The Montreal Canadiens, nicknamed "the Habs", are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Since 1996, their home games have been played at the Bell Centre, formerly known as Molson Centre. Prior to this, the team played at the Montreal Forum for 7 decades, during which time they won all but their first two Stanley Cup championships.
On December 4, 1909, the Montreal Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien as a charter member of the National Hockey Association (NHA).
In 1909, the Montreal Canadiens were founded, marking them as the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide and the only existing NHL club to predate the league's founding.
In the 1909–10 season, the original shirt of the Montreal Canadiens was blue with a white C.
Since 1911, the Montreal Canadiens' primary colors have been blue, white, and red.
In 1914, the "Habitants" nickname for the Montreal Canadiens was used in Le Devoir to report a win over Toronto.
Prior to 1914, the Canadiens used multiple designs before adopting the aforementioned one.
The basic design of the Montreal Canadiens' sweater has been in use since 1914.
In 1915, the Montreal Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup championship during the 1915–16 season.
In 1915, the Montreal Canadiens' motto originated from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae.
In 1917, the Canadiens first faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, then known as the Toronto Arenas, marking the beginning of a historic rivalry.
In 1917, the Montreal Canadiens, along with four other NHA teams, formed the NHL.
In the 1917–18 season, the club changed its name to "Club de hockey Canadien" from "Club athlétique Canadien", using the classic 'C' and 'H' logo together for the first time.
In 1923, the Montreal Canadiens won their first NHL Stanley Cup during the 1923–24 season, led by Howie Morenz.
In 1924, American Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, referred to the Montreal Canadiens as "the Habs", believing the 'H' on their sweaters stood for "Habitants".
Since their NHL debut in 1924, the Boston Bruins have played the Canadiens more than any other team in both regular season play and the playoffs combined, creating a strong rivalry.
In 1925, the Montreal Canadiens' sweater design took its current form, generally evolving as materials changed.
The Montreal Canadiens' .335 point percentage in 2021-22 was the team's third-worst ever, after only the 1925–26 and 1939–40 campaigns.
In 1926, the Montreal Canadiens moved from the Mount Royal Arena to the Montreal Forum for the 1926–27 season.
In 1927, NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Stanley Cup, with the Montreal Canadiens having won 22 championships since then.
In 1930, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, marking the first of back-to-back wins.
In 1931, the Montreal Canadiens secured their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory.
Howie Morenz was the first Montreal Canadiens player to have his number retired, on November 2, 1937.
In 1937, after the Montreal Maroons suspended operations following the 1937–38 season, several of their players joined the Canadiens.
From 1938 to 1970, the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs were the only two Canadian teams in the league, intensifying their rivalry.
In the 1939–40 season, the Montreal Canadiens finished last in the league. This was the first time since then, that they finished last again in 2021-22.
In 1942, the Montreal Canadiens became one of the "Original Six" teams that made up the NHL until the 1967 expansion.
In 1945, Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina were the first Montreal Canadiens players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with vice president William Northey.
In the 1952–53 season, the 'C' and 'H' logo of the Montreal Canadiens evolved to its current form.
In 1953, the Montreal Canadiens continued their success atop the NHL.
From 1955 to 1960, 12 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1956, the Montreal Canadiens initiated a record-setting streak of five consecutive Stanley Cup victories from 1956 to 1960.
From 1955 to 1960, 12 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
From 1964 to 1969, 11 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1965, the Montreal Canadiens added to their championship history, beginning a period of significant success.
In 1967, the NHL underwent expansion, after which the Montreal Canadiens remained one of the "Original Six" teams.
From 1964 to 1969, 11 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
From 1938 to 1970, the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs were the only two Canadian teams in the league, intensifying their rivalry.
From 1975 to 1979, 13 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1976, the Montreal Canadiens began a dynastic run of four-straight Stanley Cup victories from 1976 to 1979.
During the 1976-77 season, the Montreal Canadiens set three still-standing team records, including fewest losses (8) in an 80-game season, the longest home unbeaten streak (34), and best goal differential (+216).
From 1975 to 1979, 13 players from the Montreal Canadiens dynasty were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1979, the Montreal Canadiens began an intraprovincial rivalry with the Quebec Nordiques, known as the "Battle of Quebec".
In 1979, the Montreal Canadiens concluded a dominant era, winning a total of ten championships in 15 seasons.
In 1984, Danny Gallivan and Rene Lecavalier became the first two Montreal Canadiens broadcasters to be awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1985, Doug Smith was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1986, led by rookie star goaltender Patrick Roy, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
In 1988, Dick Irvin Jr. was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1992, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, marking the last time a Canadian team achieved this victory.
In 1993, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, marking their last championship of the 20th century.
Following Roy's departure in 1995, the Canadiens entered a period of decline, missing the playoffs in four of the next ten seasons.
In 1995, the intraprovincial rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques, known as the "Battle of Quebec", came to an end.
In 1996, the Montreal Canadiens moved from the Montreal Forum to Molson Centre (now called Bell Centre).
In 1999, Richard Garneau was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1999, the New York Yankees won their 25th World Series title, surpassing the Montreal Canadiens who had the most championships by a team of any of the major North American sports leagues until then.
