Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team, the oldest established National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, and one of the most successful clubs in all of North American sports history. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Canadiens are one of the NHL's 'Original Six' franchises, along with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. In their near-century of existence, the team has won twenty-four Stanley Cups, the most championships by any team in the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens play their home games at the Bell Centre.

The franchise is officially known as Le Club de Hockey Canadien, but is usually referred to in English Canada as the "Montreal Canadiens". French nicknames for the team include Le Bleu-Blanc-et-Rouge, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux, and Les Habitants. The team jersey is referred to as La Sainte-Flanelle. In English, the main nicknames are the Habs and (usually historically) The Flying Frenchmen. To this date, the Montreal Canadiens remain the last Canadian team to win the Stanley cup, having last won it in 1993

The Montreal Canadiens' chief rivals are the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Facts

Championships: 24. (Most Stanley Cup wins of any hockey club.)

Founded: 1909

Arena: Bell Centre (capacity 21,273). Known as Molson Centre until 2002.

Former arenas: Montreal Forum (1924-1996), Mount Royal Arena (1920-1924), Jubilee Arena (1918-1920), Montreal Arena (1909-1918)

Television: RDS

Uniform colours: red, white, and blue

Logo design: a C with an H in the centre (for Club de Hockey Canadien) Some mistakenly claim the H is for Habitants.

Mascot: Youppi, acquired when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, DC to become the Washington Nationals

Motto: To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high. (English);
Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut (French).

Rivals: Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Nordiques (1979-1995, now Colorado Avalanche).

Franchise history

With the exception of baseball's New York Yankees, no North American sports team has had as storied and as successful a history as the Montreal Canadiens, the oldest team in professional hockey. They have won 24 Stanley Cups, eleven more than the team with the next largest number – the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the Maple Leafs are generally regarded as the Canadiens chief rivals, this is open for debate. In the 1970's, the Boston Bruins began a strong rivalry with the Canadiens as a result of their almost annual playoff encounters. The former Québec Nordiques were also bitter rivals of the Canadiens, and their matchups came to be known as "The Battle of Quebec".

However their rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs is the longest in North American professional ice hockey. The rivalry began in 1917 when the Maple Leafs came into existence. It has enhanced since they were the only two Canadian teams for more than thirty years, and are seen as representing each of Canada's main language groups.

1909 to 1932: The Early NHL

Before there was an NHL, there was a Montreal Canadiens team. They were a charter member of the league's forerunner, the National Hockey Association (NHA), in 1909, operating as the Haileybury Hockey Club. The next season, the Club Antique-Canadien, seeking admission to the NHA, threatened suit for copyright infringement over the NHA's Les Canadiens club, and were admitted to the league, taking over the Haileybury franchise and renaming it the Canadiens, while the former Les Canadiens franchise was taken over by Toronto interests the next season.

In 1916 the Canadiens beat the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to win their first Stanley Cup; and they returned to the finals the following season, only to lose to the Seattle Metropolitans.

The Canadiens and four other NHA team executives formed the NHL in 1917. Two years later, they once again faced Seattle for the Stanley Cup, but tragedy struck with the series tied at two games apiece: a Spanish Flu pandemic hit Seattle, and star Joe Hall died. The remainder of the series was cancelled.

In addition to Hall's death, the next season they lost Joe Malone, the league's leading scorer. Malone was on loan from the dormant Quebec Bulldogs, but that team returned to the ice in 1919.

With rookie Howie Morenz completing a line with veterans Aurel Joliat and Billy Boucher, the Canadiens once again reached the top in 1924, defeating both the Calgary Tigers (of the Western Canada Hockey League) and the Vancouver Maroons (of the PCHA) in a convoluted playoff format. In 1925, the Habs lost to the Victoria Cougars (now the Detroit Red Wings) in the last year of the old Western Hockey League challenging for the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens lost goaltender Georges Vézina to tuberculosis in late 1925, and finished last in the league. The following season, the Canadiens signed a suitable replacement in George Hainsworth, who would win the newly created Vezina Trophy, which was awarded to the goalie who allowed the fewest goals scored against himself. Today it's simply awarded to the league's "best goaltender", as voted by NHL general managers. Hainsworth would be the league's best goalie for the next few years.

Generally, however, the Habs stumbled in the playoffs until they won their third Stanley Cup in 1930, defeating the seemingly invincible Boston Bruins. The "Flying Frenchmen" once again beat the regular-season champion Bruins in the 1931 playoffs, then beat the Ottawa Senators to win their fourth Cup.

