would win the Cup and mark the league's second "three-peat.". This would extend to a fourth straight championship in 1958–1959, and a fifth straight in 1959–1960. The 1960 Stanley Cup would see Maurice Richard retire at the end of the season.

The Canadiens' monopoly on the Stanley Cup would end in the 1961 playoffs. They would loselost in the playoffs again in 1962, 1963, and 1964. The loss in 1964 would leadled the Canadiens to overhaul their management over the summer, and the Canadiens would win their 13ththirteenth and 14thfourteenth frnachisefranchise Stanley Cups in 1965 and 1966.

The 1967-681967–1968 season saw the NHL expand towith an additional six teams, one of the largest expansions in professional sports history. The expansion season saw the Canadiens at the bottom of the league in the first 33thirty-three games, before finishing at the top of the league by the end of the season. This success was in partpartially due to Jean Béliveau, who scored his 400th goal and reached 1,000 career points during the season. They would win their 15thfifteenth Stanley Cup against the St. Louis Blues, one of the new expansion teams, in 1968. They repeated the defeat of the St. Louis Blues in 1969, and winwon their 16thsixteenth Stanley Cup. During that final season of the decade, the team was playing in a renovated Montreal Forum under coach Claude Ruel.

The Canadiens began the 1969–1970 season with players fighting injuries. These kept stars, including Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson, and Serge Savard, off the ice for various periods of time. Further, Jacques Laperrière and John Ferguson were suspended, and Gilles Tremblay retired due to illness. The team slipped in the standings and failed to make the 1970s playoffs.

The next season saw Guy Lapointe join the Canadiens, but wouldbeit would be the final season for John Ferguson and Jean Béliveau. ThroughDuring the season, AL MacNeil would bewas made the team's new coach, and along with goaltender Ken Dryden, led the Canadiens' towon thetheir 17thseventeenth Stanley Cup. MacNeil would bewas replaced by Scotty Bowman after winning the Cup.

Bowman would becomebecame a legendary coach for the Canadiens, leading a team biultbuilt around speed, scoring, and defense. The team lost in 1972, future star Guy Lafleur's first playoffs, and they won their 18theighteenth Stanley Cup in 1973, and won four straight Cups again from 1974–1975 to 1978–1979. During this run of success, Guy Lafleur would emerge as a star in the NHL, winning multiple awards, including the Conn Smythe, Art Ross, and Hart Trophies. However, the 1979 Stanley Cup final was bittersweet for the team. Despite the team winning the 22ndtheir intwenty-second totalCup, it markedwas the last game for Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and coach Scotty Bowman.

As the NHL expanded through the 1980s, the Canadiens domination would comecame to an end. Despite this, the club remained competitive. They were top of the league in scoring thanks to stars like Guy Lafleur, Pierre Larouche, Steve Shutt, and Pierre Mondou, and the return of coach Claude Ruel. But the loss of previous stars, and increased competition through the league saw the Montreal fall to third place in the decadesdecade's first season, and they finished the season without a Cup for the first time in five years.

Team general manager Irving Grundman would attemptattempted to mix the team up through trade and drafted DoughDoug Wickenheiser atas first overall for the next season. Despite a successful 1980–1981 season, the Canadiens would bewere swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton OIlers. Bob Berry replaced Ruel as coach for the 1981–1982 season, and, despite winning the division in the season, they would loselost in the playoff's first round to the Quebec Nordiques.

The eight-year reign of the Canadiens as division champions came to an end in the 1982–1983 season, when they finished second and failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs for a third year in a row. General manager Irving Grundman was replaced by Serge Savard. With the team falling to fourth in the division in 1983–1984, coach Berry would bewas replaced by Jacques Lemaire. This wouldseason markmarked Montreal's first losing season in 33thirty-three years, but they managed to reach the conference final in the playoffs before falling to the New York Islanders.

During the summer of 1984, Savard would pickpicked goaltender Patrick Roy in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1984–1985 season saw Guy Lafleur announce his retirement. The team reocrdedrecorded a mediocre 1985–1986 seasoonseason, but before the playoffs began, coach Jean Perron sequestered the team in a hotel in Montreal in a bid to focus the team's energies. The gamble worked as the Canadiens won their 23rdtwenty-third Stanley Cup in 1986, led by rookie goaltender Patrick Roy, who would also win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and becamebecoming the youngest player at that point to win the honors. The team would reachreached the finals again in 1988–1989 season, but would fallfell short of the win.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1990s as a top team in the NHL, but recent coach Pat Burns would leaveleft to coach the rival team, Toronto Maple Leafs, at the end of the 1992 playoffs. Jacques Demers took the reins as the coach in the 1992–1993 season, and the club would gowent on to win an unexpected 24thtwenty-fourth Stanley Cup in that season, defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in five games. The team was once again led by the goaltending of Patrick Roy, who won a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Cup was the team's last at the Montreal Forum. They made it to the playoffs in the preceedingpreceding season, bandand the 1994–1995 season was shortened by a lockout, with the Canadiens missing the playoffs for the first time in 25twenty-five years. After failing to improve in the 1995–1996 season, team management was overhauled, with Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay brought on as general manager and head coach, respectively. A few months into the season, star goaltender Patrick Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

The team's last game in the Montreal Forum came on March 11, 1996. They had played in the arena since 1924. Their next home game, five days later, was played in the new Molson Centre (since renamed the Bell Centre). The team would loselost in their next playoff series in 1996 and 1997. By December of the 1998–1999 season, the team went on an 11-gameeleven-game winless streak and would finishfinished the season out of playoff contention and with the lowest team point total since in 40forty years.

The team's troubles continued into the new millennium. In May of 2000, Maurice Richard died, and more than 100,000 people would attendattended a public memorial held at the Molson Centre. In 2001–2002, the Canadiens made it to the playoffs for the first time in four years, but they lost in the second round. They would missmissed the playoffs in the next season. With a view of reviving the struggling team, Bob Gainey was hired as the team's new general manager, beginning what for some have been called the Gainey era.

The era began with a slow start. Montreal would playplayed in the first outdoor NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers on November 22, 2003, and would even be back in playoff contention at the end of that season, but lost in the second round to eventual Cup winners Tampa Bay Lightning. This fate would be repeated in 2006.

In the following season, the 2009–2010 season, the Canadiens hoped that hiring Jacques Martin and retooling the roster through several trades would build the team back to glory. The team made history when forward Mike Cammalleri scored Montreal's 20,000th goal in a game against the Ottawa Senators. After squeaking into the playoffs, the Canadiens shocked by defeating the Washington Capitals in the first round after forcing a game seven. They would repeatrepeated the trick against the defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, forcing a game seven and reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. However, the run ended, asand the Philadelphia Flyers would eliminateeliminated the Canadiens in five games.

After falling short in the 2009–2010 season, the Canadiens would beginbegan the next decade by trading away goaltender Jaroslav Halak, despite his brilliance in the playoffs, and crowning Carey Price as their franchise goaltender. Despite this, the 2010–2011 season had few highlights. The Canadiens participated in the NHL's second-ever Heritage Classic, where they lost to the Calgary Flames in an outdoor game.

Forward Max Pacioretty would suffersuffered a seversevere concussion and fractured vetebra after a hit that sent him colliding into a stanchion. Pacioretty would missmissed the remainder of the 2010–2011 season, but returned in the 2011–2012 season that saw littlefew other bright spots. That season saw the general manager and coach fired after the team finished last in their division and conference.

The general manager and coaching positions would bewere filled by Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, respectively. The 2012–2013 lockout shortenedlockout-shortened season saw Canadiens' star defenseman P.K. Subban win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (for best defenseman). The NHL returned to a full season in 2013–2014, and the Canadiens would advanceadvanced to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the New York Rangers. In the following year, in part due to the performance of goaltender Carey Price, the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division and finished with 110 points, the most for the franchise since 1988–1989. However, the team would fallfell in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. For his efforts, Price would bewas awarded the Vezina, Hart, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

The 2015–2016 season would seesaw Max Pacioretty named the 29thtwenty-ninth captain in franchise history. But early in the season, Carey Price was injured, suffering a knee injury, which would be aggravated soon after his return, and cause Price to miss the remainder of the season. A seasonseason—aseason in which the Canadiens would miss the playoffs. This 2016 off-season saw the Canadiens make a stunning move in sending their star defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber. Controversy followed the trade, as P.K. Subban was a popular figure in Montreal, especially for his charisma and charitable work.

The 2016–2017 season saw Carey Price return, and with it, the competitive Montreal Canadiens, winning the Atlantic Division, but the team would falterfaltered in the first round to the New York Rangers. The 2017–2018 season saw the Canadiens struggle with their defense, and the Canadiens would make changes in the resulting offseason, including trading captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights for Tomas Tatar and prospect Nick Suzuki. The 2018–2019 season was equally deflating, as the team once again failed to reach the playoffs.

