Montreal Canadiens

For current information on this topic, see 2008–09 Montreal Canadiens season

Montreal Canadiens (Canadiens de Montréal)
Conference	Eastern
Division	Northeast
Founded	December 4, 1909
History	Montreal Canadiens 1909-1917 (NHA) 1917-present (NHL)
Home Arena	Bell Centre (Centre Bell)
City	Montreal, Quebec
Colours	Red, Blue, White
Media	English CJAD (800 AM) French RDS CKAC (730 AM)
Owner(s)	George N. Gillett Jr.
General Manager	Bob Gainey
Head Coach	Guy Carbonneau
Captain	Saku Koivu
Minor League Affiliates	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	1915-16, 1923-24, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1943-44, 1945-46, 1952-53, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1985-86, 1992-93
Conference Championships	1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1992-93
Division Championships	1927-28, 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1936-37, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92, 2007-08

The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as Le Club de Hockey Canadien. French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-et-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Les Habitants and Le Grand Club. In English, the team's main nickname is the Habs (coming from "Les Habitants"). The French spelling Canadiens is always used in English (never Canadians).

Founded in 1909, eight years before the founding of the NHL, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously-operating professional ice hockey team and the only continuously-operating club to predate the league. On account of playing in the NHL prior to its 1967 expansion, they are considered one of the "Original Six" teams. With the departure of the Quebec Nordiques in 1995, the Canadiens are the sole NHL team in Quebec. The team's championship season in 1992-93 still marks the last time that a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.^[1]

The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups (including their first in 1916, before the NHL existed), more than any other team.^[2] On a percentage basis, as of 2008, the franchise has won 26% of all Stanley Cup championships contested after the Challenge Cup era, making it one of the most successful professional sports teams of the traditional four major sports of Canada and the United States.^[3]

The Canadiens play their home games at the Bell Centre, which was named the Molson Centre until 2003.^[4] Former homes of the team include Jubilee Rink, Montreal Westmount Arena, Mount Royal Arena and the famous Montreal Forum. The Forum was considered a veritable shrine to hockey fans everywhere,^[5] and housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.

History

Main article: History of the Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909 as a charter member of the National Hockey Association^[6], the forerunner to the National Hockey League. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in the 1915-16 season^[6]. In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL^[6], and they won their first NHL Stanley Cup during the 1923-24 season, led by Howie Morenz. The team moved to the Montreal Forum for the 1926-27 season^[6].

Led by the "Punch Line" of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Toe Blake, and Elmer Lach, in the 1940s the Canadiens enjoyed success again atop the NHL. From 1952 to 1960, the franchise won six Stanley Cups, including a record five straight from 1956 to 1960, with a new set of stars coming to prominence: Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Doug Harvey, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Jacques Plante, and Richard's younger brother, Henri.

The Canadiens added ten more championships in fifteen seasons from 1965 to 1979^[6], with another dynastic run of four straight Cups from 1976 to 1979^[6]. In the 1976-77 season, the Canadiens set a modern-day record for fewest losses by only losing eight games in an 80-game season. The next generation of stars included Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Pete Mahovlich, Steve Shutt, Bob Gainey, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson. Scotty Bowman, who would later set a record for most NHL victories by a coach, was the team's head coach for its last five Stanley Cup victories in the 70s.

The Canadiens won Stanley Cups in 1986, led by rookie star goaltender Patrick Roy^[6], and in 1993^[6], continuing their streak of winning at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s. In 1996, the Habs moved from the Montreal Forum, their home during 71 seasons and 22 Stanley Cups, to the Molson Centre^[6].

Commemorative 100^th anniversary jersey logo for 2008–09^[7]

Centennial celebrations

Main article: 2008–09 Montreal Canadiens season

As part of the Canadiens celebrations for their Centennial year of 2008-09, the NHL awarded the 2009 NHL All-Star Game to Montreal,^[8] as well as the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Team colors and mascot

Logo used (1917-19, 1921-22)

For more details on this topic, see History of the Montreal Canadiens.

