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Montreal Canadiens
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The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team is a member 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.
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Encyclopedia
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team is a member 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, an abbreviation of "Les Habitants". (Note even in English, the French spelling, Canadiens, is always used.)
Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team and the only continuously operating club to predate the founding of the NHL. The franchise is one of the "Original Six" teams, a description used for teams that were part of the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. 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 marks the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.
The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups (including their first in 1916, before the NHL existed), more than any other team. 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.
The Canadiens play their home games at the Bell Centre, which was named the Molson Centre until 2003. 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, and housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.
History
The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of the National Hockey Association,
the forerunner to the National Hockey League. It was to be the team of the francophone community in Montreal, composed of francophone players, and under francophone ownership as soon as possible. The team's first season was not a success, placing last. After the first year, ownership was transferred to George Kennedy of Montreal and the team's fortunes improved over the next seasons. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in the 1915-16 season. In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL, 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.
In the 1930s, the club started the decade with success with Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931. However, the club and its then Montreal rival, the Montreal Maroons declined both on the ice and economically during the Depression. Losses grew to the point where the team owners considering selling the team to Cleveland, Ohio interests. However, local investors were found and instead it was the Maroons that suspended operations, and several of the Maroons players moved to the Canadiens.
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, with another dynastic run of four straight Cups from 1976 to 1979. 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, and in 1993, 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.
On December 29, 2008 the Canadiens won 5-2 over the Florida Panthers to become the first team in NHL history to reach 3,000 victories.
Centennial celebrations
The Montreal Canadiens retired various uniform numbers as part of its leadup to its celebrations during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. As part of the scheduled events for 2009, Montreal hosted the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, and will host the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Team colours and mascot
The current team colours are red, blue and white. These colours 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", Roch Carrier described the influence of the Canadiens and their jersey within rural Quebec communities during the 1940s.
The story was later made into an animated short, The Sweater, narrated by Carrier.
A passage from the short appears on the 2002 issue of 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, when the club changed its name to Club de Hockey Canadien from Club Athletique Canadien, before evolving to its current form in 1952-53. The 'H' does not stand for 'Habs' or Habitants; this is a misconception. 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 the Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."
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, with the current version dating from 1952. Because of the team's lengthy history and significance in Quebec, the sweater has been referred to as (the holy flannel sweater).
Motto
Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut.
To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high.
The motto is from the poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae which was written in 1915, the year before the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup championship.
Mascot
Beginning in the 2004-05 NHL season, the Canadiens adopted Youppi as their official mascot, the first costumed mascot in their long 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.
The terms of the deal was reportedly in the six figures.
The team has previously had children as mascots who would skate with the team during warm-ups and during intermissions. One notable child mascot was the son of player Howie Morenz, Howie Morenz Jr. Other mascots were typically the children of players or Canadiens management.
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
| Season | GP | W | L | T1 | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | PIM | Finish | Playoffs | | 2003-04 | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 | 1039 | 4th, Northeast | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 0-4 (Lightning) | 2004-05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | | 2005-061 | 82 | 42 | 31 | — | 9 | 243 | 247 | 93 | 1312 | 3rd, Northeast | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Hurricanes) | 2006-07 | 82 | 42 | 34 | — | 6 | 245 | 256 | 90 | 1119 | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify | | 2007-08 | 82 | 47 | 25 | — | 10 | 262 | 222 | 104 | 1072 | 1st, Northeast | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Flyers) |
- 1 As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (shootout losses).
Franchise individual records
Franchise scoring leaders
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
Source:
Records - skaters
Career
Season
- Most goals in a season: 60, Steve Shutt (1976-77); Guy Lafleur (1977-78)
- Most powerplay goals in a season: 20, Yvan Cournoyer (1966-67)
- Most powerplay goals in a season, defenceman: 19, Sheldon Souray (2006-07)*
- Most assists in a season: 82, Pete Mahovlich (1974-75)
- Most points in a season: 136, Guy Lafleur (1976-77)
- Most penalty minutes in a season: 358, Chris Nilan (1984-85)
- Most points in a season, defenceman: 85, Larry Robinson (1976-77)
- Most points in a season, rookie: 71, Mats Naslund(1982-83); Kjell Dahlin (1985-86)
- Most goals in a season, defenceman: 28, Guy Lapointe (1974-75)
* Indicates a league record.
Source:
Records - goaltenders
Career
Season
* Indicates a league record.
Source:
Current roster
Leaders
Team captains
Head coaches
Source:
Honoured members
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 Vezina were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Patrick Roy and Dick Duff were the most recently inducted, in 2006.
Retired numbers
The Canadiens have retired fourteen numbers, by 15 players, in their history,
the most of any team in the National Hockey League, and the third highest total of any of the four major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. 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 retired numbers | | No. | Player | Retired |
|---|
| 1 | Jacques Plante | October 7, 1995 | | 2 | Doug Harvey | October 26, 1985 | | 4 | Jean Beliveau | October 9, 1971 | | 5 | Bernard Geoffrion | March 11, 2006 | | 7 | Howie Morenz | November 2, 1937 | | 9 | Maurice Richard | October 6, 1960 | | 10 | Guy Lafleur | February 16, 1985 | | 12 | Dickie Moore | November 12, 2005 | | 12 | Yvan Cournoyer | November 12, 2005 | | 16 | Henri Richard | December 10, 1975 | | 18 | Serge Savard | November 18, 2006 | | 19 | Larry Robinson | November 19, 2007 | | 23 | Bob Gainey | February 23, 2008 | | 29 | Ken Dryden | January 29, 2007 | | 33 | Patrick Roy | November 22, 2008 |
See also
External links
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