The 2019–2020 season saw an interruption with the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a pause in March 2020. The Canadiens, at the pause, were outside of the playoffs, ranked 12thtwelfth in the Eastern Conference. But given the modified post-season tournament, intended to give those teams just outside the playoffs a chance to play-in, the Canadiens were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five qualifying series. They would ultimately loselost against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The momentum of the bubble playoffs—as the 2020 season would be known—carried into the odd 2021 season. Due to the pandemic, and the border between the U.S. and Canada, the teams only played against division rivals, with the divisions remixed to see all seven Canadian teams playing against each other. The Canadiens, despite their struggles through the season, made it into the playoffs after coach Claude Julien was fired and Dominique Ducharme was hired.

The Canadiens beat the much higher and Stanley Cup favoredCup-favored Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, after falling three games to one and being put on the brink of elimination. The second round saw the Canadiens sweep the Winnipeg Jets, and the Conference Finals saw the Canadiens defeat the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canadiens would gowent on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final, but became the first Canadian NHL team to reach the finals since Vancouver reached them in 2011. The playoff run became a last gasp for the group, which had been largely assembled during the previous decade.

The 2021 offseason wouldincluded seesome controversy for the Canadiens, as the general manager would announceannounced the Montreal Canadiens selectselected Logan Mailloux as their first-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. This was despite Mailloux pulling himself out of the draft (which he could not do officially, but had made it known he would prefer not to be selected) following a conviction and fine in a Swedish court on a count of sexual misconduct after sharing an intimate photograph of himself with a young woman without her consent. This was public knowledge at the draft, and the Canadiens' decision to select the player led to fierce backlash. Owner Geoff Molson would issueissued a public apology, and Mailloux would not be invited to the Canadiens' training camp but remained the team's property.

Through the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons, the Canadiens would commitcommitted to a rebuildrebuilding. This saw general manager Marc Bergevin and the club part ways, with Kent Hughes coming in as new general manager under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, who had previously guided the New York Rangers through a rebuild as general manager (but who would not be named general manager of the Canadiens because he does not speak French). Dominique Ducharme would, in turn, be replaced as head coach, as the club felt he was not the right person for developing the young team, and in his place, Martin St. Louis would taketook over coaching duties.

The Montreal Canadiens, officially named the Club de Hockey Canadien, isare a National Hockey League (NHL) team competing in the NHL's Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team is the oldest existing NHL franchise, having formed previousprior to the forming of the NHL, and it is the only NHL franchise to have existed continuously for the entirety of the NHL's history. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens play out of the Bell Centre, a 21,302-seat arena (the largest capacity arena in the NHL) located in downtown Montreal; it replaced the historic Montreal Forum in 1996.

The Montreal Canadiens were a founding member in 1917 of the National Hockey League (NHL) and entered the league with new uniforms and a new crest. The new crest was a stylized "C" with an "H" in the middle, symbolized to represent the team's new official name: Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The "H" in the logo stands for hockey, nothockey—not, as many believe, for "habitants." This misconception, linked to one of the club's main nicknames, originated from Madison Square Garden owner Tex Rickard, who mistakenly told a reporter in 1924 that the "H" stood for habitants.

The word "habitants" fell out of some favor with French Canadians, as they would come to see it as generally meaning "uncouth peasant,;" wherewhereas in contemporary Quebecois French, if a person is considered to have "habitant manners," it is to say that person is a country bumpkin. The word has become, as Quebecers turned their back on the Roman Catholic church and its agricultural past, a rejected symbol once held dear. However, the abbreviation, the "Habs," did not suffer the negative association of habitants and continues to be a common and popular nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.

Regulated senior hockey arrived in Montreal thanks to students at McGill University. The students began playing hockey on Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875. The group developed a written set of rules for participants by 1880, and by 1886, they worked to organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). This included four teams from Montreal, one team from Ottawa, and one team from Quebec City (which joined the league in 1892). During this period, the Stanley Cup was not the championship cup of any individual league, and any team in Canada could challenge for the cup. During this period, the Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1894 and 1895, and the Montreal Victorias won in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.

The AHAC folded in 1898 and was be reorganized into the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). The Montreal Shamrocks won the Stanley Cup during the first two years of the CAHL's operations— 1899 and 1900. The Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1902 and 1903. The CAHL was replaced in 1905 by the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). The Montreal Wanderers became the team to beat in the new league as they successfully defended the Stanley Cup in 1907 and 1908. But, in 1909, the ECAHA dissolved and was reformed as the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), which excluded the Montreal Wanderers from the league. As a result, the Montreal Wanderers formed their own league, the National Hockey Association (NHA), and it merged with the CHA by 1910.

The Montreal Canadiens were officially formed in 1909 by John Ambrose O'Brien in the NHA. The club was formed to be a completely French club in a period when Montreal's French-speaking population mainly belonged to the working class strata of society, and many hockey teams and their players in the area were English-speaking. O'Brien wanted to capture the Francophone Montrealer's interest in ice hockey, and so the team used the French spelling of the word "Canadiens" to hint at the Francophone population and history. Further, the team only accepted French-speaking players, and he promised to hand the club over to local owners as soon as there were any. O'Brien named Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette as coach and general manager, who recruited the fiftedenfifteen players for the team.

In 1917–1918, the NHL was formed with the Canadiens as one of the founding teams. The Canadiens would loselost the new league's first championship to the Toronto Arenas, who becamewent on to become the first NHL first championshipchampions. However, the following year, the Canadiens would winwon the league championship over the Ottawa Senators but would again fallfell short in their run for the Stanley Cup. During 1919, due in part to the influenza pandemic, the series for the Stanley Cup between the Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans was interrupted, and no winner wouldcould be declared, leaving the Stanley Cup unawarded.

They followed this with a league championship win in 1925 due to the top team in the league, Hamilton, suffering a player's strike mid-season as the players demanded they be paid for playing in the post-season. The Canadiens were unsuccessful in the Stanley Cup finals of 1925 and finished the 1925–1926 season in last place in the league. The 1926–1927 season saw the NHL expand to ten teams. The Canadiens continued to struggle to win another Stanley Cup, losing in the semi-finals in 1927 to the Ottawa Senators, only. toThey followfollowed with a successful 1927–1928 season, thatwhich included a nineteen-game winning streak, only tobut loselost to the rival Montreal Maroons and missmissed the Stanley Cup finals again.

The Montreal Canadiens, officially named the Club de Hockey Canadien, is a nationalNational hockeyHockey leageLeague (NHL) team competing in the NHL's Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team is the oldest existing NHL franchise, having formed previous to the forming of the NHL, and it is the only NHL franchise to have existed continuously for the entirety of the NHL's history. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens play out of the Bell CentreBell Centre, a 21,302 seat21,302-seat arena (the largest capacity arena in the NHL) located in downtown Montreal,; whichit replaced the historic Montreal Forum in 1996.

The Canadiens are the winningest franchise in the NHL, having hoisted the Stanley Cup a total of 24twenty-four times in 35thirty-five appearances in the Stanley Cup finals and having more than 60sixty former players and personnel enshrinedinducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In some cases, the history of the Montreal Canadiens is the history of hockey and the NHL. The team is one of two bilingual franchises in the NHL, and the only franchise to emphasize French at their home games, wearing the French logo for the NHL (or LNH for Ligue Nationale de Hockey) on their home sweaters.

Montreal's team is deeply woven ininto the French community of Quebec. For that reason, the franchise has had unwritten rules about persons working inwith the team and on the roster. These include having a bilingual general manager, a bilingual coach, and having French-Canadian players on the roster.

The city has criticized the franchise when they haveit hired an anglophone coach - Randycoach—Randy CunneyworthCunneyworth—who took over in 2011 as interim head coach after the firing of Jacques Martin. andThis ignited a storm of criticism from Quebec journalists, radio hosts, and the provincial culture minister. -The andteam has also faced criticism for giving the team captaincy to players who do not speak French, such as the criticism levelled at the club when young center Nick Suzuki, who at the time was not bilingual, was named captain in 2022.

The Montreal Canadiens were a founding member in 1917 of the National Hockey League (NHL) and entered the league with new uniforms and a new crest. The new crest was a stylized "C" with an "H" in the middle, symbolized to represent the team's new official name: Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The "H" in the logo stands for hockey, not, as many believe, for "habitants.". This misconception, linked to one of the club's main nicknames, originated from Madison Square Garden owner Tex Rickard, who would mistakenly telltold a reporter in 1924 that the "H" stood for habitants.

The Canadiens were first referenced as the "Habitants" in Le Devoir on February 9, 1914, in a description of a game against Toronto. The word was used as the name for land-owning settlers of New France (eventually named Quebec) and was a common nickname for the team. The terms' association with the team is believed to originate with the team's marketing towardstoward the city's French community and billing itself as the French hockey club in opposition to Montreal's English team, the Wanderers. In the early years, Canadiens fans would showshowed their affiliation with the club by attending games wearing traditional habitant attire, which includes tuques, moccasins, and brightly colored sashes.