1932 to 1967: The End of Morenz to the end of the last great Toronto Maple Leafs

The Canadiens' stars (Morenz and Joliat) faded out in the early 1930s, and they had the worst record in the league by the 1935-36 NHL season. Stunned by such a horrible performance, the NHL gave the Habs rights to all French Canadian players for two years. They had the second-best record in the NHL in 1936-37, but were stunned again by Morenz's death following an on-ice injury. It stemmed from a serious hit by Earl Seibert of the Chicago Blackhawks, after which it would appear that Seibert had next to murdered poor Morenz. The Canadiens were once again mired in mediocrity for several more seasons, until a team led by the Punch Line of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Hector "Toe" Blake and Elmer Lach lifted the Cup again in 1944 after losing only five games in the regular season.

In 1945, Richard made NHL history by becoming the first player to score 50 goals in one season, reaching the mark on the final night of the season. Despite their power, the Habs lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semi-finals. The team was to be invigorated in the 1946 playoffs, winning their sixth Stanley Cup.

In 1957, brothers Tom and Hartland Molson, owners of the Molson brewery, purchased the team. The 1950s were by far the most successful decade for the Canadiens, and it is believed by many that the Habs of this era were the best team in NHL history. Between 1951 and 1960, the Canadiens made the finals every year, winning six times (including a record five straight between 1956 and 1960). Toe Blake would become coach, and they added more of the league's great players such as Jean Béliveau, Dickie Moore, Doug Harvey, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, goalie Jacques Plante (who, in 1959, became the first goalie to regularly wear a mask, but not without some resistance, even from Toe Blake, who was then the Montreal coach) and Maurice Richard's brother Henri.

Montreal fell into a state of unbridled love, if not obsession, with the Canadiens. At no time was this more evident than when Rocket Richard was suspended for the rest of the season on March 13, 1955, for assaulting an official in the aftermath of a stick fight in a game against the Bruins. Montrealers rioted in the streets at the following game (on March 17, at home versus the Detroit Red Wings), causing millions of dollars in damage. The Canadiens had to forfeit the game, and went on to lose in the finals to the Red Wings. The previous year, the Habs had also fallen at the hands of the Red Wings, when Doug Harvey (considered the best defenceman of all time until Bobby Orr hit the scene in 1966-67) redirected a shot by the Red Wings' Tony Leswick into the Montreal net past Canadiens goalie Gerry McNeil. In 1956 the Canadiens established a "farm team" in Peterborough, Ontario (now known as the Peterborough Petes), which is in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League).

Despite Rocket Richard's retirement in 1960, the Canadiens looked ready to win a sixth straight Cup in 1961; but they were stunned in the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks (who eventually won the Stanley Cup behind the offencive genius of winger Bobby Hull) in the semi-finals. The Canadiens continued to suffer (relative) playoff frustration until they won the Cup again in 1965, in Yvan Cournoyer's rookie season, and repeated in 1966. The following season, the Canadiens lost to the Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup finals, the last time the two teams have met in the final round. Toronto hasn't won a Stanley Cup, or appeared in the finals, since 1967's win against Montreal.

1967 to Today: The Goals Reached with the Flower to the Downfall of Saint Patrick

With expansion in 1968, the Canadiens handily defeated the fledgling St. Louis Blues in the finals during each of the next two seasons. The Canadiens missed out on a playoff spot in 1970 on the final day of the regular season, thanks to a tiebreaker (and since Toronto missed out as well, it meant the only time in NHL history no Canadian teams made the playoffs.)

The Habs were back to their winning ways in 1971, defeating the Blackhawks to capture yet another Stanley Cup in goalie Ken Dryden's rookie season (starting a career where he would average an astonishing 2 goals allowed per game), in addition to long-time Leafs' star Frank Mahovlich's first in a Canadiens uniform. According to Hockey Superstars: All-time Greats by sportscaster Paul Romanuk, after the first round of that season's playoffs, the Boston Bruins' Phil Esposito screamed, referring to Dryden, "I can't believe that giraffe stopped me so many times here, OK!!!!" After losing in the quarter-finals to the Rangers in 1972 (Guy Lafleur's rookie season), they would once again win the Cup over Chicago in 1973.

The Canadiens were upset hard by the New York Rangers in the first round in 1974, and would lose out to the Buffalo Sabres in the semi-finals in 1975. But in 1976, under the leadership of head coach Scotty Bowman, they set a record in the NHL by losing only eight games in an eighty game schedule and went on to win the Cup again, thwarting the Philadelphia Flyers' hopes for a third consecutive championship. The series was so physical that the Canadiens were dubbed "The St. Catherine Street Cannibals" and the Flyers were "The Broad Street Bullies". The team was led by Lafleur (who was in the midst of six straight 50-goal seasons, the league's first ever six-consecutive-time 50-goal and 100-point scorer), Cournoyer, Dryden, Steve Shutt, Pete Mahovlich, Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson. The Canadiens would then go on to win three more consecutive Cups to close out the 1970s.

