Montreal Maroons

Lore & Background

The Maroons were created to appeal to the anglophone neighbourhoods of Montreal after the Montreal Wanderers folded in 1918. A new arena, the Montreal Forum, was built for them in 1924, becoming the first large arena in the NHL. The Canadiens initially objected to a second team in Montreal but relented when compensated by the expansion fee, receiving $11,000 of the Maroons' fee. The team had no official nickname at founding; the media adopted 'Maroons' from their maroon sweaters with a capital 'M' logo.

In their second season, the Maroons won their first Stanley Cup, led by rookie Nels Stewart, who scored six goals in the final series and won the Hart Trophy. The feared 'S Line' of Hooley Smith, Babe Siebert and Nels Stewart was one of the most penalized forward lines of the early NHL. Goaltender Clint Benedict became the first NHL goaltender to wear a mask, donning one to protect a broken nose during the 1929–30 season.

Financial difficulties from the Great Depression hurt attendance; the Maroons finished with the worst attendance in the league three seasons in a row. By 1935, both Montreal teams were owned by the Canadian Arena Company. The Maroons suspended play after 1938, and despite revival efforts, the franchise was cancelled in 1947, leaving the Canadiens as Montreal's sole NHL team.

Reader's Guide

The Montreal Maroons hold a unique place in NHL history as the last non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup before the 1974 Philadelphia Flyers. Their two championships in 1926 and 1935 demonstrated the team's competitiveness during the league's early expansion era. The Maroons' presence created the first intra-city rivalry in Montreal since the Wanderers folded, a rivalry that packed the Forum beyond its listed capacity. The team contributed eleven Hall of Fame players and five Hall of Fame head coaches, reflecting the high calibre of talent that passed through the organization. The Maroons' demise after the Great Depression illustrates the economic pressures that shaped the NHL's contraction into the Original Six era. Since the Maroons folded, no NHL team that has ever won a Stanley Cup has subsequently folded or relocated, making the Maroons a notable exception to that pattern. Their legacy includes pioneering moments such as the first goaltender mask and the construction of the Montreal Forum, which became a historic venue for both the Maroons and Canadiens.

Did You Know?

• Goaltender Clint Benedict of the Maroons became the first NHL goaltender to wear a mask, to protect a broken nose.
• The Montreal Forum was built in 1924 specifically to accommodate the Maroons as the NHL's first large arena.

Birth of a Rival Franchise

The Montreal Maroons emerged from a specific cultural need. After the Montreal Arena burned in January 1918, the francophone Canadiens and the anglophone Wanderers were scattered. The Wanderers folded, and for several years Montreal had only one major-league team. By 1922, plans took shape to rebuild an anglophone franchise. Construction on the Montreal Forum began in July 1924 on the site of an old roller-skating rink, and by autumn the arena stood complete at a cost of CA$1.5 million—the first large arena in the NHL. The Maroons entered the league that same year alongside the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens' owner initially raised a formal objection to a second team in his territory, but he was compensated with $11,000 of the Maroons' expansion fee and privately welcomed what he called an "important and lucrative local rivalry." The club never officially adopted the "Maroons" name; the nickname simply stuck after the media noticed the team's maroon sweaters bearing a large capital "M."

The 1926 Miracle and Nels Stewart

The Maroons' first season ended in second-to-last place, but the Forum was already selling out. Then everything changed. With the arrival of Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert, and Merlyn Phillips, the team transformed from the league's worst to its best in a single year. In their second season, Montreal captured the Stanley Cup. The playoff format was a two-game, total-goals system. They beat Pittsburgh 6-4, upset Ottawa 2-1, and then faced the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League in what would be the last Stanley Cup Final between two different leagues. Montreal won three games to one. Rookie Nels Stewart was the engine, scoring six of the team's ten goals in that series. Standing 6'1" and 195 pounds, he was a physical giant for his era. His 34 goals that season set an NHL rookie record that stood until 1970-71, and he collected the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

The Rivalry That Defined a City

The Maroons and Canadiens shared the Forum from the 1926-27 season onward, creating one of the NHL's most intense local rivalries. In their first playoff meeting, 11,000 fans crammed into the 10,000-seat building to watch the Canadiens eliminate the defending champions. The Maroons got their revenge the following spring, knocking Montreal's francophone rivals out of the 1928 playoffs. They then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers, but lost 3-2. Because the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus occupied Madison Square Garden, all five games were played at the Forum. The Maroons also etched a footnote in league history on November 16, 1926, when they hosted the New York Rangers' NHL debut, losing 1-0. The two teams also shared the distinction of finishing first in the Canadian Division in different seasons, with the Maroons topping the division twice during their run.

A Legacy That Outlived the Franchise

The Great Depression's financial toll proved fatal. After the 1938 season, the Maroons suspended operations, and despite revival attempts, the NHL cancelled the franchise in 1947, leaving the Canadiens as Montreal's sole major-league team. Yet the Maroons' mark on the sport is extraordinary. Eleven players from the franchise were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and five of their six head coaches received the same honour. They won the Stanley Cup twice and finished first in the Canadian Division on two additional occasions. Perhaps most remarkably, the Maroons held the distinction of being the last non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup until the Philadelphia Flyers did so in 1974. Since the Maroons' disappearance, no NHL franchise that has ever captured the Cup has subsequently folded or relocated—a quiet testament to the standard of excellence the Maroons set during their fourteen seasons.