The current team colors are red, blue and white. These colors have been used in combination since 1914. The Canadiens' famous colors are an important part of French Canadian culture. In the short story "The Hockey Sweater" by Roch Carrier a young Québécois boy is accidentally given the jersey of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The poem was later made into an animated short; a quote from it appears on the Canadian five dollar bill.

Logo

One of sports' oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917-18 season before evolving to its current form in 1952-53. The 'H' does not stand for 'Habs' or Habitants; this misconception stems from an error by an English language newspaper reporter in the 1950s. It actually stands for 'Hockey', as in 'Club de Hockey Canadien', the official name of the team. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."^[9].

Montreal Canadiens 2007 jerseys

Uniforms

The home jersey (traditionally called a sweater) is predominantly red in colour. There are four blue and white stripes, one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waist. The main road sweater is mainly white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves and the shoulders are also draped with red. The basic design has been in use since 1914. Because of the team's rich history and significance, the sweater is referred to by many as 'La sainte flanelle' (the holy flannel sweater).

Mascot

Beginning in the 2004-05 NHL season, the Canadiens adopted Youppi as their official mascot, the first in their 90+ year history. Youppi was the longtime mascot for the Montreal Expos baseball team, but was dropped from the franchise when they moved to Washington, D.C. in 2004 and became the Washington Nationals. With the switch, Youppi became the first mascot in professional sports to switch leagues.^[10]

Seasons and records

Season by season results

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Canadiens. For the full season-by-season history, see Montreal Canadiens seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

¹ As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

Franchise scoring leaders

For more details on this topic, see Montreal Canadiens Records.

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Updated at completion of 2007–2008 season

Individual records

Career

• Most Seasons: Henri Richard, 20
• Most Games: Henri Richard, 1256
• Most Goals: Maurice Richard, 544
• Most Assists: Guy Lafleur, 728
• Most Points: Guy Lafleur, 1246 (518G, 728A)
• Most Penalty Minutes: Chris Nilan, 2248
• Most Shutouts: George Hainsworth, 75
• Most Consecutive Games Played: Doug Jarvis, 560
• Most Stanley Cups: Henri Richard, 11*

Season

• Most Goals in a season: Steve Shutt & Guy Lafleur, 60 (1976-77; 1977-78)
• Most Powerplay goals in a season: Sheldon Souray, 21 (2006-07)
• Most Assists in a season: Pete Mahovlich, 82 (1974-75)
• Most Points in a season: Guy Lafleur, 136 (1976-77)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Chris Nilan, 358 (1984-85)
• Most Points in a season, defenceman: Larry Robinson, 85 (1976-77)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Mats Naslund; Kjell Dahlin, 71 (1982-83; 1985-86)
• Most Wins in a season: Jacques Plante; Ken Dryden, 42 (1955-56 & 1961-62; 1975-76)
• Most Shutouts in a season: George Hainsworth, 22 (1928-29)*
• Most Goals in a season, defenceman: Guy Lapointe, 28 (1974-75)

* Indicates a League Record

Current roster

As of July 3, 2008 [1]

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
31		Carey Price	L	2005	Vancouver, British Columbia
41		Jaroslav Halak	L	2003	Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
—		Marc Denis	L	2008	Montreal, Quebec

Defencemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
3		Ryan O'Byrne	R	2003	Victoria, British Columbia
8		Mike Komisarek	R	2001	West Islip, New York
25		Mathieu Dandenault	R	2005	Sherbrooke, Quebec
26		Josh Gorges	L	2007	Kelowna, British Columbia
44		Roman Hamrlik	L	2007	Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia
51		Francis Bouillon	L	2002	New York, New York
71		Patrice Brisebois	R	2007	Montreal, Quebec
79		Andrei Markov	L	1998	Voskresensk, U.S.S.R.