The word "habitants" would fallfell out of some favor with French Canadians, as they would come to see it as generally meaning "uncouth peasant," where in contemporary Quebecois French, if a person is considered to have "habitant manners," it is to say that person is a country bumpkin. The word has become, as Quebecers turned their back on the Roman Catholic church and its agricultural past, a rejected symbol once held dear. However, the abbreviation, the "habsHabs" did not suffer the negative association of habitants and continues to be a common and popular nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.

For a franchise as old as the Montreal Canadiens, it is no surprise that they have a list of other nicknames whichthat have enjoyed periods of popularity. These include nicknames such as:

Regulated senior hockey would first arrivearrived in Montreal thanks to students at McGill University. The students began playing hockey on Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875. The group developed a written set of rules for participants by 1880, and by 1886, worked to organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). This included four teams from Montreal, one team from Ottawa, and one team from Quebec City (which joined the league in 1892). During this period, the Stanley CupStanley Cup was not the championship cup of any individual league, and any team in Canada could challenge for the cup. During this period, the Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1894 and 1895, and the Montreal Victorias won in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.

The AHAC would foldfolded in 1898 and wouldwas be reorganized into the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). The Montreal Shamrocks would winwon the Stanley Cup during the first two years of the CAHL's operations -operations— 1899 and 1900. The Montreal Hockey Club would winwon the Stanley Cup in 1902 and 1903. The CAHL would bewas replaced in 1905 by the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). The Montreal Wanderers would becomebecame the team to beat in the new league as they successfully defended the Stanley Cup in 1907 and 1908. But, in 1909, the ECAHA dissolved and would bewas reformed as the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), which excluded the Montreal Wanderers from the league. As a result, the Montreal WanderesWanderers formed their own league, the National Hockey AssocationAssociation (NHA), whichand wouldit mergemerged with the CHA by 1910.

The Montreal Canadiens were officially formed in 1909 by John Ambrose O'Brien in the NHA. The club was formed to be a completely French club in a period wherewhen Montreal's French-speaking population mainly belonged to the working class strata of society, and many hockey teams and their players in the area were English-speaking. O'Brien wanted to capture the FracophoneFrancophone Montrealer's interest in ice hockey, and so the team used the French spelling of the word "Canadiens" to hint at the Francophone population and history. Further, the team only accepted French-speaking players, and he promised to hand the club over to local owners as soon as there were any. O'Brien named Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette as coach and general manager, who recruited the 15fifteden players for the team.

After the team's inaugural season, it would be sold. The story of the sale has different versions. In one story, the team was unsuccessful in its first season, and therefore O'Brien sold the team to George Kennedy, a sports promoter at the time. The other version of the story was that George Kennedy already owned Le Club Athletique Canadien, a hockey team whichthat entered the NHA in 1910, and which traced its roots further back. On that history, Kennedy claimed the "Canadiens" team name. The dispute, in the latter version, would bewas settled by $7,500, for which Kennedy purchased the Montreal Canadiens. The players would joinjoined Kennedy's club, and Le Club Athletique Canadien adopted the Canadiens monicker. A new logo was introduced for the team, which had a simple printed "C" with an "A" inside, standing for Club Athletique.

The following seasons would remaincontinue dissapointingto be disappointing for the new club, with the Montreal Canadiens/Club Athletique finishing in last place in the league. By the 1915-19161915–1916 season, the team would earnearned their first playoff berth and a chance at the Stanley Cup. Led by Newsy Lalonde, Jack Laviolette, and goalie Georges Vézina, the team won the Stanley Cup for the first time, defeateddefeating the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

The 1916-19171916–1917 Montreal Canadiens.

In 1917-181917–1918, the NHL was formed with the Canadiens as one of the founding teams. The Canadiens would lose the new league's first championship to the Toronto Arenas, who became the first NHL first championship. However, the following year, the Canadiens would win the league championship over the Ottawa Senators but would again fall short in their run for the Stanley Cup. During 1919, due in part to the influenza pandemic, the series for the Stanley Cup between the Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans would bewas interrupted due to the influenza pandemic and no winner would be declared, leaving the Stanley Cup unawarded.

The Montreal Canadiens, early in their NHL history, would establishestablished a reputation for flair, speed, and offensive power. The reputation was built on players such as Joe Malone, Aurèle Joliat, and Howie Morenz, who is largely considered the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The team would missmissed playoffs from 1920 to 1922. They would reachreached the championship in 1922-231922–1923, but the playoffs saw the Canadiens suspend their own captain, Sprague Cleghorn, for a vicious check against Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman. Ottawa would gowent on to win the 1923 league championship and Stanley Cup. By 1924, Montreal would be at theirits best and win theirits first Stanley Cup as an NHL franchise.

They would followfollowed this with a league championship wonwin in 1925 due to the top team in the league, Hamilton, the top team in the league, suffering a player's strike mid-season as the players demanded they be paid for playing in the post-season. The Canadiens would bewere unsuccessful in the Stanley Cup finals of 1925, and would finishfinished the 1925-261925–1926 season in last place in the league. The 1926-271926–1927 season saw the NHL expand to 10ten teams. The Canadiens continued to struggle to win another Stanley Cup, losing in the semi-finals in 1927 to the Ottawa Senators, only to follow with a successful 1927-281927–1928 season that included a 19-gamenineteen-game winwinning streak, only to lose to the rival Montreal Maroons and miss the Stanley Cup finals again.

The 1928-19291928–1929 season, however, is still considered one of the most successful in team history. The team would, over the course of the season, only lose seven games, won 22 games by shutout, and ended the season with an eight-game win streak. However, come playoffs, the team would lose to the Boston Bruins.

The Montreal Canadiens would begin the 1930s on a high, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1930 and 1931, the first back-to-back Stanley Cups for the team. However, a loss in the 1932 playoff semifinals to the New York Rangers would signal a downturn for the team. They would spend significant parts of season in the basement of the Canadian Division (as it was then known) and, despite making playoffs, would lose early. This led to the Canadiens finishing last place in 1935-361935–1936. During this period, general manager Leo Dandurand made several trades and would be sold to the Canadian Arena Company, who would continue to trade players in an attempt to better the team.

Howie Morenz would return to Montreal for the 1936-371936–1937 team, to tragic results. On January 28, 1937, Morenz broke his leg during a game and would die on March 8 of that year from complications with the break. The Canadiens mourned the loss of their former star and again were booted from the playoffs early. They would close the decade at a low point.

The new decade saw a fanbase accustomed to disappointment. Beyond the on-ice struggles, the tragic loss of a former star player, the team would lose coach Babes Siebert ahead of the 1939-401939–1940 season in a drowning accident. The Canadiens would fail to earn a playoff spot and finish in last place that season.

Canadiens players pictured in the mid-1940smid–1940s.

In the 1942-431942–1943 season, the NHL would see the league reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this seaosn, rookie Maurice "Rocket" Richard would join the team and replace Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch LIne" (which included Toe Blake and Elmer Lach). Bill Durnan would play goalie for the season, largely considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s which enjoyed a great run of success.

The 1943-441943–1944 season saw the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. The 1944-451944–1945 season saw the team lead the league with the most goals scored, fewest goals allowed, and most penalty minutes. Maurice Richard became the league's first 50 goal scorer, and though the Canadiens would miss out on the Cup in 1945, 1947, and 1949 (missing the playoffs altogether in 1948), the club would take home the Stanley Cup in 1946.

There was none of the doom and gloom of the beginning of the 1940s to begin the 1950s for the Canadiens. Despite ending the 1949-501949–1950 through to 1951-521951–1952 seasons in defeat, the Canadiens would begin the 1952-53 season with Jacques Plante making his NHL debut in goal and help the team finish second in the league. That season the Canadiens would win their seventh Stanley Cup.

His promise would be kept. The 1955-561955–56 season would being an era of success unmatched since in the NHL, if not professional hockey. The Canadiens had a new coach in Hector "Toe" Blake, and had two unstoppable lines of Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Bert Olmstead, Henri Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, and Dickie Moore, and the best goalie in the NHL in Jacques Plante. They would lead the league by 24 points and result in the team's first 10-point season. They would follow the 1956 Stanley Cup with a Stanley Cup win in 1957, marking a league record for the most Cup wins.

The 1957-581957–1958 seasons saw young star Dickie Moore, nicknamed Digging Dickie, lead the NHL's point race, followed closely by Maurice Richard's younger brother, Henri, nicknamed the Pocket Rocket. The Canadiens that season would win the Cup and mark the league's second "three-peat". This would extend to a fourth straight championship in 1958-591958–1959, and a fifth straight in 1959-601959–1960. The 1960 Stanley Cup would see Maurice Richard retire at the end of the season.

The Canadiens began the 1969-19701969–1970 season with players fighting injuries. These kept stars including Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson, and Serge Savard off the ice for various periods of time. Further, Jacques Laperrière and John Ferguson were suspended and Gilles Tremblay retired due to illness. The team slipped in the standings and failed to make the 1970s playoffs.

