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{{current sport-related|mini=1|2007-08 Montreal Canadiens season}}
{{NHL Team | CAN_eng=1
|team_name = Montreal Canadiens <br />
|bg_color = #BF2F38
|text_color = white
|logo_image = MontrealCanadiens.png
|conference = [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern]]
|division = [[Northeast Division (NHL)|Northeast]]
|founded = [[December 4]], [[1909]]
|history = '''Montreal Canadiens'''<br>1917-present ([[National Hockey League|NHL]])<br>1909-1917 ([[National Hockey Association|NHA]])
|arena = [[Bell Centre]] (Centre Bell)
|city = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]
|media_affiliates = <u>'''English'''</u><br>[[CJAD (AM)|CJAD (800 AM)]]<br><u>'''French'''</u><br>[[Réseau des sports|RDS]]<br>[[CKAC (AM)|CKAC (730 AM)]]
|team_colors = Blue, White and Red <br /> (Bleu, Blanc et Rouge)
|head_coach = {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Guy Carbonneau]]
|general_manager = {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bob Gainey]]
|owner = {{flagicon|USA}} [[George N. Gillett Jr.]]
|president = {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Pierre Boivin]]
|captain = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Saku Koivu]]
|minor_league_affiliates = [[Hamilton Bulldogs]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]])<br>[[Cincinnati Cyclones]] ([[ECHL]])
|stanley_cups = [[1915-16 National Hockey Association season|1915-16]], [[1923-24 NHL season|1923-24]], [[1929-30 NHL season|1929-30]], [[1930-31 NHL season|1930-31]], [[1943-44 NHL season|1943-44]], [[1945-46 NHL season|1945-46]], [[1952-53 NHL season|1952-53]], [[1955-56 NHL season|1955-56]], [[1956-57 NHL season|1956-57]], [[1957-58 NHL season|1957-58]], [[1958-59 NHL season|1958-59]], [[1959-60 NHL season|1959-60]], [[1964-65 NHL season|1964-65]], [[1965-66 NHL season|1965-66]], [[1967-68 NHL season|1967-68]], [[1968-69 NHL season|1968-69]], [[1970-71 NHL season|1970-71]], [[1972-73 NHL season|1972-73]], [[1975-76 NHL season|1975-76]], [[1976-77 NHL season|1976-77]], [[1977-78 NHL season|1977-78]], [[1978-79 NHL season|1978-79]], [[1985-86 NHL season|1985-86]], [[1992-93 NHL season|1992-93]]
|conf_titles = [[1975-76 NHL season|1975-76]], [[1976-77 NHL season|1976-77]], [[1977-78 NHL season|1977-78]], [[1978-79 NHL season|1978-79]], [[1980-81 NHL season|1980-81]], [[1985-86 NHL season|1985-86]], [[1988-89 NHL season|1988-89]], [[1992-93 NHL season|1992-93]]
|division_titles = [[1927-28 NHL season|1927-28]], [[1928-29 NHL season|1928-29]], [[1929-30 NHL season|1929-30]], [[1930-31 NHL season|1930-31]], [[1931-32 NHL season|1931-32]], [[1936-37 NHL season|1936-37]], [[1967-68 NHL season|1967-68]], [[1968-69 NHL season|1968-69]], [[1972-73 NHL season|1972-73]], [[1974-75 NHL season|1974-75]], [[1975-76 NHL season|1975-76]], [[1976-77 NHL season|1976-77]], [[1977-78 NHL season|1977-78]], [[1978-79 NHL season|1978-79]], [[1979-80 NHL season|1979-80]], [[1980-81 NHL season|1980-81]], [[1981-82 NHL season|1981-82]], [[1984-85 NHL season|1984-85]], [[1987-88 NHL season|1987-88]], [[1988-89 NHL season|1988-89]], [[1991-92 NHL season|1991-92]]
}}The '''Montreal Canadiens''' ({{lang-fr|Canadiens de Montréal}}) are a professional men's [[ice hockey]] team based in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]. They are members of the [[Northeast Division (NHL)|Northeast Division]] of the [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern Conference]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). The club is officially known as '''Le Club de Hockey Canadien'''. French nicknames for the team include ''Les Canadiens'', ''Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge'', ''La Sainte-Flanelle'', ''Le Tricolore'', ''Les Glorieux'', ''Les Habitants'' and ''Le Grand Club''. In English, the main nickname is the ''Habs'' (coming from "Les [[Habitant]]s").

The Canadiens are one of the '[[Original Six]]' teams, the teams of the NHL, before the 1967 expansion. They have won more [[Stanley Cup]]s (24, the first in 1916, before the NHL existed) than any other NHL team.<ref name="MostCups">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/cup/champs.html|title=Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists|publisher=NHL.com|accessdate=2007-02-14|year=2007}}</ref> On a percentage basis, [[as of 2006]], this makes them the third most historically successful major pro sports team in North America, having won 25% of all NHL/NHA Stanley Cup championships. Only the [[Boston Celtics]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] (26.2%) and the [[New York Yankees]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (25.2%) have higher success rates.