At the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams.
In 2001, Molson Brewery sold control of the Canadiens franchise and the Molson Centre to American businessman George N. Gillett Jr.
In 2002, Gilles Tremblay was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 2002, a passage from Roch Carrier's short story "The Hockey Sweater" appeared on the Canadian five-dollar bill, demonstrating the cultural influence of the Canadiens.
In 2004, the Canadiens adopted Youppi! as their official mascot, marking the first costumed mascot in the team's history.
In 2005, Youppi! became the first mascot in professional sports to switch leagues after the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C.
On December 29, 2008, the Montreal Canadiens achieved their 3,000th victory in NHL history with a 5–2 win over the Florida Panthers.
During the 2008–09 season, the Montreal Canadiens began celebrating their 100th anniversary with various events.
During the 2009–10 season, all three prior designs were worn during the Montreal Canadiens' centenary.
In 2009, Gillett sold the Canadiens franchise to a consortium led by the Molson family for $575 million.
From 2010, TSN held English-language regional rights for Montreal Canadiens games.
In 2010, the Canadiens advanced past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since Roy's departure.
In 2011, CKGM, TSN Radio 690, became the English-language radio flagship for Montreal Canadiens games, acquiring the rights under a seven-year deal.
In 2011, The Vancouver Canucks were the last Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals before the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.
RDS was the only French-language sports channel in Canada until the 2011 launch of TVA Sports.
In 2014, Pat Burns was the most recent inductee from the builders category to be affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Réseau des sports (RDS) secured regional television rights in French for Montreal Canadiens games under a 12-year deal.
In 2014, TVA Sports became the national French rightsholder for NHL games through a sub-licensing agreement with Sportsnet, leading RDS to maintain regional rights to Canadiens games not shown on TVA Sports.
TSN held the English-language regional rights from 2010 through 2014.
As of 2015, the Montreal Canadiens' home red sweater is the only uniform in the league to feature the French language version of the NHL shield logo (LNH) on the neck collar.
In 2016, the three-year deal for English-language regional rights held by Sportsnet East expired.
In June 2017, Bell Media reached a five-year extension for the team's regional television in both languages and English-language radio rights for Montreal Canadiens games.
In 2017, TSN2 assumed the English-language regional television rights for Montreal Canadiens games, with John Bartlett on play-by-play.
In 2017, the Montreal Canadiens' motto was displayed on the inside collar of the new Adidas Adizero jerseys.
In 2018, John Bartlett returned to Sportsnet, and was succeeded by Bryan Mudryk.
In June 2020, Youppi! became the first mascot from a Canadian-based club to be inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
For the 2020–21 season, the Montreal Canadiens moved to the North Division due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 2020–21 season, the Montreal Canadiens unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform in collaboration with Adidas.
In 2021, the Montreal Canadiens advanced through the Stanley Cup playoffs, reaching their first Stanley Cup Finals in 28 years, but ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4–1.
In 2021-22, the Montreal Canadiens had one of their worst seasons, finishing last in the league for the first time since the 1939-40 season.
In November 2022, the Canadiens introduced METAL!, an "unofficial official mascot", for the team's Reverse Retro series of games that season.
In 2022, after a historically poor season, team owner Geoff Molson authorized a "rebuild" of the Montreal Canadiens' roster over an extended period, marking a first in the modern history of the franchise.
In 2022, the Boston Bruins broke the Montreal Canadiens' record for the most points (132) in an 80-game season, a record that was set in 1977.
In the 2022–23 season, a second iteration of the "Reverse Retro" uniform was released, featuring a light blue base with white/dark blue/white stripes.
In 2023, the Montreal Canadiens finished fifth-last in the league.
In 2024, Pierre Houde was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 2024, Shea Weber was the most recently inducted Montreal Canadiens player into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
METAL! was retired ahead of the 2024–25 season.
The Montreal Canadiens data was updated on March 24, 2025.
Wayne Gretzky nicknamed The Great One is widely considered the...
Florida a southeastern U S state is a peninsula between...
Canada is a North American country the second-largest in the...
Colorado is a Mountain state in the Western United States...
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based...
The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy awarded to a...
29 minutes ago Lisa of Blackpink stuns at Coachella with solo debut and reptilian outfit.
29 minutes ago Deadly Shooting at Conway Park: Two Killed, Nine Injured Sunday Evening
30 minutes ago Megan Thee Stallion's Electrifying Coachella 2025 Performance: Time and Special Guests Revealed!
25 days ago Bryce Dallas Howard Praises Henry Winkler; His Daughter Reveals Truth About Growing Up.
1 hour ago Michael Rooker, Yondu Actor, Unveiled in Secret Superman Role: Details Revealed
1 hour ago Abdul Carter's Lawrence Taylor Post Sparks Giants Draft Speculation: A New Era?
Doug Ford is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving...
Justin Trudeau served as the rd Prime Minister of Canada...
Peter Navarro is an American economist and author known for...
The Real ID Act of is a US federal law...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Bernard Bernie Sanders is a prominent American politician currently serving...