Bowman would become a legendary coach for the Canadiens, leading a team biult around speed, scoring, and defense. The team lost in 1972, future star Guy Lafleur's first playoffs, and won their 18th Stanley Cup in 1973, and won four straight Cups again from 1974-751974–1975 to 1978-791978–1979. During this run of success, Guy Lafleur would emerge as a star in the NHL, winning multiple awards, including the Conn Smythe, Art Ross, and Hart Trophies. However, the 1979 Stanley Cup final was bittersweet for the team. Despite winning the 22nd in total, it marked the last game for Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and coach Scotty Bowman.

Team general manager Irving Grundman would attempt to mix the team up through trade and drafted Dough Wickenheiser at first overall for the next season. Despite a successful 1980-811980–1981 season, the Canadiens would be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton OIlers. Bob Berry replaced Ruel as coach for the 1981-821981–1982 season and, despite winning the division in the season, they would lose in the playoff's first round to the Quebec Nordiques.

The eight-year reign of the Canadiens as division champions came to an end in 1982-831982–1983 season, when they finished second and failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs for a third year in a row. General manager Irving Grundman was replaced by Serge Savard. With the team falling to fourth in the division in 1983-841983–1984, coach Berry would be replaced by Jacques Lemaire. This would mark Montreal's first losing season in 33 years, but they managed to reach the conference final in the playoffs before falling to the New York Islanders.

During the summer of 1984, Savard would pick goaltender Patrick Roy in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1984-851984–1985 season saw Guy Lafleur announce his retirement. The team reocrded a mediocre 1985-861985–1986 seasoon, but before the playoffs began, coach Jean Perron sequestered the team in a hotel in Montreal in a bid to focus the team's energies. The gamble worked as the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup in 1986, led by rookie goaltender Patrick Roy, who would also win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and became the youngest player at that point to win the honors. The team would reach the finals again in 1988-891988–1989 season, but would fall short.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1990s as a top team in the NHL, but recent coach Pat Burns would leave to coach rival team Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the 1992 playoffs. Jacques Demers took the reins as the coach in the 1992-931992–1993 season, and the club would go on to win an unexpected 24th Stanley Cup in that season, defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in five games. The team was once again led by the goaltending of Patrick Roy who won a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Cup was the team's last at the Montreal Forum. They made it to the playoffs in the preceeding season, band the 1994-951994–1995 season was shortened by a lockout, with the Canadiens missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. After failing to improve in the 1995-961995–1996 season, team management was overhauled with Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay brought on as general manager and head coach, respectively. A few months into the season, star goaltender Patrick Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

The team's last game in the Montreal Forum came on March 11, 1996. They had played in the arena since 1924. Their next home game, five days later, was played in the new Molson Centre (since renamed the Bell Centre). The team would lose in their next playoff series in 1996 and 1997. By December of the 1998-991998–1999 season, the team went on an 11-game winless streak and would finish the season out of playoff contention and with the lowest team point total since in 40 years.

The team troubles continued into the new millennium. In May of 2000, Maurice Richard died, and more than 100,000 people would attend a public memorial held at the Molson Centre. In 2001-022001–2002, the Canadiens made it to the playoffs for the first time in four years, but they lost in the second round. They would miss the playoffs in the next season. With a view of reviving the struggling team, Bob Gainey was hired as the team's new general manager, beginning what for some have been called the Gainey era.

In the 2008-092008–2009 season, the NHL paid tribute to the team's centennial season, with Montreal playing host to the 2009 All-Star Game and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. But for the team on the ice, the season was only marginally successful, reaching the playoffs and being swept in the first round by the Boston Bruins.

In the following season, the 2009-102009–2010 season, the Canadiens hoped that hiring Jacques Martin and retooling the roster through several trades would build the team back to glory. The team made history when forward Mike Cammalleri scored Montreal's 20,000th goal in a game against the Ottawa Senators. After squeaking into the playoffs, the Canadiens shocked by defeating the Washington Capitals in the first round after forcing a game seven. They would repeat the trick against the defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, forcing a game seven and reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. However, the run ended, as the Philadelphia Flyers would eliminate the Canadiens in five games.

After falling short in the 2009-20102009–2010 seaonseason, the Canadiens would begin the next decade by trading away goaltender Jaroslav Halak, despite his brilliance in the playoffs, and crowning Carey Price as their franchise goaltender. Despite this, the 2010-112010–2011 season had few highlights. The Canadiens participated in the NHL's second-ever Heritage Classic, where they lost to the Calgary Flames in an outdoor game.

Forward Max Pacioretty would suffer a sever concussion and fractured vetebra after a hit that sent him colliding into a stanchion. Pacioretty would miss the remainder of the 2010-112010–2011 season, but returned in the 2011-122011–2012 season that saw little other bright spots. That season saw the general manager and coach fired after the team finished last in their division and conference.

The general manager and coaching positions would be filled by Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, respectively. The 2012-132012–2013 lockout shortened season saw Canadiens' star defenseman P.K. Subban win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (for best defenseman). The NHL returned to a full season in 2013-142013–2014, and the Canadiens would advance to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the New York Rangers. In the following year, in part due to the performance of goaltender Carey Price, the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division and finished with 110 points, the most for the franchise since 1988-891988–1989. However, the team wuoldwould fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. For his efforts, Price would be awarded the Vezina, Hart, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

The 2015-162015–2016 season would see Max Pacioretty named the 29th captain in franchise history. But early in the season, Carey Price was injured, suffering a knee injury, which would be aggravated soon after his return, and cause Price to miss the remainder of the season. A season in which the Canadiens would miss the playoffs. This 2016 off-season saw the Canadiens make a stunning move in sending their star defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber. Controversy followed the trade, as P.K. Subban was a popular figure in Montreal, especially for his charisma and charitable work.

The 2016-172016–2017 season saw Carey Price return, and with it the competitive Montreal Canadiens, winning the Atlantic Division, but the team would falter in the first round to the New York Rangers. The 2017-182017–2018 season saw the Canadiens struggle with their defense, and the Canadiens would make changes in the resulting offseason, including trading captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights for Tomas Tatar and prospect Nick Suzuki. The 2018-192018–2019 season was equally deflating, as the team once again failed to reach the playoffs.

The 2019-202019–2020 season saw interruption with the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a pause in March 2020. The Canadiens at the pause were outside of the playoffs, ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference. But given the modified post-season tournament, intended to give those teams just outside the playoffs a chance to play-in, the Canadiens were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five qualifying series. They would ultimately lose against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The momentum of the bubble playoffs - asplayoffs—as the 2020 season would be known - carriedknown—carried into the odd 2021 season. Due to the pandemic, and the border between the U.S. and Canada, the teams only played against division rivals, with the divisions remixed to see all seven Canadian teams playing against each other. The Canadiens, despite their struggles through the season, made it into the playoffs after coach Claude Julien was fired and Dominique Ducharme hired.

Through the 2021-222021–2022 and 2022-232022–2023 seasons, the Canadiens would commit to a rebuild. This saw general manager Marc Bergevin and the club part ways, with Kent Hughes coming in as new general manager under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, who had previously guided the New York Rangers through a rebuild as general manager (but who would not be named general manager of the Canadiens because he does not speak French). Dominique Ducharme would in turn be replaced as head coach, as the club felt he was not the right person for developing the young team, and in his place Martin St. Louis would take over coaching duties.

The Montreal Canadiens, officially named the Club de Hockey Canadien, is a national hockey leage (NHL)national hockey leage (NHL) team competing in the NHL's Atlantic DivisionAtlantic Division of the Eastern ConferenceEastern Conference. The team is the oldest existing NHL franchise, having formed previous to the forming of the NHL, and the only NHL franchise to have existed continuously for the entirety of the NHL's history. Based in Montreal, QuebecMontreal, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens play out of the Bell Centre, a 21,302 seat arena (the largest capacity arena in the NHL) located in downtown Montreal, which replaced the historic Montreal ForumMontreal Forum in 1996.

The Canadiens are the winningest franchise in the NHL, having hoisted the Stanley CupStanley Cup a total of 24 times in 35 appearances in the Stanley Cup finals and having more than 60 former players and personnel enshrined into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of Fame. In some cases, the history of the Montreal Canadiens is the history of hockey and the NHL. The team is one of two bilingual franchises in the NHL, and the only franchise to emphasize French at their home games, wearing the French logo for the NHL (or LNH for Ligue Nationale de Hockey) on their home sweaters.

Montreal's team is deeply woven in the French community of QuebecQuebec. For that reason, the franchise has had unwritten rules about persons working in the team and on the roster. These include having a bilingual general manager, a bilingual coach, and having French-Canadian players on the roster.

The Montreal Canadiens were a founding member in 1917 of the National Hockey League (NHL) and entered the league with new uniforms and a new crest. The new crest was a stylized "C" with an "H" in the middle, symbolized to represent the team's new official name: Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The "H" in the logo stands for hockey, not, as many believe, for "habitants". This misconception, linked to one of the club's main nicknames, originated from Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden owner Tex RickardTex Rickard who would mistakenly tell a reporter in 1924 that the "H" stood for habitants.