The Canadiens play their home games at the [[Bell Centre]], which was previously named the Molson Centre up until 2003.<ref name="Renamed">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2002/02/26/bellcentre020226.html|title=Molson Centre renamed Bell Centre|accessdate=2007-02-14|year=2002|publisher=CBC Sports}}</ref> Former homes of the team include [[Jubilee Rink]], [[Montreal Arena|Montreal Westmount Arena]], [[Mount Royal Arena]] and the famous [[Montreal Forum]]. The Forum was considered a veritable shrine to hockey fans everywhere,<ref name="forum">{{cite web | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18096190.html | publisher=High Beam Research | title= The end of an era (The Montreal Forum) | date=1996 | accessdate=2007-02-10}}</ref> and housed the team for seven decades and all but two of their Stanley Cup championships.

The team's Championship season in [[1992-93 NHL season|1992-93]] still marks the last time that a Canadian team won the [[Stanley Cup]], in a current span of thirteen seasons (fourteen years, due to the NHL lockout season).<ref name="CanadaCup">{{cite web|url=http://proicehockey.about.com/od/stanleycupbunker/a/stanley_cuplist.htm|title=The Complete List of Stanley Cup Champions|publisher=About.com|accessdate=2006-02-14|year=2007}}</ref>

==Franchise history==

Founded in 1909, eight years before the founding of the NHL, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously operating club in the league.
===1910-17: Before the National Hockey League===

Before there was an NHL, there was a Montreal Canadiens team. They were founded on [[December 4]], [[1909]] as a charter member of the league's forerunner, the [[National Hockey Association]] (NHA). The league's founder, [[Renfrew, Ontario|Renfrew]] mining tycoon [[Ambrose O'Brien]] had his Renfrew ice hockey team turned down for membership in the new [[Canadian Hockey Association (1909-1910)|CHA]] along with the [[Montreal Wanderers]], run by [[Jimmy Gardner]]. Together they conceived the idea of forming a new league, the NHA. Mr. Gardner sold Mr. O'Brien on the idea of a team of French-Canadian players to create a natural rivalry with the [[Montreal Shamrocks]] and the Wanderers. Mr. Gardiner suggested that Mr. O'Brien name the team the 'Canadiens'.<ref name="Builders Row">Canadiens press release on "Builders Row", [[December 14]], [[2006]]. http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=5465</ref> [[Les Canadiens]] played their first game on [[January 5]], [[1910]], coached by [[Jack Laviolette]].<ref name="ECyclopedia">Montreal Canadiens entry at Sports ECyclopedia. http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/montreal/canadiens.html</ref>

After that first season, [[George Kennedy (sports promoter)|George Kennedy]], owner of the "Club Athlétique Canadien" founded a year earlier, claimed rights to the Canadiens name. To settle the dispute, a complex deal was worked out in the spring of 1910. Les Canadiens suspended operations for the [[1910-11 NHA season]] (the franchise rights were taken over a year later by the [[Toronto Blueshirts]]), while Kennedy's team joined the NHA as its second Montreal franchise and assumed the Montreal Canadiens name (the Shamrocks had folded after the season). Kennedy took over the franchise rights of the [[Haileybury Hockey Club]]. The Haileybury team had also been owned by O'Brien, but folded after the season when it became obvious that the mining town was too small to support a big-league hockey team; the remains of the club were sold to Kennedy as part of the deal with O'Brien.<ref>Charles L. Coleman, ''Trail of the Stanley Cup'', Kendall/Hunt (1964), p. 201.</ref> To this day, however, the Canadiens claim descent from the original "Les Canadiens" franchise.

[[Image:Vezina.gif|thumb|left|230px|Georges Vézina, Canadiens goaltender from 1910 to 1925]]

The [[1914-15 NHA season|1914-15]] NHA season was the Canadiens' first in their famous red sweaters with a blue stripe across the middle and a red "C" inside the stripe. The only difference between these uniforms and today's was that the "C" was interlocked with an "A." However, the team had been wearing red sweaters since the 1910-11 season. In [[1915-16 NHA season|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]]. The next year, the Canadiens changed their corporate name to the present "Club de Hockey Canadien", and adopted the first version of their current logo (which stands for "'''C'''lub de '''H'''ockey").[[Image:MontrealCanadiens1913.png|right|thumb|150px|Logo worn from 1913-17]]

===1917-32: The Early National Hockey League===
The Canadiens and four other NHA teams pulled out of the NHA to form the NHL in [[1917-18 NHL season|1917]]. This stemmed from a long-running dispute with [[Toronto Blueshirts]] owner [[Eddie Livingstone]]. Kennedy and his allies had the votes to throw Livingstone out of the league, but rather than risk a long court battle, they simply created a new league and left Livingstone in the NHA all by himself. Kennedy was the dominant force in the new NHL; he not only controlled the Canadiens but had loaned [[Tommy Gorman]] the money he needed to purchase the then-troubled [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa Senators]]. They moved out of the Jubilee Rink to share the [[Montreal Arena]] with the Wanderers, only to return to Jubilee after the Montreal Arena burned down in January 1918. During this season, [[Joe Malone]] scored 44 goals--a record that would last for 27 years. Longtime goaltender [[Georges Vezina]] notched the league's first shutout, blanking [[Toronto Arenas|Toronto]] 9-0 on [[February 18]], [[1918]]. They won the first half of the regular season, qualifying for the playoffs against Toronto, but lost the playoff in what would be the first of many playoff battles with the team that would later become the [[Toronto Maple Leafs|Maple Leafs]].