Most of the Canadiens' best players were retired or traded by the early 1980s (the major exceptions being Bob Gainey, Robinson, and Lafleur). They would, however, pick up star Swedish left winger Mats Naslund, as well as Guy Carbonneau in the early 1980s. By the 1985-86 NHL season, they once again had a top goalie in rookie Patrick Roy. Roy would lead the Canadiens to their only Stanley Cup of the decade that season, defeating the Calgary Flames. But the Flames got their own back three years later. They beat the Habs to the 1989 title. "Les Habitants" (which means "The Farmers" in French) won their 24th (and, to date, last) Stanley Cup four years after their "fiery" defeat, against the Los Angeles Kings (which should not have been easy, since the Kings had offencive rewriting forwards Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille latter of whom, in a curious twist of fate, a Montrealer by birth) in 1993.

By 1995, the Canadiens disintegrated and missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. The final straw came in December of that year, when the Canadiens lost 11-1 at home to the Detroit Red Wings. Then-head coach Mario Tremblay refused to pull goaltender Patrick Roy from the net until after the ninth goal, despite the goalie's repeated pleas. After he was pulled, Roy, who had had quite enough by then and was now irritable with Tremblay, approached then team president Ronald Corey and told him, "I've just played my last game in a Montreal Canadiens uniform." Then he walked past Tremblay - "with a defiant spark in his eye" as some newspapers may have reported - and then he took his seat behind the bench. He was dealt to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche along with Mike Keane for Jocelyn Thibault, Andrei Kovalenko, and Martin Rucinsky.

Montreal Gazette sports columnist Jack Todd has suggested that, because of the way management treated Roy, the Canadiens are under "the Curse of St. Patrick." However, while the team's Stanley Cup drought of 13 years as of the 2005-06 season is long by their standards, it is not one of the NHL's longer droughts, and their failures have not featured the kind of bizarre moments that seem to afflict other teams that are supposedly under "curses." It is still early to take a "Curse of St. Patrick" seriously, although the team has been struggling more than contending ever since the trade.

On March 11, 1996, the Canadiens defeated the Dallas Stars, 4-1 in the final game at the historic Montreal Forum. The final goal at the Forum was scored by Andrei Kovalenko. The Stars were chosen as the final Forum opponent because their captain, Guy Carbonneau, and their general manager, Bob Gainey, were both former Canadien captains. Following the game, a closing ceremony was held, in which each living Canadiens captain, wearing an up-to-date version of the uniform with his number on it, passed a torch, the newer one to the older one: Pierre Turgeon to Carbonneau, to Gainey, to Serge Savard, to Yvan Cournoyer, to Henri Richard, to Jean Beliveau, to Maurice Richard, to Butch Bouchard, the earliest surviving former captain. (Three living former captains were unavailable because they were still active with other teams: Mike Keane with the Colorado Avalanche, Kirk Muller with the New York Islanders, and Chris Chelios with the Chicago Blackhawks). Upon being introduced, 74-year-old Maurice Richard, the most popular player in team history, received a 17-minute standing ovation. Maurice Richard was, and is, according to Romanuk's book, a cultural icon, which also notes that when he died at age 78, his funeral was broadcast across Canada.

The team moved into the new Molson Centre (renamed the Bell Centre in 2003) the following Saturday, defeating the New York Rangers, 4-2. Despite solid players like Pierre Turgeon, Mark Recchi, Vladimir Malakhov, and Patrice Brisebois at various points in the late 1990s, the Canadiens would stumble and eventually miss the playoffs three straight seasons between 1999 and 2001. There was even brief talk of the team moving, especially after American investor George N. Gillett Jr. was the only interested buyer when the Molson family sold the team in 2001.

In the fall of 2001, it was revealed that centre Saku Koivu, who had been with the team since 1995, had cancer and would miss the season. However, he came back and, along with the surprising strong play of goalie Jose Theodore (who won the Crozier Award, Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy that season), inspired the team for a run to the 2002 playoffs as the final seed in the Eastern Conference. They then upset the Bruins in the first round, but lost to the cinderella Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

On November 22, 2003, the Canadiens participated in the Heritage Classic, the first outdoor hockey game in the history of the NHL. Theodore helped the Habs grind down Ty Conklin and defeated the Oilers 4-3 in front of more than 55,000 fans – an NHL attendance record – at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The team seemed to turn a corner at that point, and finished the season in the 7th playoff seed with 93 points. The team would again play the Bruins in the playoffs. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit, the Canadiens would win the rest of the games, including a thrilling Game 7 in Boston, to again upset the Bruins. Sadly, however, the team would run into that season's Cup winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and fall in a sweep.

