32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Montreal Canadiens

Alexis Bazydola
May 16, 2020
6 min read

The Location: Montreal, Quebec

The Montreal Canadiens reside in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They play at the Bell Centre. Opening in 1996, this arena has the largest capacity to host an NHL game seating 21,273 for a home hockey game. It has hosted numerous events throughout its lifetime including acts like Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Roger Waters, The Rolling Stones and so many more. Originally named the Molson Centre, it was renamed to the Bell Centre in 2002. This arena replaced the storied Montreal Forum that was home to the Canadiens since 1924.

Team History

The Montreal Canadiens have a long and storied history. They are the oldest franchise in the league and the world as they were founded in 1909 as part of the National Hockey Association. Their first of many Stanley Cups was won in 1916. They are the most successful team in NHL history with 24 Stanley Cup titles in their history.

Fires took out the first two home sites for the Canadiens in 1918 and 1919. They played seven seasons in the Mount Royal Arena before moving to their home at the Montreal Forum in 1926. Although the Great Depression hit the team hard (they were almost moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1935 and almost forced to suspend operations in 1939), the team was able to hit a resurgence following World War II in which they competed in the Stanley Cup Finals from 1951-1960 and won six championships during this time. Five of these Cups were back to back from 1956-1960; the Canadiens still are the only team in league history to achieve this feat.

In 1942, the Original Six era began. Frank J. Selke became the Canadiens’ General Manager in 1946. Although Maurice “Rocket” Richard emerged as a star in the lineup, the team still looked to find more competitive players. After numerous attempts to bring star Jean Beliveau to their team full time, the Habs bought the Quebec senior league in 1953 in order to acquire Beliveau full time.

The Canadiens played in the 1955 Stanley Cup Finals, but this year was marked by the Richard Riot. Following Richard’s suspension for punching a linesman, a riot broke out when league president Clarence Campbell attended a game in Montreal on March 17 despite many death threats he received. After a fan threw a tear-gas bomb towards Campbell, the building was evacuated only to be met with mobs of angry fans outside the arena. Numerous arrests and deaths occurred. Richard went on to ask fans to please support the team in the playoffs and he would return next year to help the team secure another Cup. He did just that.

Beginning in 1955, the team brought in head coach Toe Blake to help manage Richard’s temper. This would also begin the Habs’ streak of winning the next five consecutive Cup titles from 1956-1960. Richard retired in 1960 with 544 career goals. In 1959, Jacques Plante began the use of facemasks for goalies. After being injured during a game, the coaches allowed him to wear his mask while his face healed. When he tried to play again without it, the team lost and instituted the use of the mask throughout play.

The Canadiens won the Cup in both 1965 and 1966, but fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1967 finals. This was the last of the Original Six era. The Canadiens continued their success despite the new teams in the league winning both the 1968 and 1969 Cups. The next season the Habs missed the playoffs for the only time between 1948 and 1995.

Despite the previous season’s lack of playoff appearance, the team returned to the Finals and won their 17th Cup as a franchise in 1971. Captain Jean Beliveau retired following this season. Scotty Bowman was brought in as head coach for the 1971-72 season. The 1976 Canadiens are now regarded as one of the best teams in history. That year Guy Lafleur was awarded the Hart, Lester B. Pearson, Art Ross and Conn Smythe trophies; Ken Dryden was awarded the Vezina Trophy; Bowman won the Jack Adams award; and Larry Robinson won the James Norris Memorial Trophy. This year also began another consecutive Cup title run as they Canadiens won the Cup from 1976-1979.

The 1980s began a new transition for the Canadiens as Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and their team captain Yvan Couroyer retired in 1979. A continued league expansion made it difficult for the Canadiens to find new footing. In 1986 the team returned to the finals with leadership from young goaltender Patrick Roy, head coach Jean Perron and forward Claude Lemieux. They faced the Calgary Flames and won another Stanley Cup title.

With the Stanley Cup celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1993, it was only fitting that the Habs would win another title and their 24th in franchise history. This is the most recent victory by a Canadian franchise. The next few years for the Canadiens were subpar. For the first time in 25 years they missed the playoffs in 1994-95. While they did make the playoffs in 1995-96, the team lost goaltender Patrick Roy to a trade following his state of play against the Detroit Red Wings in December 1995. Roy allowed 9 goals on 26 shots and after being pulled informed President Ronald Corey that it was his last game in Montreal. He was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche shortly after.

As the Canadiens failed to make the playoffs in four of the next ten seasons, they would not make it past the second round until 2010. In 1996, the team moved from the Forum to the Molson Centre (now the Bell Centre). With financial struggles the team was put up for sale in the summer of 2001. While many feared this would mean the move of the team to the United States, the team was purchased by George N. Gillett Jr. This deal included Molson remaining a minority partner and receiving first refusal for sale by Gillett in the future. The NHL Board of Governors was also required to approve any future move of the team.

While the 2000s were bleak for the Canadiens, the team was sold back to the Molson family in 2009. The Canadiens returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010 against the Philadelphia Flyers but were defeated. They returned to the Eastern Conference Finals again following the shortened 2012-13 season to face the New York Rangers. Following an injury to Carey Price which caused him to not return, the team fell to the Rangers in six games.

Despite losing in the second round of the 2014 playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning, goaltender Carey Price brought home the Vezina Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award and the William M. Jennings Trophy. The 2015-16 season began on a winning streak before the team was struck with injuries to many key players including Price. They did not qualify for the playoffs this year.

After another abysmal season in 2017-18, the team fired head coach Michel Therrien replacing him with Claude Julien for a second time in the franchise’s history. The Habs have yet to find more playoff success. At the season’s pause, they sit 24th in the league with 71 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

The team has a notable motto that appears both in their locker room and in the collar of their jerseys. It states “Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut.” This translates to “To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high.” The motto comes from the poem “In Flanders Field” written by John McCrae in 1915 which is the year before the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup.

Debuting in 2004-05, Youppi! is the official mascot of the Canadiens. He was originally the mascot for the Montreal Expos but was adopted after the team moved to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals. He is the first mascot to switch sports leagues.

The Habs also have strong rivalries stemming from their Original Six days with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins. Both rivalries stem from a long history of Stanley Cup Final faceoffs.