The Canadiens were first referenced as the "HabitantsHabitants" in Le Devoir on February 9, 1914, in a description of a game against Toronto. The word was used as the name for land-owning settlers of New FranceNew France (eventually named Quebec) and was a common nickname for the team. The terms' association with the team is believed to originate with the team's marketing towards the city's French community and billing itself as the French hockey club in opposition to Montreal's English team, the Wanderers. In the early years, Canadiens fans would show their affiliation with the club by attending games wearing traditional habitant attire, which includes tuques, moccasins, and brightly colored sashes.

Regulated senior hockey would first arrive in Montreal thanks to students at McGill UniversityMcGill University. The students began playing hockey on Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875. The group developed a written set of rules for participants by 1880, and by 1886 worked to organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). This included four teams from Montreal, one team from Ottawa, and one team from Quebec City (which joined the league in 1892). During this period, the Stanley Cup was not the championship cup of any individual league, and any team in Canada could challenge for the cup. During this period, the Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1894 and 1895, and the Montreal Victorias won in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.

The following seasons would remain dissapointing for the new club, with the Montreal Canadiens/Club Athletique finishing last place in the league. By the 1915-1916 season the team would earn their first playoff berth and a chance at the Stanley Cup. Led by NewskyNewsy Lalonde Lalonde, Jack LavioletteJack Laviolette, and goalie Georges VézinaGeorges Vézina, the team won the Stanley Cup for the first time, defeated the Portland RosebudsPortland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

In 1917-18, the NHL was formed with the Canadiens as one of the founding teams. The Canadiens would lose the new league's first championship to the Toronto ArenasToronto Arenas, who became the first NHL first championship. However, the following year the Canadiens would win the league championship over the Ottawa SenatorsOttawa Senators but would again fall short in their run for the Stanley Cup. During 1919, due in part to the influenza pandemicinfluenza pandemic, the series for the Stanley Cup between the Canadiens and the Seattle MetropolitansSeattle Metropolitans would be interrupted due to the influenza pandemic and no winner would be declared leaving the Stanley Cup unawarded.

The Montreal Canadiens, early in their NHL history, would establish a reputation for flair, speed, and offensive power. The reputation was built on players such as Joe Malone, Aurèle Joliat, and Howie MorenzHowie Morenz, who is largely considered the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The team would miss playoffs from 1920 to 1922. They would reach the championship in 1922-23, but the playoffs saw the Canadiens suspend their own captain, Sprague CleghornSprague Cleghorn, for a vicious check against Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman. Ottawa would go on to win the 1923 league championship and Stanley Cup. By 1924, Montreal would be at their best and win their first Stanley Cup as an NHL franchise.

They would follow this with a league championship won in 1925 due to Hamilton, the top team in the league, suffering a player's strike mid-season as the players demanded they be paid for playing in the post-season. The Canadiens would be unsuccessful in the Stanley Cup finals of 1925, and would finish the 1925-26 season in last place in the league. The 1926-27 season saw the NHL expand to 10 teams. The Canadiens continued to struggle to win another Stanley Cup, losing in the semi-finals in 1927 to the Ottawa Senators, only to follow with a successful 1927-28 season that included a 19-game win streak only to lose to the rival Montreal MaroonsMontreal Maroons and miss the Stanley Cup finals again.

The 1928-1929 season, however, is still considered one of the most successful in team history. The team would, over the course of the season, only lose seven games, won 22 games by shutout, and ended the season with an eight-game win streak. However, come playoffs, the team would lose to the Boston BruinsBoston Bruins.

The Montreal Canadiens would begin the 1930s on a high, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1930 and 1931, the first back-to-back Stanley Cups for the team. However, a loss in the 1932 playoff semifinals to the New York RangersNew York Rangers would signal a downturn for the team. They would spend significant parts of season in the basement of the Canadian Division (as it was then known) and, despite making playoffs, would lose early. This led to the Canadiens finishing last place in 1935-36. During this period, general manager Leo DandurandLeo Dandurand made several trades and would be sold to the Canadian Arena Company, who would continue to trade players in an attempt to better the team.

In the 1942-43 season, the NHL would see the league reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this seaosn, rookie Maurice "Rocket" RichardMaurice "Rocket" Richard would join the team and replace Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch LIne" (which included Toe BlakeToe Blake and Elmer LachElmer Lach). Bill Durnan would play goalie for the season, largely considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s which enjoyed a great run of success.

There was none of the doom and gloom of the beginning of the 1940s to begin the 1950s for the Canadiens. Despite ending the 1949-50 through to 1951-52 seasons in defeat, the Canadiens would begin the 1952-53 season with Jacques PlanteJacques Plante making his NHL debut in goal and help the team finish second in the league. That season the Canadiens would win their seventh Stanley Cup.

NHL President Clarence CampbellClarence Campbell, who had given Richard the suspension, would visit Montreal on March 17 which provoked a riot at the Montreal Forum (their home rink), which would go on to be known as the Richard RiotRichard Riot. This was also a time when the Canadiens were increasingly tied to rising ethnic tensions in Quebec and a factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution. Richard promised the fans and the city he would return next season and finish with a cup.

His promise would be kept. The 1955-56 season would being an era of success unmatched since in the NHL, if not professional hockey. The Canadiens had a new coach in Hector "Toe" Blake, and had two unstoppable lines of Jean BéliveauJean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Bert Olmstead, Henri RichardHenri Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, and Dickie Moore, and the best goalie in the NHL in Jacques Plante. They would lead the league by 24 points and result in the team's first 10-point season. They would follow the 1956 Stanley Cup with a Stanley Cup win in 1957, marking a league record for the most Cup wins.

The 1967-68 season saw the NHL expand to an additional six teams, one of the largest expansions in professional sports history. The expansion season saw the Canadiens at the bottom of the league in the first 33 games, before finishing at the top of the league by the end of the season. This success was in part due to Jean Béliveau who scored his 400th goal and reached 1,000 career points during the season. They would win their 15th Stanley Cup against the St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Blues, one of the new expansion teams, in 1968. They repeated the defeat of the St. Louis Blues in 1969, and win their 16th Stanley Cup. During that final season of the decade, the team was playing in a renovated Montreal Forum under coach Claude Ruel.

The next season saw Guy Lapointe join the Canadiens, but wouldbe final season for John Ferguson and Jean Béliveau. Through the season, AL MacNeil would be made the team's new coach, and along with goaltender Ken Dryden, led the Canadiens' to the 17th Stanley Cup. MacNeil would be replaced by Scotty BowmanScotty Bowman after winning the Cup.

Bowman would become a legendary coach for the Canadiens, leading a team biult around speed, scoring, and defense. The team lost in 1972, future star Guy LafleurGuy Lafleur's first playoffs, and won their 18th Stanley Cup in 1973, and won four straight Cups again from 1974-75 to 1978-79. During this run of success, Guy Lafleur would emerge as a star in the NHL, winning multiple awards, including the Conn Smythe, Art Ross, and Hart Trophies. However, the 1979 Stanley Cup final was bittersweet for the team. Despite winning the 22nd in total, it marked the last game for Yvan Cournoyer, Ken DrydenKen Dryden, Jacques LemaireJacques Lemaire, and coach Scotty Bowman.

Team general manager Irving Grundman would attempt to mix the team up through trade and drafted Dough Wickenheiser at first overall for the next season. Despite a successful 1980-81 season, the Canadiens would be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton OIlersEdmonton OIlers. Bob Berry replaced Ruel as coach for the 1981-82 season and, despite winning the division in the season, they would lose in the playoff's first round to the Quebec NordiquesQuebec Nordiques.

The eight-year reign of the Canadiens as division champions came to an end in 1982-83 season, when they finished second and failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs for a third year in a row. General manager Irving Grundman was replaced by Serge Savard. With the team falling to fourth in the division in 1983-84, coach Berry would be replaced by Jacques Lemaire. This would mark Montreal's first losing season in 33 years, but they managed to reach the conference final in the playoffs before falling to the New York IslandersNew York Islanders.

During the summer of 1984, Savard would pick goaltender Patrick RoyPatrick Roy in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1984-85 season saw Guy Lafleur announce his retirement. The team reocrded a mediocre 1985-86 seasoon, but before the playoffs began, coach Jean Perron sequestered the team in a hotel in Montreal in a bid to focus the team's energies. The gamble worked as the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup in 1986, led by rookie goaltender Patrick Roy, who would also win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and became the youngest player at that point to win the honors. The team would reach the finals again in 1988-89 season, but would fall short.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1990s as a top team in the NHL, but recent coach Pat BurnsPat Burns would leave to coach rival team Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the 1992 playoffs. Jacques Demers took the reins as the coach in the 1992-93 season, and the club would go on to win an unexpected 24th Stanley Cup in that season, defeating Wayne GretzkyWayne Gretzky's Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles Kings in five games. The team was once again led by the goaltending of Patrick Roy who won a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Cup was the team's last at the Montreal Forum. They made it to the playoffs in the preceeding season, band the 1994-95 season was shortened by a lockout, with the Canadiens missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. After failing to improve in the 1995-96 season, team management was overhauled with Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay brought on as general manager and head coach, respectively. A few months into the season, star goaltender Patrick Roy was traded to the Colorado AvalancheColorado Avalanche.

