They fired General Manager Pierre Gauthier,[168] and Marc Bergevin was named the new general manager on May 2, 2012. Savard also served as the team's general manager for ten years. [210], 2009present: Molson family acquires team, "Canadiens Downed Boston, Rallying in Final Period", "A roundup of the sports information this week", "Rink Rap: '7677 Canadiens were Patriots of their day", "30th anniversary of Good Friday brawl between Habs and Nordiques", "Canadiens Continue Their Role as Giant-Killer", "Canadiens fire Gauthier and begin search for new GM", "Marc Bergevin appointed General Manager", "Michel Therrien appointed head coach of the Montreal Canadiens", "Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur relieved of their duties as assistant coaches", "NHL awards: Carey Price tops big night with Hart trophy", "Claude Julien and Kirk Muller relieved of their coaching duties", "Tyler Toffoli scores in overtime as Montreal Canadiens complete sweep of Winnipeg Jets", "Lightning defeat Canadiens in Game 5 to clinch Stanley Cup", "Logan Mailloux a polarizing pick by Canadiens in first round of draft", "Politicians, advocates denounce Montreal Canadiens' controversial Logan Mailloux draft pick Montreal | Globalnews.ca", "Scandal-hit London prospect speaks out on NHL draft shocker", "London Knights defenceman Logan Mailloux withdraws from 2021 NHL Draft", "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'deeply disappointed' after Canadiens drafted Logan Mailloux", "Carey Price's health, youth development big off-season storylines for Canadiens", "One of the worst Canadiens seasons in franchise history ended with a standing ovation and they should learn from it", "Montreal Canadiens 2021-22 Season: Learning Lessons in Failure", "Hockey Management Changes within the Montreal Canadiens Organization", "Jeff Gorton gets his man in new Canadiens GM Kent Hughes, but how close were other candidates", "Canadiens retire No. [18], The club began the 1930s decade successfully, with Stanley Cup wins in 1930 and 1931. Lastly, the season before adopting the current look the Canadiens wore a "barber pole" design jersey with red, white and blue stripes, and the logo being a white maple leaf reading "CAC", "Club athltique Canadien". [43] The Canadiens defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the semifinals, clinching an overtime victory in Game 6 of the series, and reaching their first Stanley Cup Finals in 28 years, whilst also being the first Canadian team to reach the Finals since the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. [22] In the 197677 season, the Canadiens set four still-standing team records for most points (132), fewest losses (8) in an 80-game season, the longest home unbeaten streak (34),[23] and best goal differential (+216). Widely recognized as the world's premier hockey league, it was established in Montral, Qubec, in 1917. Montreal is a city with considerable French colonial history dating back to the 16th century. [3] The Canadiens were so dominant that Dryden complained to The Hockey News that he was "a little bored" by the lack of competition. The most recent inductee was Pat Burns in 2014. 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 200405 and became the Washington Nationals. [199] His defensive partner Larry Robinson's number 19 was retired one year later,[200] as was Bob Gainey's number 23. [34] By the late 1990s, with both an ailing team and monetary losses exacerbated by a record-low value of the Canadian dollar, Montreal fans feared their team would end up relocated to the United States. The first inductee was Vice-President William Northey in 1945. [153] The Habs would finish the season in last place in the Northeast Division with a record of 284086.[154]. [169] The search then began for a new head coach and on June 5, Michel Therrien was named the new head coach. [57] All three designs were worn during the 200910 season as part of the Canadiens centenary. [87] The incident highlighted the growing cultural gap between French Quebec and English Canada and the riot is often described as an early manifestation of Quebec's Quiet Revolution. He also said he would accept his punishment and return the following year to win the Cup. Montreal hosted the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals against the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The teams met 16 times in the playoffs, including five Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price lost to the New York Islanders on Friday night, but nothing could dampen the positive vibes around Bell Centre as the franchise star played his first NHL . Morenz was the offensive star of the series, scoring a hat trick in game one and a goal in game two. DENVER The Colorado Avalanche traded young forward Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday for a late first- and an early second-round pick, plus . [132] As with the 1986 championship, the team was led by Roy, who won his second Conn Smythe Trophy. Montreal Canadiens. The next season, the Canadiens made the playoffs yet again following a 100-point season and in the first round, eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game series sweep. After years of talks, a merger agreement was reached between the two leagues, but the NHL's governors rejected the deal by one