Montreal Canadiens
Oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide.
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, competing in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1909, they are the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the league. The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, more than any other franchise, and are one of the NHL's 'Original Six' teams.
Quick Facts
- Can Eng
- 1
- Team Name
- Montreal Canadiens · fr · Canadiens de Montréal
- Text Color
- #000000
- Conference
- Eastern
- Division
- Atlantic
- Founded
- 1909
- History
- Montreal Canadiens · 1910–1917 (NHA) · 1917–present (NHL)
- Arena
- Bell Centre
- City
- Montreal, Quebec
- Team Colors
- Red, white, blue / #A6192E #FFFFFF #001E62
- Media Affiliates
- English / TSN · TSN Radio 690 French / RDS · 98.5 FM
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Canadiens were founded on December 4, 1909, by J. Ambrose O'Brien as a charter member of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the forerunner to the NHL. The team was intended to represent the francophone community in Montreal, composed of francophone players and under francophone ownership as soon as possible. After a last-place inaugural season, ownership transferred to George Kennedy, and the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1915–16. In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL and won their first NHL Stanley Cup in 1923–24 led by Howie Morenz. The team moved from Mount Royal Arena to the Montreal Forum for the 1926–27 season. The Canadiens experienced success in the 1930s with back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931, but declined during the Great Depression alongside cross-town rivals the Montreal Maroons. After the Maroons suspended operations following the 1937–38 season, several of their players joined the Canadiens. The team rebounded in the 1940s led by the 'Punch Line' of Maurice 'Rocket' Richard, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach, and from 1953 to 1960 won six Stanley Cups, including a record five straight from 1956 to 1960. The Canadiens added ten more championships in 15 seasons from 1965 to 1979, with another dynastic run of four-straight Cups from 1976 to 1979. In the 1976–77 season, they set three still-standing team records: fewest losses (8) in an 80-game season, longest home unbeaten streak (34), and best goal differential (+216). The Canadiens won Stanley Cups in 1986, led by rookie star goaltender Patrick Roy, and in 1993, continuing a streak of winning at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s. In March 1996, the team moved from the Montreal Forum to the Molson Centre (now Bell Centre). Following Roy's departure in 1995, the team fell into mediocrity, missing the playoffs in four of ten seasons and failing to advance past the second round until 2010. In 2001, Molson Brewery sold control to American businessman George N. Gillett Jr., with conditions to prevent relocation. In 2009, Gillett sold the franchise to a consortium led by the Molson family for $575 million. During the 2008–09 season, the Canadiens celebrated their 100th anniversary and became the first NHL team to reach 3,000 victories on December 29, 2008.
Reader's Guide
The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful franchise in NHL history, with 24 Stanley Cup championships, more than any other team. Their 23 victories since the founding of the NHL and 22 since 1927 (when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Cup) underscore their dominance. The team is one of the 'Original Six' that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. The Canadiens' championship season in 1992–93 marked the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup. The team's history includes dynastic runs: five straight Cups from 1956 to 1960 and four straight from 1976 to 1979. The 1976–77 team set still-standing records for fewest losses (8) in an 80-game season, longest home unbeaten streak (34), and best goal differential (+216). The Canadiens also had the most championships by a team of any major North American sports league until the New York Yankees won their 25th World Series title in 1999. The franchise is the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide and the only existing NHL club to predate the league's founding. The team's classic 'C' and 'H' logo, first used together in the 1917–18 season, is one of the sport's oldest and most recognizable. The Canadiens operate in both English and French, with public address announcements and press releases in both languages.
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