The era began with a slow start. Montreal would play in the first outdoor NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers on November 22, 2003 and would even be back in playoff contention at the end of that season, but lost in the second round to eventual Cup winners Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Lightning. This fate would be repeated in 2006.

In the following season, the 2009-10 season, the Canadiens hoped that hiring Jacques Martin and retooling the roster through several trades would build the team back to glory. The team made history when forward Mike Cammalleri scored Montreal's 20,000th goal in a game against the Ottawa Senators. After squeaking into the playoffs, the Canadiens shocked by defeating the Washington CapitalsWashington Capitals in the first round after forcing a game seven. They would repeat the trick against the defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins, forcing a game seven and reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. However, the run ended, as the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia Flyers would eliminate the Canadiens in five games.

After falling short in the 2009-2010 seaon, the Canadiens would begin the next decade by trading away goaltender Jaroslav HalakJaroslav Halak, despite his brilliance in the playoffs, and crowning Carey PriceCarey Price as their franchise goaltender. Despite this, the 2010-11 season had few highlights. The Canadiens participated in the NHL's second-ever Heritage Classic, where they lost to the Calgary FlamesCalgary Flames in an outdoor game.

Forward Max PaciorettyMax Pacioretty would suffer a sever concussion and fractured vetebra after a hit that sent him colliding into a stanchion. Pacioretty would miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season, but returned in the 2011-12 season that saw little other bright spots. That season saw the general manager and coach fired after the team finished last in their division and conference.

The general manager and coaching positions would be filled by Marc BergevinMarc Bergevin and Michel TherrienMichel Therrien, respectively. The 2012-13 lockout shortened season saw Canadiens' star defenseman P.K. SubbanP.K. Subban win the James Norris Memorial TrophyJames Norris Memorial Trophy (for best defenseman). The NHL returned to a full season in 2013-14, and the Canadiens would advance to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the New York Rangers. In the following year, in part due to the performance of goaltender Carey Price, the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division and finished with 110 points, the most for the franchise since 1988-89. However, the team wuold fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. For his efforts, Price would be awarded the Vezina, Hart, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

The 2015-16 season would see Max Pacioretty named the 29th captain in franchise history. But early in the season, Carey Price was injured, suffering a knee injury, which would be aggravated soon after his return, and cause Price to miss the remainder of the season. A season in which the Canadiens would miss the playoffs. This 2016 off-season saw the Canadiens make a stunning move in sending their star defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville PredatorsNashville Predators for defenseman Shea WeberShea Weber. Controversy followed the trade, as P.K. Subban was a popular figure in Montreal, especially for his charisma and charitable work.

The momentum of the bubble playoffs - as the 2020 season would be known - carried into the odd 2021 season. Due to the pandemic, and the border between the U.S. and Canada, the teams only played against division rivals, with the divisions remixed to see all seven Canadian teams playing against each other. The Canadiens, despite their struggles through the season, made it into the playoffs after coach Claude JulienClaude Julien was fired and Dominique Ducharme hired.

The Canadiens beat the much higher and Stanley Cup favored Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple Leafs in seven games, after falling three games to one and being put on the brink of elimination. The second round saw the Canadiens sweep the Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Jets and the Conference Finals saw the Canadiens defeat the Vegas Golden KnightsVegas Golden Knights. The Canadiens would go on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final, but became the first Canadian NHL team to reach the finals since Vancouver reached them in 2011. The playoff run became a last gasp for the group which had been largely assembled during the previous decade.

Through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, the Canadiens would commit to a rebuild. This saw general manager Marc Bergevin and the club part ways, with Kent Hughes coming in as new general manager under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, who had previously guided the New York Rangers through a rebuild as general manager (but who would not be named general manager of the Canadiens because he does not speak French). Dominique Ducharme would in turn be replaced as head coach, as the club felt he was not the right person for developing the young team, and in his place Martin St. LouisMartin St. Louis would take over coaching duties.

The Montreal Canadiens[note 3] (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially le Club de hockey Canadien[6] and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Other nicknames for the team include Le Canadien, Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Le CH, Le Grand Club and Les Habitants (from which "Habs" is derived). Since 1996, the Canadiens have played their home games at Bell Centre, originally known as Molson Centre.[7] The team previously played at the Montreal Forum, which housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.

The Montreal Canadiens, officially named the Club de Hockey Canadien, is a national hockey leage (NHL) team competing in the NHL's Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team is the oldest existing NHL franchise, having formed previous to the forming of the NHL, and the only NHL franchise to have existed continuously for the entirety of the NHL's history. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens play out of the Bell Centre, a 21,302 seat arena (the largest capacity arena in the NHL) located in downtown Montreal, which replaced the historic Montreal Forum in 1996.

The Canadiens are the winningest franchise in the NHL, having hoisted the Stanley Cup a total of 24 times in 35 appearances in the Stanley Cup finals and having more than 60 former players and personnel enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In some cases, the history of the Montreal Canadiens is the history of hockey and the NHL. The team is one of two bilingual franchises in the NHL, and the only franchise to emphasize French at their home games, wearing the French logo for the NHL (or LNH for Ligue Nationale de Hockey) on their home sweaters.

Montreal's team is deeply woven in the French community of Quebec. For that reason, the franchise has had unwritten rules about persons working in the team and on the roster. These include having a bilingual general manager, a bilingual coach, and having French-Canadian players on the roster.

The city has criticized the franchise when they have hired an anglophone coach - Randy Cunneyworth took over in 2011 as interim head coach after the firing of Jacques Martin and ignited a storm of criticism from Quebec journalists, radio hosts, and the provincial culture minister - and has faced criticism for giving the team captaincy to players who do not speak French, such as the criticism levelled at the club when young center Nick Suzuki, who at the time was not bilingual, was named captain in 2022.

Changes of the Montreal Canadiens logo through its history.

The Montreal Canadiens were a founding member in 1917 of the National Hockey League (NHL) and entered the league with new uniforms and a new crest. The new crest was a stylized "C" with an "H" in the middle, symbolized to represent the team's new official name: Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The "H" in the logo stands for hockey, not, as many believe, for "habitants". This misconception, linked to one of the club's main nicknames, originated from Madison Square Garden owner Tex Rickard who would mistakenly tell a reporter in 1924 that the "H" stood for habitants.

The Canadiens were first referenced as the "Habitants" in Le Devoir on February 9, 1914, in a description of a game against Toronto. The word was used as the name for land-owning settlers of New France (eventually named Quebec) and was a common nickname for the team. The terms' association with the team is believed to originate with the team's marketing towards the city's French community and billing itself as the French hockey club in opposition to Montreal's English team, the Wanderers. In the early years, Canadiens fans would show their affiliation with the club by attending games wearing traditional habitant attire, which includes tuques, moccasins, and brightly colored sashes.

The word "habitants" would fall out of some favor with French Canadians, as they would come to see it as generally meaning "uncouth peasant" where in contemporary Quebecois French, if a person is considered to have "habitant manners" it is to say that person is a country bumpkin. The word has become, as Quebecers turned their back on the Roman Catholic church and its agricultural past, a rejected symbol once held dear. However, the abbreviation, the "habs" did not suffer the negative association of habitants and continues to be a common and popular nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.

For a franchise as old as the Montreal Canadiens, it is no surprise that they have a list of other nicknames which have enjoyed periods of popularity. These include nicknames such as:

• le Grand Club
• le CH (short for Club de hockey)
• les Glorieux
• le bleu blanc et rouge
• la Sainte-Flanelle (the "holy sweater")
• le Tricolore

Regulated senior hockey would first arrive in Montreal thanks to students at McGill University. The students began playing hockey on Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875. The group developed a written set of rules for participants by 1880, and by 1886 worked to organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). This included four teams from Montreal, one team from Ottawa, and one team from Quebec City (which joined the league in 1892). During this period, the Stanley Cup was not the championship cup of any individual league, and any team in Canada could challenge for the cup. During this period, the Montreal Hockey Club won the Stanley Cup in 1894 and 1895, and the Montreal Victorias won in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.

The AHAC would fold in 1898 and would be reorganized into the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). The Montreal Shamrocks would win the Stanley Cup during the first two years of the CAHL's operations - 1899 and 1900. The Montreal Hockey Club would win the Stanley Cup in 1902 and 1903. The CAHL would be replaced in 1905 by the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). The Montreal Wanderers would become the team to beat in the new league as they successfully defended the Stanley Cup in 1907 and 1908. But, in 1909, the ECAHA dissolved and would be reformed as the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) which excluded the Montreal Wanderers from the league. As a result, the Montreal Wanderes formed their own league, the National Hockey Assocation (NHA) which would merge with the CHA by 1910.