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
6		Tom Kostopoulos	RW	R	2007	Mississauga, Ontario
11		Saku Koivu – C	C	L	1993	Turku, Finland
14		Tomas Plekanec	C	L	2001	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
17		Georges Laraque	RW	R	2008	Montreal, Quebec
21		Christopher Higgins – A	C	L	2002	Smithtown, New York
22		Steve Begin	LW	L	2003	Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
27		Alexei Kovalev – A	RW	L	2004	Tolyatti, U.S.S.R.
28		Kyle Chipchura	C	L	2004	Westlock, Alberta
40		Maxim Lapierre	C	R	2003	Saint-Leonard, Quebec
46		Andrei Kostitsyn	LW	L	2003	Navapolatsk, U.S.S.R.
70		Gregory Stewart	LW	L	2004	Kitchener, Ontario
74		Sergei Kostitsyn	LW	L	2005	Navapolatsk, U.S.S.R.
84		Guillaume Latendresse	RW	L	2005	Sainte-Catherine, Quebec
—		Alex Tanguay	LW	L	2008	Sainte-Justine, Quebec

Leaders

Team captains

Head coaches

Honoured members

For more details on this topic, see Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners.

Pro Hockey Hall of Famers

In the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadiens boast the second-most enshrined Hall-of-Famers with forty-two. All of their inductees are from Canada with the exception of former defenceman Joe Hall, who was from England. Thirty-six of these players are from three separate notable dynasties: 12 from 1955-1960, 11 from 1964-1969 and 13 from 1975-1979. Howie Morenz and Georges Vézina were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Patrick Roy and Dick Duff were the most recently inducted, in 2006.

Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famers
Player	Nat.	Position	Inducted	Player	Nat.	Position	Inducted	Player	Nat.	Position	Inducted
Howie Morenz		C	1945	Bill Durnan		G	1964	Yvan Cournoyer		RW	1982
Georges Vezina		G	1945	Hector "Toe" Blake		LW	1966	Ken Dryden		G	1983
Aurel Joliat		LW	1947	Ken Reardon		D	1966	Jacques Lemaire		C	1984
Newsy Lalonde		C	1950	Emile Bouchard		D	1966	Bert Olmstead		RW	1985
Joe Malone		C	1950	Elmer Lach		C	1966	Serge Savard		D	1986
Sprague Cleghorn		D	1958	Tom Johnson		D	1970	Jacques Laperriere		D	1987
Herb Gardiner		LW	1958	Jean Beliveau		C	1972	Guy Lafleur		RW	1988
Sylvio Mantha		D	1960	Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion		RW	1972	Bud O'Connor		RW	1988
Maurice "Rocket" Richard		RW	1961	Doug Harvey		D	1973	Bob Gainey		LW	1992
Joe Hall		D	1961	Dickie Moore		LW	1974	Guy Lapointe		D	1993
George Hainsworth		G	1961	Jacques Plante		G	1978	Steve Shutt		LW	1993
Jack Laviolette		D	1962	Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard		C	1979	Larry Robinson		D	1995
Didier Pitre		D	1962	Lorne "Gump" Worsley		G	1980	Patrick Roy		G	2006
Albert "Babe" Siebert		LW	1964	Frank Mahovlich		LW	1981	Dick Duff		LW	2006

Retired numbers

The Canadiens have retired thirteen numbers, by 14 players, in their history,^[11] the most of any team in the National Hockey League, and the fourth highest total of any North American professional sports franchise. All of the honourees were born in Canada. Howie Morenz was the first honouree on November 2, 1937. Although not officially retired under his name, Jacques Laperriere who wore No. 2 after Doug Harvey, was present on the ice in the Montreal Forum the night the number was retired.

Montreal Canadiens Hockey School

In July 2007, the Montreal Canadiens inaugurated the first of an annual hockey camp for boys and girls between the age levels of Novice to Peewee. It is a week-long camp in the summer to let kids a one in a lifetime chance to meet and practice on the ice with some of the players and coaches of the Montreal Canadiens. Young players get to practice and improve all aspects of their game and also get to learn off-ice training tips in a unique environment.[2]

I the second year of the program, some aspects were changed to further better the camp: It became a multi-week camp with different young players coming in every week (instead of one week for everyone). This can allow more players to come and experience the camp. They also added a week for elite (AA,BB,CC) Atom to Bantam level players.[3]

References

See also

• Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners
• Montreal Junior Canadiens
• Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry
• List of Montreal Canadiens presidents
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of Montreal Canadiens goaltenders

External links

• Official website of the Montreal Canadiens