The 2004 lockout prevented the Canadiens from gaining on the momentum of the 2004 season, but the team's future still looks bright. On July 22, 2005, the Canadiens were awarded the fifth position in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft to be held on July 30, 2005 in Ottawa, Canada. They used the fifth pick to draft goaltender Carey Price of the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League. On September 19, prior to the start of the 2005-06 season, the Canadiens announced that they had adopted "Youppi!", the popular former Montréal Expos mascot who was left behind when the Expos moved to Washington D.C. This is the first time the Canadiens have had a mascot in their 90+ year history.

During the 2005 training camp and pre-season, the main story was arguably the performance of the team's 2nd round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, right winger Guillaume Latendresse. The 18-year old Latendresse won over fans, media, teammates and team management alike, playing with skill and passion, on-level with veteran players and surpassing other rookies. However, Latendresse was told he would not play with the Habs in 2005-06. He was sent back to the QMJHL on October 2, 2005. Other stories included elite Swiss defenseman Mark Streit's quest at making the NHL after spending 10 years in the Switzerland National League A with the ZSC Lions and the race for the backup goaltender position left vacant by the injured Cristobal Huet (acquired from Los Angeles on June 25, 2005 in exchange for Mathieu Garon) between Carey Price, NCAA Brown University alumni Yann Danis, and underdog journeyman Olivier Michaud. However, on January 13, 2006, with the teams' performance not up to standards, Claude Julien was fired as coach, and replaced on an interim basis by Bob Gainey, the teams' general manager. Guy Carbonneau is scheduled to take over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens as soon as he becomes comfortable with the position. Later on, Montreal lead goalie Jose Theodore was also traded to the Colorado Avalanche in return for goalie David Aebischer. The Canadiens narrowly made the playoffs, again with 93 points, again finishing 7th in the Eastern Conference, again losing in 6 games to the heavily favoured Carolina Hurricanes, but in the first round. In Game 3 on May 2, 2006, Canadiens captain Koivu received a nearly life-threatening high-stick from unpunished Carolina right-winger Justin Williams. A blood clot developed in Koivu's punctured left eye. The Canadiens lost that game 2-1, and that would be the score in the fatal Game 6. In that game, Canadiens veteran defenceman and alternate captain Craig Rivet was getting on ice for a shift beginning.

Then it happened.

Hurricanes left-winger Cory Stillman, whom Carolina GM Jim Rutherford had correctly assumed a core part of a Stanley Cup-winning team, as he had helped the Lightning sweep the Canadiens in the 2004 playoffs, shot, and scored. By chance it had deflected off of Rivet's stick. Many fans, especially jazz-star-in-training Rowan Carkintekae, wanted Stillman's head. In Carkintekae's case, he also wanted Williams's head.

The Near Future and Beyond

A major announcement about the one hundred year anniversary of Les Habs was made on October 2, 2005. On October 15 of that year, to begin the Canadiens' centennial countdown, it was announced that three more jersey numbers would be retired — Dickie Moore's and Yvan Cournoyer's number 12 on November 12 before their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the number 5 worn by Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion on March 11, 2006 prior to their contest against the New York Rangers, the other team he played for after a one-year retirement — the first since moving from Le Forum during a "Legends Night" ceremony, with one additional number to be hoisted to the rafters in each of the three following seasons. Boom Boom Geoffrion died on the day his number was to be retired. The Canadiens won that contest 1 to nothing.

The Canadiens also announced ambitious plans for their Centennial year of 2008-09, including plans to bid on hosting the World Junior Hockey Championships (which were awarded to Ottawa), the NHL Draft and the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, all to be held at the Bell Centre, although it has been widely expected that the Phoenix Coyotes are scheduled to receive the honour of hosting the NHL All-Star Game, because of the cancelled 2006 event due to the 2006 Winter Olympics.