Promotional material for the new Montreal Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens were officially formed in 1909 by John Ambrose O'Brien in the NHA. The club was formed to be a completely French club in a period where Montreal's French-speaking population mainly belonged to the working class strata of society and many hockey teams and their players in the area were English-speaking. O'Brien wanted to capture the Fracophone Montrealer's interest in ice hockey, and so the team used the French spelling of the word "Canadiens" to hint at the Francophone population and history. Further, the team only accepted French-speaking players, and he promised to hand the club over to local owners as soon as there were any. O'Brien named Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette as coach and general manager, who recruited the 15 players for the team.

After the team's inaugural season, it would be sold. The story of the sale has different versions. In one story, the team was unsuccessful in its first season, and therefore O'Brien sold the team to George Kennedy, a sports promoter at the time. The other version of the story was that George Kennedy already owned Le Club Athletique Canadien, a hockey team which entered the NHA in 1910, and which traced its roots further back. On that history, Kennedy claimed the "Canadiens" team name. The dispute, in the latter version, would be settled by $7,500 for which Kennedy purchased the Montreal Canadiens. The players would join Kennedy's club and Le Club Athletique Canadien adopted the Canadiens monicker. A new logo was introduced for the team which had a simple printed "C" with an "A" inside, standing for Club Athletique.

The following seasons would remain dissapointing for the new club, with the Montreal Canadiens/Club Athletique finishing last place in the league. By the 1915-1916 season the team would earn their first playoff berth and a chance at the Stanley Cup. Led by Newsky Lalonde, Jack Laviolette, and goalie Georges Vézina, the team won the Stanley Cup for the first time, defeated the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

The 1916-1917 Montreal Canadiens.

In 1917-18, the NHL was formed with the Canadiens as one of the founding teams. The Canadiens would lose the new league's first championship to the Toronto Arenas, who became the first NHL first championship. However, the following year the Canadiens would win the league championship over the Ottawa Senators but would again fall short in their run for the Stanley Cup. During 1919, due in part to the influenza pandemic, the series for the Stanley Cup between the Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans would be interrupted due to the influenza pandemic and no winner would be declared leaving the Stanley Cup unawarded.

The Montreal Canadiens, early in their NHL history, would establish a reputation for flair, speed, and offensive power. The reputation was built on players such as Joe Malone, Aurèle Joliat, and Howie Morenz, who is largely considered the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The team would miss playoffs from 1920 to 1922. They would reach the championship in 1922-23, but the playoffs saw the Canadiens suspend their own captain, Sprague Cleghorn, for a vicious check against Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman. Ottawa would go on to win the 1923 league championship and Stanley Cup. By 1924, Montreal would be at their best and win their first Stanley Cup as an NHL franchise.

They would follow this with a league championship won in 1925 due to Hamilton, the top team in the league, suffering a player's strike mid-season as the players demanded they be paid for playing in the post-season. The Canadiens would be unsuccessful in the Stanley Cup finals of 1925, and would finish the 1925-26 season in last place in the league. The 1926-27 season saw the NHL expand to 10 teams. The Canadiens continued to struggle to win another Stanley Cup, losing in the semi-finals in 1927 to the Ottawa Senators, only to follow with a successful 1927-28 season that included a 19-game win streak only to lose to the rival Montreal Maroons and miss the Stanley Cup finals again.

The 1928-1929 season, however, is still considered one of the most successful in team history. The team would, over the course of the season, only lose seven games, won 22 games by shutout, and ended the season with an eight-game win streak. However, come playoffs, the team would lose to the Boston Bruins.

The Montreal Canadiens would begin the 1930s on a high, winning the Stanley Cup in both 1930 and 1931, the first back-to-back Stanley Cups for the team. However, a loss in the 1932 playoff semifinals to the New York Rangers would signal a downturn for the team. They would spend significant parts of season in the basement of the Canadian Division (as it was then known) and, despite making playoffs, would lose early. This led to the Canadiens finishing last place in 1935-36. During this period, general manager Leo Dandurand made several trades and would be sold to the Canadian Arena Company, who would continue to trade players in an attempt to better the team.

Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers c. 1936

Howie Morenz would return to Montreal for the 1936-37 team, to tragic results. On January 28, 1937, Morenz broke his leg during a game and would die on March 8 of that year from complications with the break. The Canadiens mourned the loss of their former star and again were booted from the playoffs early. They would close the decade at a low point.

The new decade saw a fanbase accustomed to disappointment. Beyond the on-ice struggles, the tragic loss of a former star player, the team would lose coach Babes Siebert ahead of the 1939-40 season in a drowning accident. The Canadiens would fail to earn a playoff spot and finish in last place that season.

Canadiens players pictured in the mid-1940s.

In the 1942-43 season, the NHL would see the league reduced to six teams, beginning an era known as the "Original Six Era" and signaling a change for the Canadiens. In this seaosn, rookie Maurice "Rocket" Richard would join the team and replace Joe Benoit on the famous "Punch LIne" (which included Toe Blake and Elmer Lach). Bill Durnan would play goalie for the season, largely considered one of the better goaltenders in the league at the time. This led to the Canadiens of the mid-1940s which enjoyed a great run of success.

The 1943-44 season saw the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. The 1944-45 season saw the team lead the league with the most goals scored, fewest goals allowed, and most penalty minutes. Maurice Richard became the league's first 50 goal scorer, and though the Canadiens would miss out on the Cup in 1945, 1947, and 1949 (missing the playoffs altogether in 1948), the club would take home the Stanley Cup in 1946.

There was none of the doom and gloom of the beginning of the 1940s to begin the 1950s for the Canadiens. Despite ending the 1949-50 through to 1951-52 seasons in defeat, the Canadiens would begin the 1952-53 season with Jacques Plante making his NHL debut in goal and help the team finish second in the league. That season the Canadiens would win their seventh Stanley Cup.

They missed out on the Cup in 1954 and would lose an opportunity to compete for the Cup in 1955 when star forward Maurice Richard was suspended for the remainder of the season, including playoffs, after getting into an altercation which included Richard punching linesman Cliff Thompson. The suspension rose tensions in Montreal, with fans believing it was not only too long but motivated by Richard's French Canadian ethnicity.

NHL President Clarence Campbell, who had given Richard the suspension, would visit Montreal on March 17 which provoked a riot at the Montreal Forum (their home rink), which would go on to be known as the Richard Riot. This was also a time when the Canadiens were increasingly tied to rising ethnic tensions in Quebec and a factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution. Richard promised the fans and the city he would return next season and finish with a cup.

Stanley Cup winning Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s.

His promise would be kept. The 1955-56 season would being an era of success unmatched since in the NHL, if not professional hockey. The Canadiens had a new coach in Hector "Toe" Blake, and had two unstoppable lines of Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Bert Olmstead, Henri Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, and Dickie Moore, and the best goalie in the NHL in Jacques Plante. They would lead the league by 24 points and result in the team's first 10-point season. They would follow the 1956 Stanley Cup with a Stanley Cup win in 1957, marking a league record for the most Cup wins.

The 1957-58 seasons saw young star Dickie Moore, nicknamed Digging Dickie, lead the NHL's point race, followed closely by Maurice Richard's younger brother, Henri, nicknamed the Pocket Rocket. The Canadiens that season would win the Cup and mark the league's second "three-peat". This would extend to a fourth straight championship in 1958-59, and a fifth straight in 1959-60. The 1960 Stanley Cup would see Maurice Richard retire at the end of the season.

The Canadiens monopoly on the Stanley Cup would end in the 1961 playoffs. They would lose in the playoffs again in 1962, 1963, and 1964. The loss in 1964 would lead the Canadiens to overhaul their management over the summer, and the Canadiens would win their 13th and 14th frnachise Stanley Cups in 1965 and 1966.

Montreal Canadiens team of the 1968-69 season.

The 1967-68 season saw the NHL expand to an additional six teams, one of the largest expansions in professional sports history. The expansion season saw the Canadiens at the bottom of the league in the first 33 games, before finishing at the top of the league by the end of the season. This success was in part due to Jean Béliveau who scored his 400th goal and reached 1,000 career points during the season. They would win their 15th Stanley Cup against the St. Louis Blues, one of the new expansion teams, in 1968. They repeated the defeat of the St. Louis Blues in 1969, and win their 16th Stanley Cup. During that final season of the decade, the team was playing in a renovated Montreal Forum under coach Claude Ruel.

Montreal Canadiens star Jean Beliveau.

The Canadiens began the 1969-1970 season with players fighting injuries. These kept stars including Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson, and Serge Savard off the ice for various periods of time. Further, Jacques Laperrière and John Ferguson were suspended and Gilles Tremblay retired due to illness. The team slipped in the standings and failed to make the 1970s playoffs.

The next season saw Guy Lapointe join the Canadiens, but wouldbe final season for John Ferguson and Jean Béliveau. Through the season, AL MacNeil would be made the team's new coach, and along with goaltender Ken Dryden, led the Canadiens' to the 17th Stanley Cup. MacNeil would be replaced by Scotty Bowman after winning the Cup.

