Montreal Canadiens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montreal CanadiensCanadiens de Montréal |
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| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Atlantic |
| Founded | 1909 |
| History | Montreal Canadiens 1910–1917 (NHA) 1917–present (NHL) |
| Home arena | Bell Centre |
| City | Montreal, Quebec |
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| Colours | Red, white, blue |
| Media | English
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| Owner(s) | Molson family (majority owner) (Geoff Molson, chairman) |
| General manager | Marc Bergevin |
| Head coach | Claude Julien |
| Captain | Shea Weber |
| Minor league affiliates | Laval Rocket (AHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 24 (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 | 8 (1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1992–93) |
| Presidents' Trophies | 0 |
| Division championships | 24 (1927–28, 1928–29, 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, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17) |
The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.
The club's official name is le Club de hockey Canadien. The team is frequently referred to in English and French as the Habs. French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Le CH, Le Grand Club and Les Habitants (from which "Habs" is derived).
Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide, and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL. One of the oldest North American professional sports franchises, the Canadiens' history predates that of every other Canadian franchise outside football as well as every American franchise outside baseball and the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals. The franchise is one of the "Original Six" teams, a description used for the teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. The team's championship season in 1992–93 was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.
The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other franchise. They have won 24 Stanley Cup championships, 23 of them since the founding of the NHL and 22 of them since 1927, when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Stanley Cup. On a percentage basis, as of March, 2019, the franchise has won 25.0% of all Stanley Cup championships contested in the post-1926 NHL Stanley Cup era, making it the most successful professional sports team of the traditional four major sports of Canada and the United States. As of March, 2019, the Boston Celtics have the highest percentage of National Basketball Association championships with 23.3%, and in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees have the highest percentage with 23.5%. The Canadiens also had the most championships by a team of any of the four major North American sports until the New York Yankees won their 25th World Series title in 1999.
Since 1996, the Canadiens have played their home games at Bell Centre, originally known as Molson Centre. The team previously played at the Montreal Forum which housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.
History
The Canadiens (who use the French spelling of "Canadian") were formed in 1909, as part of the National Hockey Association.
Early games
They won their first Stanley Cup in 1916, with star players such as Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde and goaltender Georges Vezina. The Canadiens joined the NHL in 1917; Canadien Joe Malone won the first NHL scoring title (Art Ross Trophy). They won the Cup again in 1924, with players such as Billy Boucher. Howie Morenz was a big star in the early years of the NHL. He was a great skater. Morenz won the Hart Trophy, as the league's top player, three times. Goalie George Hainsworth played at the same time, and along with others such as Aurel Joliat, they won the Stanley Cup in 1930 and 1931.
It took 13 years before they won the Cup again. A young Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, star goalie Bill Durnan, Hector "Toe" Blake, and Elmer Lach led the Canadiens to the cup again in 1944, as well as 1946. Richard scored 50 goals in a 50-game season in 1944-45. No one did that again for 36 years. He led the NHL in goals five times.
Later games
The Canadiens became a very powerful team in the 1950s. Led by legendary center Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey (who won seven Norris Trophies as best defence, six on Montreal), Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Dickie Moore, Jacques Plante (who won seven Vezina Trophies for goalies), and Richard (along with his younger brother, Henri, the "Pocket Rocket"), the team won the Cup in 1953, and five times in a row, 1956 through 1960. They won again in 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969.
New members
New players led the team in the 1970s: Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, and Yvon Cournoyer led them to the cup in 1971, 1973, and four times in a row, 1976 through 1979. By 1979, they had won the Stanley Cup 16 times in 27 years.
Related pages
- List of Montreal Canadiens players
Images for kids
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Game between the Canadiens and the New York Rangers in 1962.
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Bell Centre has been the Canadiens' home stadium since 1996. The arena is here seen in 2008, with banners celebrating the Montreal Canadiens centennial.
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Retired numbers at Centre Bell.
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Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard is the Canadiens' all-time leader in goals. The trophy awarded annually to the NHL's leading goal scorer is named in honour of Richard.
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Original design of the "CHC" logo. (1917–19, 1921–22)