For the first week of the 2006 free-agent market, the Canadiens were very inactive. But when, from Phoenix and the Edmonton Oilers, respectively, decently scoring wingers Mike Johnson and Sergei Samsonov (the latter of whom a former Calder Memorial Trophy) were acquired on July 10, 2006, the result became a Montreal Canadiens team that looks well to be in the former old direction of their best teams from 1956-79.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OT = Overtime points, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes, CQF = Conference Quarter Final, CSF = Conference Semi-Final, CF = Conference

Final, DSF = Division Semi-Final, DF = Division Final, QF = Quarter Final, SF = Semi-Final, PR = Preliminary Round''

Season	GP	W	L	T	OT	GF	GA	Pts	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1917-18	22	13	9	0	--	115	84	26	--	1st in NHL (tie)	Lost NHL Final vs. Toronto
1918-19	18	10	8	0	--	88	78	20	257	2nd in NHL	Reached Final, No Decision³
1919-20	24	13	11	0	--	129	113	26	221	2nd in NHL	Out of playoffs
1920-21	24	13	11	0	--	112	99	26	315	3rd in NHL	Out of playoffs
1921-22	24	12	11	1	--	88	94	25	174	3rd in NHL	Missed Playoffs
1922-23	24	13	9	2	--	73	61	28	174	2nd in NHL	Lost NHL Final vs. Ottawa
1923-24	24	13	11	0	--	59	48	26	144	2nd in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1924-25	30	17	11	2	--	93	56	36	371	3rd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Victoria
1925-26	36	11	24	1	--	79	108	23	458	7th (last) in NHL	Out of playoffs
1926-27	44	28	14	2	--	99	67	58	395	2nd in Canadian	Lost SF vs. Ottawa
1927-28	44	26	11	7	--	116	48	59	496	1st in Canadian	Lost SF vs. Mtl. Maroons
1928-29	44	22	7	15	--	71	43	59	465	1st in Canadian	Lost SF vs. Boston
1929-30	44	21	14	9	--	142	114	51	600	2nd in Canadian	Stanley Cup Champion
1930-31	44	26	10	8	--	129	89	60	602	1st in Canadian	Stanley Cup Champion
1931-32	48	25	16	7	--	128	111	57	450	1st in Canadian	Lost SF vs. NY Rangers
1932-33	48	18	25	5	--	92	115	41	468	3rd in Canadian	Lost QF vs. NY Rangers
1933-34	48	22	20	6	--	99	101	50	308	2nd in Canadian	Lost QF vs. Chicago
1934-35	48	19	23	6	--	110	145	44	314	3rd in Canadian	Lost QF vs. NY Rangers
1935-36	48	11	26	11	--	82	123	33	317	4th (last) in Canadian	Out of playoffs
1936-37	48	24	18	6	--	115	111	54	298	1st in Canadian	Lost SF vs. Detroit
1937-38	48	18	17	13	--	123	128	49	340	3rd in Canadian	Lost QF vs. Chicago
1938-39	48	15	24	9	--	115	146	39	294	6th in NHL	Lost QF vs. Detroit
1939-40	48	10	33	5	--	90	167	25	338	7th (last) in NHL	Out of playoffs
1940-41	48	16	26	6	--	121	147	38	435	6th in NHL	Lost QF vs. Chicago
1941-42	48	18	27	3	--	134	173	39	504	6th in NHL	Lost QF vs. Detroit
1942-43	50	19	19	12	--	181	191	50	318	4th in NHL	Lost SF vs. Boston
1943-44	50	38	5	7	--	234	109	83	557	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1944-45	50	38	8	4	--	228	121	80	376	1st in NHL	Lost SF vs. Toronto
1945-46	50	28	17	5	--	172	134	61	337	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1946-47	60	34	16	10	--	189	138	78	561	1st in NHL	Lost Final vs. Toronto
1947-48	60	20	29	11	--	147	169	51	724	5th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1948-49	60	28	23	9	--	152	126	65	782	3rd in NHL	Lost SF vs. Detroit
1949-50	70	29	22	19	--	172	150	77	736	2nd in NHL	Lost SF vs. NY Rangers
1950-51	70	25	30	15	--	173	184	65	835	3rd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Toronto
1951-52	70	34	26	10	--	195	164	78	661	2nd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Detroit
1952-53	70	28	23	19	--	155	148	75	777	2nd in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1953-54	70	35	24	11	--	195	141	81	1064	2nd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Detroit
1954-55	70	41	18	11	--	228	157	93	890	2nd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Detroit