Legendary Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman.

Bowman would become a legendary coach for the Canadiens, leading a team biult around speed, scoring, and defense. The team lost in 1972, future star Guy Lafleur's first playoffs, and won their 18th Stanley Cup in 1973, and won four straight Cups again from 1974-75 to 1978-79. During this run of success, Guy Lafleur would emerge as a star in the NHL, winning multiple awards, including the Conn Smythe, Art Ross, and Hart Trophies. However, the 1979 Stanley Cup final was bittersweet for the team. Despite winning the 22nd in total, it marked the last game for Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and coach Scotty Bowman.

Star forward Guy Lafleur.

As the NHL expanded through the 1980s, the Canadiens domination would come to an end. Despite this, the club remained competitive. They were top of the league in scoring thanks to stars like Guy Lafleur, Pierre Larouche, Steve Shutt, and Pierre Mondou, and the return of coach Claude Ruel. But the loss of previous stars, and increased competition through the league saw the Montreal fall to third place in the decades first season and finished the season without a Cup for the first time in five years.

Team general manager Irving Grundman would attempt to mix the team up through trade and drafted Dough Wickenheiser at first overall for the next season. Despite a successful 1980-81 season, the Canadiens would be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton OIlers. Bob Berry replaced Ruel as coach for the 1981-82 season and, despite winning the division in the season, they would lose in the playoff's first round to the Quebec Nordiques.

The eight-year reign of the Canadiens as division champions came to an end in 1982-83 season, when they finished second and failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs for a third year in a row. General manager Irving Grundman was replaced by Serge Savard. With the team falling to fourth in the division in 1983-84, coach Berry would be replaced by Jacques Lemaire. This would mark Montreal's first losing season in 33 years, but they managed to reach the conference final in the playoffs before falling to the New York Islanders.

Canadiens' goaltender Patrick Roy.

During the summer of 1984, Savard would pick goaltender Patrick Roy in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1984-85 season saw Guy Lafleur announce his retirement. The team reocrded a mediocre 1985-86 seasoon, but before the playoffs began, coach Jean Perron sequestered the team in a hotel in Montreal in a bid to focus the team's energies. The gamble worked as the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup in 1986, led by rookie goaltender Patrick Roy, who would also win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and became the youngest player at that point to win the honors. The team would reach the finals again in 1988-89 season, but would fall short.

Canadiens face the Kings in the 1993 playoffs.

The Montreal Canadiens began the 1990s as a top team in the NHL, but recent coach Pat Burns would leave to coach rival team Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the 1992 playoffs. Jacques Demers took the reins as the coach in the 1992-93 season, and the club would go on to win an unexpected 24th Stanley Cup in that season, defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in five games. The team was once again led by the goaltending of Patrick Roy who won a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Montreal Forum, home of the Canadiens until 1996.

The Cup was the team's last at the Montreal Forum. They made it to the playoffs in the preceeding season, band the 1994-95 season was shortened by a lockout, with the Canadiens missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. After failing to improve in the 1995-96 season, team management was overhauled with Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay brought on as general manager and head coach, respectively. A few months into the season, star goaltender Patrick Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

The team's last game in the Montreal Forum came on March 11, 1996. They had played in the arena since 1924. Their next home game, five days later, was played in the new Molson Centre (since renamed the Bell Centre). The team would lose in their next playoff series in 1996 and 1997. By December of the 1998-99 season, the team went on an 11-game winless streak and would finish the season out of playoff contention and with the lowest team point total since in 40 years.

The team troubles continued into the new millennium. In May of 2000, Maurice Richard died, and more than 100,000 people would attend a public memorial held at the Molson Centre. In 2001-02, the Canadiens made it to the playoffs for the first time in four years, but they lost in the second round. They would miss the playoffs in the next season. With a view of reviving the struggling team, Bob Gainey was hired as the team's new general manager, beginning what for some have been called the Gainey era.

The first NHL outdoor game.

The era began with a slow start. Montreal would play in the first outdoor NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers on November 22, 2003 and would even be back in playoff contention at the end of that season, but lost in the second round to eventual Cup winners Tampa Bay Lightning. This fate would be repeated in 2006.

In the 2008-09 season, the NHL paid tribute to the team's centennial season, with Montreal playing host to the 2009 All-Star Game and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. But for the team on the ice, the season was only marginally successful, reaching the playoffs and being swept in the first round by the Boston Bruins.

In the following season, the 2009-10 season, the Canadiens hoped that hiring Jacques Martin and retooling the roster through several trades would build the team back to glory. The team made history when forward Mike Cammalleri scored Montreal's 20,000th goal in a game against the Ottawa Senators. After squeaking into the playoffs, the Canadiens shocked by defeating the Washington Capitals in the first round after forcing a game seven. They would repeat the trick against the defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, forcing a game seven and reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. However, the run ended, as the Philadelphia Flyers would eliminate the Canadiens in five games.

After falling short in the 2009-2010 seaon, the Canadiens would begin the next decade by trading away goaltender Jaroslav Halak, despite his brilliance in the playoffs, and crowning Carey Price as their franchise goaltender. Despite this, the 2010-11 season had few highlights. The Canadiens participated in the NHL's second-ever Heritage Classic, where they lost to the Calgary Flames in an outdoor game.

Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty.

Forward Max Pacioretty would suffer a sever concussion and fractured vetebra after a hit that sent him colliding into a stanchion. Pacioretty would miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season, but returned in the 2011-12 season that saw little other bright spots. That season saw the general manager and coach fired after the team finished last in their division and conference.

Star goaltender Carey Price.

The general manager and coaching positions would be filled by Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, respectively. The 2012-13 lockout shortened season saw Canadiens' star defenseman P.K. Subban win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (for best defenseman). The NHL returned to a full season in 2013-14, and the Canadiens would advance to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the New York Rangers. In the following year, in part due to the performance of goaltender Carey Price, the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division and finished with 110 points, the most for the franchise since 1988-89. However, the team wuold fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. For his efforts, Price would be awarded the Vezina, Hart, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

The 2015-16 season would see Max Pacioretty named the 29th captain in franchise history. But early in the season, Carey Price was injured, suffering a knee injury, which would be aggravated soon after his return, and cause Price to miss the remainder of the season. A season in which the Canadiens would miss the playoffs. This 2016 off-season saw the Canadiens make a stunning move in sending their star defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber. Controversy followed the trade, as P.K. Subban was a popular figure in Montreal, especially for his charisma and charitable work.

The 2016-17 season saw Carey Price return, and with it the competitive Montreal Canadiens, winning the Atlantic Division, but the team would falter in the first round to the New York Rangers. The 2017-18 season saw the Canadiens struggle with their defense, and the Canadiens would make changes in the resulting offseason, including trading captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights for Tomas Tatar and prospect Nick Suzuki. The 2018-19 season was equally deflating, as the team once again failed to reach the playoffs.

The 2019-20 season saw interruption with the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a pause in March 2020. The Canadiens at the pause were outside of the playoffs, ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference. But given the modified post-season tournament, intended to give those teams just outside the playoffs a chance to play-in, the Canadiens were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five qualifying series. They would ultimately lose against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The momentum of the bubble playoffs - as the 2020 season would be known - carried into the odd 2021 season. Due to the pandemic, and the border between the U.S. and Canada, the teams only played against division rivals, with the divisions remixed to see all seven Canadian teams playing against each other. The Canadiens, despite their struggles through the season, made it into the playoffs after coach Claude Julien was fired and Dominique Ducharme hired.

Canadiens defeat Cup favorites Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens beat the much higher and Stanley Cup favored Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, after falling three games to one and being put on the brink of elimination. The second round saw the Canadiens sweep the Winnipeg Jets and the Conference Finals saw the Canadiens defeat the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canadiens would go on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final, but became the first Canadian NHL team to reach the finals since Vancouver reached them in 2011. The playoff run became a last gasp for the group which had been largely assembled during the previous decade.

The 2021 offseason would see controversy for the Canadiens, as general manager would announce the Montreal Canadiens select Logan Mailloux as their first-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. This was despite Mailloux pulling himself out of the draft (which he could not do officially, but had made it known he would prefer not to be selected) following a conviction and fine in a Swedish court on a count of sexual misconduct after sharing an intimate photograph of himself with a young woman without her consent. This was public knowledge at the draft, and the Canadiens decision to select the player led to fierce backlash. Owner Geoff Molson would issue a public apology and Mailloux would not be invited to the Canadiens' training camp but remained the team's property.

Through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, the Canadiens would commit to a rebuild. This saw general manager Marc Bergevin and the club part ways, with Kent Hughes coming in as new general manager under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, who had previously guided the New York Rangers through a rebuild as general manager (but who would not be named general manager of the Canadiens because he does not speak French). Dominique Ducharme would in turn be replaced as head coach, as the club felt he was not the right person for developing the young team, and in his place Martin St. Louis would take over coaching duties.