Montreal Canadiens

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Revision as of 17:04, 20 April 2006
Thricecube (Talk | contribs)
/* Current squad */
Next diff →

Current revision

{{NHL Team Infobox |team_name = Le club de hockey Canadien
Montreal Canadiens |bg_color = #BF2F38 |text_color = white |logo = Montreal Canadiens.gif |alternate_logo = |founded = 1909 |home_arena = Bell Centre |hometown = Montreal, Quebec |team_colors = Blue, white, red |Stanley Cups = 24 |head_coach = Bob Gainey (interim) |captain = Saku Koivu |alternate_captains = Alexei Kovalev
Craig Rivet |general_manager = Bob Gainey |owner = George N. Gillett, Jr. |minor_league = Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL) |championships = 23 (1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993) }} The Montreal Canadiens are the oldest established National Hockey League franchise, and one of the most successful 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, more than any other team.

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.

Contents

[edit]

Facts

Championships: 24. (Most Stanley Cup wins of any hockey club.)
Founded: 1909-1910
Arena: Bell Centre (capacity 21,273). Formerly 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)
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.
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).
The Canadiens' junior team won the Memorial Cup in 1950, 1969, and 1970.
Crowd Chants: In English, "Go Habs Go", and in French, "Olé, olé olé olé".
Rivals: Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Quebec Nordiques (1979-1995)
Nicknames: "Habs"
[edit]

Franchise history

Image:Canadiens 1910.gif With the possible 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.

The Maple Leafs are generally regarded as the Canadiens chief rivals, although within the Province of Quebec at least, 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 is 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.

[edit]

1909 to 1931

Image:Canadiens 1913.gif 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.

Image:Montrealcanadienslogo1918.gifThe 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.

Image:Montrealcanadienslogo1920.gif 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 for best goaltender. 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.

[edit]

1932 to 1966

Image:Canadiens 1926.gif 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 a devastating hit by the Chicago Blackhawks' Earl Seibert. The Canadiens were once again mired in mediocrity for several more seasons, until a team led by the Punch Line of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, 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) 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 in 1955 for striking an official in a game against the Boston Bruins. Montrealers rioted in the streets at the following game against 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. In 1956 the Canadiens established a farm team in Peterborough (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 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.

[edit]

1967 to 1986

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. After losing in the quarter-finals to the Bruins in 1972 (Guy Lafleur's rookie season), they would once again win the Cup over Chicago in 1973.

The Canadiens were upset by the New York Rangers in the first round in 1974, and lost out to the Buffalo Sabres in the 1975 semi-finals. 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 team was led by Lafleur (who was in the midst of six straight 50-goal seasons), Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Pete Mahovlich 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.

[edit]

1986 to Today

The Canadiens would continue to consistently perform through the early 1990s, winning another Cup in 1993 over the Los Angeles Kings. That season, they picked up scoring threat Vincent Damphousse from the Edmonton Oilers, in addition to having forwards Kirk Muller, Brian Bellows, and Stephan Lebeau - each of whom scored more than 30 goals during that season.

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 Patrick Roy allowed nine goals against the Detroit Red Wings in one game and, after head coach Mario Tremblay pulled him from the goal well after the game was out of reach, Roy 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 look as 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 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.

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, 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. They 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 the future Cup winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and fall in a sweep.

Image:4442 3.jpgThe 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. 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. Unfortunately, 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 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.

[edit]

The future

Image:CentennialCanadiens.jpgA 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. Sadly, Boom Boom Geoffrion passed away on the day his number was to be retired. The Canadiens also announced ambitious plans for their Centennial year of 2008-09, including plans to bid on hosting the World Junior Hockey Championships, the NHL Draft and the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, all to be held at Centre Bell, although it has been widely expected that the Phoenix Coyotes are scheduled to receive the honor of hosting the NHL All-Star Game, because of the cancelled 2006 event due to the 2006 Winter Olympics.

[edit]

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 NHLReached Final, No Decision3
1919-20 24 13 11 0 -- 129 113 26 221 2nd in NHLOut of playoffs
1920-21 24 13 11 0 -- 112 99 26 315 3rd in NHLOut 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 NHLLost 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 EastOut 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 NorrisStanley 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 NorrisLost PR vs. Edmonton
1981-82 80 46 17 17 -- 360 223 109 1463 1st in NorrisLost 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 AdamsStanley 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 NortheastLost CSF vs. Carolina
2002-03 82 30 35 8 9 206 234 77 900 4th in NortheastOut of playoffs
2003-04 82 41 30 7 4 208 192 931039 4th in Northeast Lost CSF vs. Tampa Bay
2005-06 1 82 42 31 -- 9 243 247 931312 3rd in Northeast
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.
[edit]

Notable players

[edit]

Current squad

Active roster as of April 20, 2006 [1]

Goaltenders
Number Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
30 Template:Flagicon David Aebischer L 2006 Fribourg, Switzerland
39 Template:Flagicon Cristobal Huet L 2004 St. Martin D’Heres, France
75 Template:Flagicon Yann Danis L 2004 Saint-Jerome, Quebec
Defencemen
Number Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
8 Template:Flagicon Mike Komisarek R 2001 West Islip, New York
24 Template:Flagicon Todd Simpson L 2006 North Vancouver, British Columbia
25 Template:Flagicon Mathieu Dandenault R 2005 Sherbrooke, Quebec
32 Template:Flagicon Mark Streit L 2004 Englisberg, Switzerland
44 Template:Flagicon Sheldon Souray L 2000 Elk Point, Alberta
51 Template:Flagicon Francis Bouillon L 2002 New York, New York
52 Template:Flagicon Craig Rivet - A R 1992 North Bay, Ontario
64 Template:Flagicon Jean-Philippe Cote L 2002 Charlesbourg, Quebec
79 Template:Flagicon Andrei Markov L 1998 Voskresensk, Russia
Forwards
Number Player Shoots Position Acquired Place of Birth
11 Template:Flagicon Saku Koivu - C L C 1993 Turku, Finland
14 Template:Flagicon Radek Bonk L C 2004 Krnov, Czech Republic
20 Template:Flagicon Richard Zednik L RW 2001 Bystrica, Slovakia
21 Template:Flagicon Christopher Higgins L C 2002 Smithtown, New York
22 Template:Flagicon Steve Begin (Injured) L C 2003 Trois-Rivières, Quebec
27 Template:Flagicon Alex Kovalev - A L RW 2004 Togliatti, Russia
35 Template:Flagicon Tomas Plekanec L LW 2001 Kladno, Czech Republic
37 Template:Flagicon Niklas Sundström L RW 2003 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
38 Template:Flagicon Jan Bulis L C 2001 Pardubice, Czech Republic
40 Template:Flagicon Maxim Lapierre R C 2003 Saint-Léonard, Quebec
42 Template:Flagicon Alexander Perezhogin L RW 2001 Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazhakstan
46 Template:Flagicon Andrei Kostitsyn L RW 2003 Novopolotsk, U.S.S.R.
47 Template:Flagicon Aaron Downey R RW 2006 Shelburne, Ontario
57 Template:Flagicon Garth Murray L C 2005 Regina, Saskatchewan
71 Template:Flagicon Mike Ribeiro L C 1998 Montreal, Quebec
73 Template:Flagicon Michael Ryder R RW 1998 Bonavista, Newfoundland
86 Template:Flagicon Jonathan Ferland R RW 2002 Quebec, Quebec
[edit]

Hall of Famers


[edit]

Team Captains


[edit]

Retired numbers

[edit]

Infamous Players

  • Billy Coutu: First player banned from the NHL for life
  • Maurice Richard: Suspended remainder of season and entire (1955) playoffs, resulting in a riot.
[edit]

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
[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

National Hockey League 1917 to present
Current teams : Anaheim | Atlanta | Boston | Buffalo | Calgary | Carolina | Chicago | Colorado | Columbus | Dallas | Detroit | Edmonton | Florida | Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal | Nashville | New Jersey | NY Islanders | NY Rangers | Ottawa | Philadelphia | Phoenix | Pittsburgh | San Jose | St. Louis | Tampa Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Washington
Trophies and awards: Stanley Cup | Prince of Wales | Clarence S. Campbell | Presidents' Trophy | Adams | Art Ross | Calder | Conn Smythe | Crozier | Hart | Jennings | King Clancy | Lady Byng | Masterton | Norris | Patrick | Pearson | Plus/Minus | Rocket Richard | Selke | Vezina
Template:Seealso
bg:Монреал Канейдиънс

de:Canadiens de Montréal fr:Club de Hockey Canadien ja:モントリオール・カナディアンズ pl:Montreal Canadiens pt:Montreal Canadiens simple:Montreal Canadiens sk:Montreal Canadiens fi:Montreal Canadiens sv:Montreal Canadiens

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Montreal_Canadiens"