History of Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are part of the Northeast Division in the Eastern conference of the NHL, playing at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec in red, white and blue. The Canadiens were founded on December 4, 1909 as part of the NHA, and then became part of the NHL in 1917.

Minor league affiliates: Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Wheeling Hailers (ECHL)

Stanley Cups: 24 total from years 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, 1969-68, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1985-86, 1992-93

Conference championships: 8 total from years 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1992-93

Presidents’ Trophies: 0 total

Division championships: 22 total from years 1927-28, 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1936-37, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-66, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92, 2007-08

Early Achievements of the Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens were one of the founding teams of the NHL in 1917, and won seven Stanley Cup titles before Hector “Toe” Blake, former Canadien player became the head coach in 1955.  After winning seven championships, Blake retired in 1968. During that time, the Canadiens acquired future Hall of Famers Maurice Richard and Henri Richard, and added star players like Jacques Plante, Doug Harvey and Jean Beliveau.

Other notable players in Canadien history are Claude Ruel, Scotty Bowman, Al MacNeil, and Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur. In fact, under Scotty Bowman, the Canadiens won four Stanley Cups from 1976-1979. However, after 1979, the Canadiens didn’t win the Stanley Cup again until 1986 under Jean Perron.

The Montreal Canadiens in the 20^th and 21^st Century

After that, the Canadiens remained dominant until the mid 1990s, which was followed by a dry spell until they won the Division championships in the 2007-2008 season. In between this, goaltender Patrick Roy became the youngest player ever to be awarded the Smythe Trophy.

On December 29, 2008, the Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers and became the first team in the history of the NHL to reach 3,000 wins.

Currently, the Canadiens are one of five ice hockey teams in the northeast division of the eastern conference of the NHL and are the most accomplished team in NFL history. They have won 23 Stanley Cup Championships, which is more than any other team. They have qualified for the playoffs in almost every year since their birth and are one of only two teams to win more than three consecutive Stanley Cup titles.

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