Montreal Canadiens

The oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team, with 24 Stanley Cup championships.

The Montreal Canadiens, officially and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. Since 1996, the team has played its home games at the Bell Centre, originally known as the Molson Centre. The Canadiens previously played at the Montreal Forum, which housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.

Lore & Background

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide, and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the league. The team is one of the 'Original Six' and has won the Stanley Cup 24 times, more than any other franchise. The Canadiens have won at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s, though this streak ended in the 2000s. The team's championship season in 1992–93 marked the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.

Reader's Guide

The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The team moved from the Mount Royal Arena to the Montreal Forum for the 1926–27 season. In March 1996, the team moved from the Montreal Forum to the Molson Centre (now Bell Centre). The Canadiens have had several dynastic periods, including six Stanley Cups from 1953 to 1960 (with five straight from 1956 to 1960) and four straight Cups from 1976 to 1979. The team's most recent Stanley Cup Final appearance was in 2021, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Did You Know?

The Canadiens set a record for most points (132) in an 80-game season in 1976–77, a mark that stood until the 2022–23 Boston Bruins.
The Canadiens became the first NHL team to reach 3,000 victories on December 29, 2008.