1955-56	70	45	15	10	--	222	131	100	977	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1956-57	70	35	23	12	--	210	155	82	870	2nd in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1957-58	70	43	17	10	--	250	158	96	945	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1958-59	70	39	18	13	--	258	158	91	760	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1959-60	70	40	18	12	--	255	178	92	756	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1960-61	70	41	19	10	--	254	188	92	811	1st in NHL	Lost SF vs. Chicago
1961-62	70	42	14	14	--	259	166	98	818	1st in NHL	Lost SF vs. Chicago
1962-63	70	28	19	23	--	225	183	79	751	3rd in NHL	Lost SF vs. Toronto
1963-64	70	36	21	13	--	209	167	85	982	1st in NHL	Lost SF vs. Toronto
1964-65	70	36	23	11	--	211	185	83	1033	2nd in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1965-66	70	41	21	8	--	239	173	90	884	1st in NHL	Stanley Cup Champion
1966-67	70	32	25	13	--	202	188	77	879	2nd in NHL	Lost Final vs. Toronto
1967-68	74	42	22	10	--	236	167	94	700	1st in East	Stanley Cup Champion
1968-69	76	46	19	11	--	271	202	103	780	1st in East	Stanley Cup Champion
1969-70	76	38	22	16	--	244	201	92	892	5th in East	Out of playoffs
1970-71	78	42	23	13	--	291	216	97	1271	3rd in East	Stanley Cup Champion
1971-72	78	46	16	16	--	307	205	108	783	3rd in East	Lost QF vs. NYR
1972-73	78	52	10	16	--	329	184	120	783	1st in East	Stanley Cup Champion
1973-74	78	45	24	9	--	293	240	99	761	2nd in East	Lost QF vs. NYR
1974-75	80	47	14	19	--	374	225	113	155	1st in Norris	Lost SF vs. Buffalo
1975-76	80	58	11	11	--	337	174	127	977	1st in Norris	Stanley Cup Champion
1976-77	80	60	8	12	--	387	171	132	764	1st in Norris	Stanley Cup Champion
1977-78	80	59	10	11	--	359	183	129	745	1st in Norris	Stanley Cup Champion
1978-79	80	52	17	11	--	337	204	115	803	1st in Norris	Stanley Cup Champion
1979-80	80	47	20	13	--	328	240	107	874	1st in Norris	Lost QF vs. Minnesota
1980-81	80	45	22	13	--	332	232	103	1398	1st in Norris	Lost PR vs. Edmonton
1981-82	80	46	17	17	--	360	223	109	1463	1st in Norris	Lost DSF vs. Quebec
1982-83	80	42	24	14	--	350	286	98	1116	2nd in Adams	Lost DSF vs. Buffalo
1983-84	80	35	40	5	--	286	295	75	1371	4th in Adams	Lost CF vs. NY Islanders
1984-85	80	41	27	12	--	309	262	94	1464	1st in Adams	Lost DF vs. Quebec
1985-86	80	40	33	7	--	330	280	87	1372	2nd in Adams	Stanley Cup Champion
1986-87	80	41	29	10	--	277	241	92	1802	2nd in Adams	Lost CF vs. Philadelphia
1987-88	80	45	22	13	--	298	238	103	1830	1st in Adams	Lost DF vs. Boston
1988-89	80	53	18	9	--	315	218	115	1537	1st in Adams	Lost Final vs. Calgary
1989-90	80	41	28	11	--	288	234	93	1590	3rd in Adams	Lost DF vs. Boston
1990-91	80	39	30	11	--	273	249	89	1425	2nd in Adams	Lost DF vs. Boston
1991-92	80	41	28	11	--	267	207	93	1556	1st in Adams	Lost DF vs. Boston
1992-93	84	48	30	6	--	326	280	102	1788	3rd in Adams	Stanley Cup Champion
1993-94	84	41	29	14	--	283	248	96	1524	3rd in Northeast	Lost CQF vs. Boston
1994-95 ²	48	18	23	7	--	125	148	43	840	6th in Northeast	Out of playoffs
1995-96	82	40	32	10	--	265	248	90	1847	3rd in Northeast	Lost CQF vs. NY Rangers
1996-97	82	31	36	15	--	249	276	77	1469	4th in Northeast	Lost CQF vs. New Jersey
1997-98	82	37	32	13	--	235	208	87	1547	4th in Northeast	Lost CSF vs. Buffalo
1998-99	82	32	39	11	--	184	209	75	1299	5th (last) in Northeast	Out of playoffs
1999-00	82	35	34	9	4	196	194	83	1067	4th in Northeast	Out of playoffs
2000-01	82	28	40	8	6	206	232	70	1020	5th (last) in Northeast	Out of playoffs
2001-02	82	36	31	12	3	207	209	87	974	4th in Northeast	Lost CSF vs. Carolina
2002-03	82	30	35	8	9	206	234	77	900	4th in Northeast	Out of playoffs
2003-04	82	41	30	7	4	208	192	93	1039	4th in Northeast	Lost CSF vs. Tampa Bay
2005-06 ¹	82	42	31	--	9	243	247	93	1312	3rd in Northeast	Lost CQF vs. Carolina
Grand Totals	5628	2891	1865	837	35	18528	15033	6654	72660

¹ Previous season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

² Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.

