Montreal Canadiens Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Sportblis presents you with 100 Montreal Canadiens Facts You Probably Didn’t Know. Interestingly, the Montreal Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide. The club was founded on the 4th day of December 1909 by J. Ambrose O’Brien and competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

Do you know?… The Montreal Canadiens have been around longer than the NHL. Hence, we present you 100 facts about the Montreal Canadiens that would excite you.

10 Facts About Montreal Canadiens You Probably Didn’t Know:

1. Montreal Canadiens Net Worth:

According to Forbes.com, the Montreal Canadiens have an estimated Net Worth of $1.34 Billion as of the year 2021. Hence, they are ranked as the third wealthiest franchise in the NHL.

Montreal’s hockey team goes by many names, but the “official” name is le Club de hockey Canadien, hence the C-H logo. Also, Habs, the English nickname, is an abbreviation of the French “Les habitants.”

2. Montreal Canadiens Awards:

Apparently, the Montreal Canadiens are the most decorated team in the NHL. Since their year of inception to 2021, the franchise has won 24 Stanley cup Awards, 8 O’Brien Trophies and 25 Prince of Wales Trophy.

Aside from all these accolades, players and coaches have won over 100 individual awards, including 17 Hart Trophies and 36 Vezina Trophies. In 1916, the Canadiens beat the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to win their first Stanley Cup.

3. Montreal Canadiens Home arena — Bell Centre:

Since the founding of the Montreal, the NHL team has always played their home games at the Montreal Forum, which has housed it for seven decades. In 1996, the Canadiens moved to their new home arena called Bell Centre.

Do you know?… While the Bell Centre was being built as the new home of the Habs, it was named the “New Montreal Forum.” After it was finally opened in 1996, the arena was known as the Molson Centre until 2002, when the team was sold by the Molson brewing company to George Gillette.

4. Fastest Goal and Playoff Records:

Apparently, Joe Malone scored the first goal ever in the history of Montreal Canadiens. What’s more?… Henri Richard led the franchise for most years in the playoffs with 18 years from 1955 to 1975. Also, Larry Robinson holds the club record for most playoff games played in the Montreal uniform at 203.

5. First Head Coach — Maurice Richard:

Canadiens superstar Maurice Richard was the first head coach of the Quebec Nordiques. He coached the first two games and then resigned. He was replaced by Maurice Filion. Interestingly, Maurice Richard is the Montreal Canadiens all-time leading goal scorer in the playoffs with 82 goals. Also, he has scored three goals in one game, on seven occasions in the playoffs.

6. The Franchise’s Tragic Experiences:

Sadly, In 1955, after an on-ice fight between Rocket Richard and Bruins players, Richard was suspended by NHL league president Clarence Campbell. The ordeal made many fans unhappy. Despite his suspension, Campbell was silly enough to attend the Habs’ next home game, which led to the now-infamous Richards Riot at the Pepsi Forum. To cut the long story short, the Riot resulted to about $500,000 in city-damages and the Forum itself.

Another unforgettable tragedy hit the Canadiens in 1919. It all happened during the Stanley Cup final when the Spanish Flu pandemic hit Seattle. The Flu caused the death of the Canadiens star, Joe Hall, and led to the cancellation of the remainder of the series.

Do you know?… When Rocket Richard was suspended for the rest of the season in 1955 for striking an official in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Montrealers rioted in the streets, 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.

7. Hall of Famers and Retired Numbers:

In the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadiens boast of Sixty-five inductees from the players’ category. The most recent inductee was Pat Burns in 2014. The Canadiens have retired 15 numbers in honour of 18 players, in their history, the most of any team in the National Hockey League, and the fourth-highest total of any North American professional sports franchise. Also, all the honorees were born in Canada.

8. Montreal Canadiens Nickname — the Habs:

According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as “the Habs” was American Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the “H” on the Canadiens’ sweaters was for “Habitants.”. It actually stands for hockey.

9. Rivalries:

The Bruins and Canadiens have played each other more times than any other two currently existing teams in NHL history. The rivalry is considerably one-sided, with the Canadiens winning 24 out of 31 of their head-to-head playoff series, and all seven of the Final series.

10. Trivia:

When the Edmonton Oilers broke the record for the longest undefeated streak to start a season in 1984-85, they surpassed the 1943-44 Canadiens start of 11-0-4.

Quick Facts About the Montreal Canadiens: