Montreal Canadiens History
With an NHL-record 24 Stanley Cup Championships, eight conference championships, 24 division titles, and a Hall of Fame contingent of more than 50 players and more than a dozen coaches and executives, the Canadiens have an unrivaled pedigree.
The team, founded in 1909 as part of the National Hockey Association (forebear to the NHL), won its first Stanley Cup Championship in 1916. Behind legendary center Howie Morenz, Montreal added championships in 1924, 1930 and 1931. The latter two titles came at the Montreal Forum, the arena they would call home for 70 years. In 1942 the league was reduced to six teams; the Candiens were selected as one of the remaining teams to form the "Original Six" and the foundation of the league we know today.
With eventual Hall of Fame right wing Maurice ("Rocket") Richard anchoring the "Punch Line" with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake, the Canadiens won a Stanley Cup Championship in 1944 and '46. Blake would return as head coach in the next decade, piloting them to five consecutive Stanley Cup Championships between 1956 and 1960. The Canadiens won four more Stanley Cup Championships in the 1960s (three under Blake).
Sparked by future Hall of Famers such as Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden and Larry Robinson, the Habs earned six Stanley Cup Championships in the 1970s -- five with Scotty Bowman at the helm. Bowman would go on to become the winningest coach in NHL history.
The Canadiens won six division championships and three conference titles and made the Playoffs every year in the 1980s, adding one Stanley Cup Championship to their resumé when they defeated the Calgary Flames to close out the 1985-1986 season behind the goaltending of rookie Patrick Roy. They returned to the Finals in 1993, again behind Roy, to beat the Los Angeles Kings.
Montreal Canadiens Team Info
Conference: Eastern
Division: Atlantic
Year Founded: 1909
Team Colors: Red, Blue, White
Team Rivals: Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre
Since 1996, the Montreal Canadiens have played their home games at the Bell Centre, originally known as the Molson Centre. Located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Bell Centre has a capacity of 21,105 for hockey games, making it the largest ice hockey arena in the world.