³ The 1919 Stanley Cup Final was suspended after five games due to the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Notable players

Current squad

Active roster as of July 16, 2006 ^*

Goaltenders
Number	Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
30	David Aebischer	L	2006	Fribourg, Switzerland
39	Cristobal Huet	L	2004	Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
75	Yann Danis	L	2004	Saint-Jérôme, Quebec

Defencemen
Number	Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
8	Mike Komisarek	R	2001	West Islip, New York
25	Mathieu Dandenault	R	2005	Sherbrooke, Quebec
32	Mark Streit	L	2004	Englisberg, Switzerland
44	Sheldon Souray	L	2000	Elk Point, Alberta
51	Francis Bouillon	L	2002	New York City, New York
52	Craig Rivet - A	R	1992	North Bay, Ontario
79	Andrei Markov	L	1998	Voskresensk, U.S.S.R.

Forwards
Number	Player	Shoots	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth
-	Mike Johnson	R	RW	2006	Scarborough, Ontario
-	Sergei Samsonov	R	LW	2006	Moscow, U.S.S.R.
11	Saku Koivu - C	L	C	1993	Turku, Finland
14	Radek Bonk	L	C	2004	Krnov, Czechoslovakia
21	Christopher Higgins	L	C	2002	Smithtown, New York
22	Steve Begin	L	C	2003	Trois-Rivières, Quebec
27	Alex Kovalev - A	L	RW	2004	Togliatti, U.S.S.R.
35	Tomas Plekanec	L	LW	2001	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
42	Alexander Perezhogin	L	RW	2001	Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R.
47	Aaron Downey	R	RW	2006	Shelburne, Ontario
57	Garth Murray	L	C	2005	Regina, Saskatchewan
71	Mike Ribeiro	L	C	1998	Montreal, Quebec
73	Michael Ryder	R	RW	1998	Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador

Hall of Famers

Team Captains

Saku Koivu 1999- present
Vincent Damphousse 1996-99
Pierre Turgeon 1995-Oct.1996
Mike Keane 1995 (Apr.-Dec.)
Kirk Muller 1994-95
Guy Carbonneau 1990-94
Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios (Co-Cap.) 1989-90
Bob Gainey 1981-89
Serge Savard 1979-81
Yvan Cournoyer 1975-79
Henri Richard 1971-75
Jean Béliveau 1961-71
Doug Harvey 1960-61
Maurice "Rocket" Richard 1956-60
Emile "Butch" Bouchard 1948-56

Retired numbers

1 Jacques Plante, G, 1952-63 - Number retired on October 7, 1995. (Number also worn by Georges Vezina, George Hainsworth, Bill Durnan, and Gump Worsley)
2 Doug Harvey, D, 1947-61 - Number retired on October 26, 1985.
4 Jean Béliveau, C, 1950-71 (Number was also worn by Aurel Joliat, LW, 1922-38) - Number retired on October 9, 1971.
5 Bernard "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, RW, 1950-64 - Number retired on March 11, 2006.
7 Howie Morenz, C, 1923-34 & 1936-37 - Number retired on November 2, 1937. Jersey lowered on March 11, 2006 for Bernie Geoffrion's jersey retirement. Both jerseys would be raised together. Morenz was Geoffrion's father-in-law.
9 Maurice "Rocket" Richard, RW, 1942-60 - Number retired on October 6, 1960.
10 Guy Lafleur, RW, 1971-85 - Number retired on February 16, 1985
12 Dickie Moore, LW, 1951-63; and Yvan Cournoyer, RW, 1963-79 - Numbers retired on November 12, 2005.
16 Henri Richard, C, 1955-75 (Number was also worn by Elmer Lach, C, 1940-54) - Number retired on December 10, 1975
99 Wayne Gretzky, C, 1979-99 (Retired NHL wide)

Infamous Moments

Billy Coutu: First player banned from the NHL for life
Maurice Richard: In 1955, was suspended for the remainder of season and entire playoffs, resulting in a riot.