vote. The motto appears on the wall of the Canadiens' dressing room as well as on the inside collar of the new Adidas 201718 jerseys. The main road sweater is mainly white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves red shoulder yokes. Montreal Canadiens | The Canadian Encyclopedia [78] At least 22 Canadiens games per season (primarily through its Saturday night La super soire LNH), including all playoff games, are televised nationally by TVA Sports. [207] Defenceman Doug Harvey was unanimously elected in 1973, one year after being denied entry due to his drinking habits. List of Montreal Canadiens players - Wikipedia Richard set a single-game scoring record, recording five goals and three assists in a 91 victory over Detroit on December 28, 1944. [105] Despite his Cup triumph, Al MacNeil was removed as coach after just one season amidst conflicts with several players, including Henri Richard, who described MacNeil as being "incompetent" during the playoffs. Before being allowed to play, Pitre had to resolve a lawsuit with the Montreal Nationals, to which he was already under contract. Frank J. Selke replaced Tommy Gorman as general manager of the Canadiens in 1946, and held the post until 1964. . [174] In the following round, Montreal defeated the Vegas Golden Knights with a game six overtime goal by Artturi Lehkonen, advancing to its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1993. [5] Later that day the ECHA's owners chose to disband their league and form the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) in a bid to exclude the Montreal Wanderers, who had upset the other owners when they moved into a smaller arena that would reduce the visiting team's share of gate receipts. Plante revolutionized the way goaltenders played the game, and he leads the Canadiens with 314career wins. [131] [108], Following the success of the Summit Series in 1972, a series of exhibition games between NHL and Soviet league clubs known as the Super Series was launched. [128] Brian Skrudland, another rookie, scored the game-winning goal just nine seconds into overtime of the second game of the finals the fastest overtime goal in NHL history. [91] Blake was livid, but agreed only if Plante removed the mask when his face was healed. [147] The Canadiens qualified for the playoffs but struggled to achieve playoff success in the new arena during the arena's first three seasons. [38], During the following summer, the Jubilee Rink burned down, forcing the Canadiens to build Mount Royal Arena as a replacement. The playoff format was constructed so that an established team would face an expansion team in the Stanley Cup Finals. Canadiens.com. It would be the last time the Canadiens would win a playoff series until 2002. [75] Canadiens General Manager Tommy Gorman reportedly ensured his players obtained jobs in key wartime industries to avoid conscription. The 197677 team, often regarded as the greatest in NHL history,[2][3][4] won 60 games while losing only 8, a record for fewest losses in an 80-game season. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Plante's mask became a permanent fixture as he led the Canadiens to their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup. Most powerplay goals in a season, defenceman: 19, This page was last edited on 21 June 2023, at 22:51. The other three award recipients include Doug Smith (1985), Dick Irvin Jr. (1988), and Gilles Tremblay (2002). Roy's jersey retirement was a return "back to the Canadiens family" for the Hall of Fame goaltender, who had not maintained a relationship with the organization after his trade demand in 1995. While the team started the 201617 season with a record of 1311 in their first 15 games, they only went 18187 in next 41 games but would remain in first place in the Atlantic Division through the first 56 games of the season. [202] Emile Bouchard's number 3, and Elmer Lach's number 16 were retired on December 4, 2009, as part of the team's centennial celebration. January 9, 2023 by Jeff Seide The Montreal Forum was built at the foot of a mountain dominated by St. Joseph's Oratory on one side and an illuminated cross on another. In 2009, Gillett sold the franchise to a consortium led by the Molson family which included The Woodbridge Company, BCE/Bell, the Fonds de solidarit FTQ, Michael Andlauer, Luc Bertrand and the National Bank Financial Group for $575million, more than double the $275million he spent on the purchase eight years prior. This would be Therrien's second stint as the Canadiens head coach after he previously coached the team from 2000 to 2003;[170] and Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur were relieved of their assistant coaching duties. [196] Montreal first retired the number 12 in honour of both Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer. [57] The Canadiens became the fourth team in Stanley Cup history to repeat as champions, defeating the Chicago Black Hawks in five games to capture the 1931 Stanley Cup Championship. [12] The founders named the team "Les Canadiens," a term identified at the time with French speakers. In 1962, Kenneth Kilander, a Montreal Canadiens fan, tried to take the Cup from the Chicago Stadium during a semifinal game between the Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks. [16] They won only two of their 12 games that season, and finished last in the eight-team league. When the season resumed in August 2020, Montreal was one the last of 12 Eastern Conference teams invited to partake in a bubbled postseason tournament in Toronto. "[67] On the day of his funeral, 50,000 people filed past Morenz's casket at centre ice of the Montreal Forum to pay their last respects to the man the media called "the Babe Ruth of hockey". The team moved their CH logo to their sleeves and played with a large world globe logo crest on their jersey fronts. [204], The Canadiens created "Builders Row" in 2006 to honour the off-ice members of the club who helped lead the team to success. 