First round draft picks

1963: Garry Monahan (1st overall)
1964: Claude Chagnon (6th overall)
1965: Pierre Bouchard (5th overall)
1966: Phil Myre (5th overall)
1967: Elgin McCann (8th overall)
1968: Michel Plasse (1st overall)
1969: Rejean Houle (1st overall), Marc Tardif (2nd overall)
1970: Ray Martynuik (5th overall), Chuck Lefley (6th overall)
1971: Guy Lafleur (1st overall), Chuck Arnason (7th overall), Murray Wilson (11th overall)
1972: Steve Shutt (4th overall), Michel Larocque (6th overall), Dave Gardner (8th overall), John Van Boxmeer (14th overall)
1973: Bob Gainey (8th overall)
1974: Cam Connor (5th overall), Doug Risebrough (7th overall), Rick Chartraw (10th overall), Mario Tremblay (12th overall), Gord McTavish (15th overall)
1975: Robin Sadler (9th overall), Pierre Mondou (15th overall)
1976: Peter Lee (12th overall), Rod Schutt (13th overall), Bruce Baker (18th overall)
1977: Mark Napier (10th overall), Norm Dupont (18th overall)
1978: Danny Geoffrion (8th overall), Dave Hunter (17th overall)
1979: none
1980: Doug Wickenheiser (1st overall)
1981: Mark Hunter (7th overall), Gilbert Delorme (18th overall), Jan Ingman (19th overall)
1982: Alain Heroux (19th overall)
1983: Alfie Turcotte (17th overall)
1984: Petr Svoboda (5th overall), Shayne Corson (8th overall)

1985: Jose Charbonneau (12th overall), Tom Chorske (16th overall)
1986: Mark Pederson (15th overall)
1987: Andrew Cassels (17th overall)
1988: Eric Charron (20th overall)
1989: Lindsay Vallis (13th overall)
1990: Turner Stevenson (12th overall)
1991: Brent Bilodeau (17th overall)
1992: David Wilkie (20th overall)
1993: Saku Koivu (21st overall)
1994: Brad Brown (18th overall)
1995: Terry Ryan (8th overall)
1996: Matt Higgins (18th overall)
1997: Jason Ward (11th overall)
1998: Eric Chouinard (16th overall)
1999: none
2000: Ron Hainsey (13th overall), Marcel Hossa (16th overall)
2001: Mike Komisarek (7th overall), Alexander Perezhogin (25th overall)
2002: Chris Higgins (14th overall)
2003: Andrei Kostitsyn (10th overall)
2004: Kyle Chipchura (18th overall)
2005: Carey Price (5th overall)
2006: David Fischer (20th overall)

Franchise scoring leaders

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

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	POS	GP	G	A	Pts
Guy Lafleur	RW	961	518	728	1246
Jean Beliveau	C	1125	507	712	1219
Henri Richard	C	1256	358	688	1046
Maurice Richard	RW	978	544	421	965
Larry Robinson	D	1202	197	686	883
Yvan Cournoyer	RW	968	428	435	863
Jacques Lemaire	C	853	366	469	835
Steve Shutt	LW	871	408	368	776
Bernie Geoffrion	RW	766	371	388	759
Elmer Lach	C	664	215	408	623

NHL Awards and Trophies

Stanley Cup

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

Prince of Wales Trophy

1923-24, 1924-25, 1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1955-56, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1992-93

Hart Memorial Trophy

Lester B. Pearson Award

Guy Lafleur: 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78

Art Ross Trophy

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Doug Harvey: 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1959-60, 1960-61
Tom Johnson: 1958-59
Jacques Laperriere: 1965-66
Larry Robinson: 1976-77, 1979-80
Chris Chelios: 1988-89

Vezina Trophy

George Hainsworth: 1926-27, 1927-28, 1928-29
Bill Durnan: 1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1948-49, 1949-50
Jacques Plante: 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1961-62
Charlie Hodge: 1963-64
Gump Worsley & Charlie Hodge: 1965-66
Rogatien Vachon & Gump Worsley: 1967-68
Ken Dryden: 1972-73, 1975-76
Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque: 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79
Denis Herron, Michel Larocque & Richard Sevigny: 1980-81
Patrick Roy: 1988-89, 1989-90, 1991-92
Jose Theodore: 2001-02

Conn Smythe Trophy

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Bob Gainey: 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81
Guy Carbonneau: 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92

Calder Memorial Trophy

Johnny Quilty: 1940-41 (trophy known as "Calder Trophy")
Bernie Geoffrion: 1951-52
Ralph Backstrom: 1958-59
Bobby Rousseau: 1961-62
Jacques Laperriere: 1963-64
Ken Dryden: 1971-72

William M. Jennings Trophy

Rick Wamsley & Denis Herron: 1981-82
Patrick Roy & Brian Hayward: 1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89
Patrick Roy: 1991-92

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Jack Adams Award

Lester Patrick Trophy

Scotty Bowman: 2000-01