13d; Jean-Yves Ahern/USA Today Sports. [62] [69] Vezina perfected the "stand up" style of goaltending in an era when goaltenders were not allowed to drop to their knees to cover the puck, and became the standard by which future goaltenders judged themselves. [73], The Hockey Hall of Fame was created in 1945 with nine initial player inductees, including two Canadiens: Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina. [115] During the subsequent power play, Lafleur scored the game-tying goal with 74 seconds remaining in regulation time, and Yvon Lambert scored in overtime to win the game and series. Koivu managed to return with three games left in the regular season, and along with goaltender Jose Theodore, who would win the Hart Trophy that year, led the Canadiens into the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. [73], By 1943, the war effort had a devastating effect on many rosters. The trade. [46][47][48] In the process they set team records for most regulation losses (49), most goals against (319), fewest wins (22),[49] and fewest points (55),[49] while their .335 point percentage was the team's third-worst ever, after only 192526 (.319) and 193940 (.260). The NHL Original 6 - All About the Teams of 1942 - 1967 - Morning Skate More than 1,000 Native Americans (some sources say as many as 3,500) welcomed him on the slope of the mountain that he named Mont Royal (Mont Ral). The 1993 team set an NHL record with 10 consecutive overtime victories in one playoff year and is the most recent Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup. Smythe did not want to see the Canadiens fold, and suggested that the Arena Company hire the Maple Leafs' former coach, Dick Irvin. They then faced the reigning Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, and eliminated them in seven games to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time since their 1993 Stanley Cup victory and the first time since 2010. The Canadiens then swept the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, advancing to the Stanley Cup semifinals. With an aging roster, the Canadiens finished last, winning only 10 games. [118] A trade during the 198283 season sent Rod Langway and Doug Jarvis to the Washington Capitals. The four actual 'original' teams that started the NHL in 1917 were the Montreal Canadians, Toronto Arenas (who became the St. Pats and then the Maple Leafs), Ottawa Senators, and the Montreal Wanderers. [11], The Canadiens played their first game on January 5, 1910, coached by Jack Laviolette. [129], The Stanley Cup celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1993, returning again to Canada with the Canadiens' 24th Stanley Cup victory,[130] the most recent NHL championship won by a Canadian team. For the NHA hockey team, see, "Habs" redirects here. The Red Wings lost nine players and the Maple Leafs lost six to the military. The incident highlighted growing tensions between French Quebec and English Canada, and is regarded as one of the first manifestations of Quebec's Quiet Revolution. [56] The Bruins, who finished with a 3851 record and at one point during the season went 23 games without a defeat, lost consecutive games to Montreal in the finals, 30 and 43. Retrieved June 27, 2009., "Hockey-Reference.com". [79] He later broke Joe Malone's goal scoring record when he scored his 45th goal, after which opposing teams did all they could to prevent him from reaching the 50-goal mark. [205] In 2008, the team added its three legendary coaches to the Row: Dick Irvin Sr., Toe Blake and Scotty Bowman. 1924) Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. The most up-to-date breaking news for the Montral Canadiens including highlights, roster, schedule, scores and archives. If I were Cheveldayoff, the first name I would be asking for . [65] The team agreed, and acquired an overjoyed Morenz in a trade with the New York Rangers. [10] The Canadiens stocked their team with francophone stars including Newsy Lalonde, Georges Poulin and Didier Pitre. A passage from the short story appears on the 2002 issue of the Canadian five-dollar bill.[64][65]. [62] He never recovered, and died of a coronary embolism on March 8. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. It began as a missionary settlement but soon became a fur-trading centre, a role that was enhanced after the conquest of New France by the British in 1763. [192] Guy Lafleur's number 10 followed in February 1985 after his first retirement. Gorton and Hughes announced plans to modernize team operations. This is a list of the last five seasons completed by the Canadiens. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Montreal Canadiens seasons.