The next year, they once again faced Seattle for the [[1919 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup]], but tragedy struck with the series tied at two games apiece. Seattle was struck by the worldwide [[Spanish flu]] pandemic, and many players on both teams fell sick. On the day of the deciding fifth game, nearly every player on the Canadiens was either hospitalized or confined to bed. With most of his other players either overseas or frozen in critical jobs due to [[World War I]], Kennedy could not find any replacements. [[Image:MontrealCanadiens1918.png|right|thumb|150px|Logo used (1917-19, 1921-22)]]PCHA president [[Frank Patrick]] vetoed a request to use players from the [[Victoria Cougars]]. The last game was canceled, and Kennedy then offered to forfeit the series--and the Cup--to the Metropolitans. However, Seattle coach [[Pete Muldoon]] felt it wouldn't be fair to accept the victory under the circumstances. As a result, the 1919 series is officially listed as a no-decision. The Canadiens went through a series of troubles after the series. Player-coach [[Newsy Lalonde]] was sick for over a month after the series, and star forward [[Joe Hall]] died five days after the series was abandoned. In the Summer of 1919, the Canadiens' home Jubilee Rink burned down, and they had to build [[Mount Royal Arena]] as a replacement. The team also lost their star player Malone, who had been on loan from the dormant [[Quebec Bulldogs]]. That team returned to the ice in [[1919-20 NHL season|1919-20]]. Kennedy died in 1921; he had never recovered from the 1919 flu bug. His widow sold the team to [[Leo Dandurand]], former player [[Joseph Cattarinich]] and [[Louis A. Letourneau]].

[[Image:MontrealCanadiens1920.png|left|thumb|150px|Logo used (1919-21)]]

With rookie [[Howie Morenz]] completing a line between [[Aurel Joliat]] and [[Billy Boucher]], the Canadiens once again reached the top in [[1923-24 NHL season|1924]], defeating both the [[Calgary Tigers]] (of the [[Western Canada Hockey League]]) and the [[Vancouver Millionaires|Vancouver Maroons]] (of the PCHA) in a convoluted playoff format. In [[1924-25 NHL season|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. The Canadiens lost Vezina 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]], which was awarded to the goalie who allowed the fewest goals scored. Hainsworth would be the winner of that prize for the next few years.

The [[1926-27 NHL season|1926-27 season]] was the Canadiens' first in the [[Montreal Forum]]. They moved there full-time due to constant problems getting acceptable ice at the Mount Royal Arena.

Generally, however, the Habs stumbled in the playoffs until they won their third Stanley Cup in [[1929-30 NHL season|1930]], defeating the seemingly invincible [[Boston Bruins]] (who had lost a mere six games in a 44-game schedule). The "Flying Frenchmen" once again beat the regular-season champion Bruins in the [[1930-31 NHL season|1931]] playoffs, then beat the [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa Senators]] and [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]] to win their fourth Cup.

===1932-67: The end of Morenz and the Original Six===
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 NHL season|1936-37]], but were stunned by the death of Morenz on [[March 8]], [[1937]] at the age of only 34. On [[January 28]], [[1937]] Morenz suffered multiple fractures of his leg from a hit by [[Earl Seibert]] of the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Blackhawks]], and developed blood clots in his fractured leg which led to a [[stroke]].

[[Image:Montreal Canadiens hockey team, October 1942.jpg|right|thumb|The 1942 Canadiens]]
The Canadiens were once again mired in mediocrity for several more seasons. The low point came in [[1939-40 NHL season|1939-40]], with a horrendous 10-win season--still the worst in franchise history. This led to talk that the Canadiens might fold. An unlikely saviour arrived in the form of Maple Leafs owner [[Conn Smythe]]. The Depression had already claimed several teams, and Smythe felt that the league might not have been able to survive the loss of its oldest franchise. He persuaded the [[Brookfield Properties|Canadian Arena Company]], which had bought the Canadiens in 1935, to hire Leafs coach [[Dick Irvin]], who had taken the Leafs to the finals six times in eight years.

Irvin didn't take long to turn the Canadiens around. His efforts bore fruit when, led by the "Punch Line" of [[Maurice Richard|Maurice "Rocket" Richard]], [[Toe Blake]] and [[Elmer Lach]], the Habs lifted the Cup again in [[1943-44 NHL season|1944]] after losing only five games in the regular season. The sophomore Richard proved he was not "small, fragile and too brittle for the [[National Hockey League]]", as GM [[Tommy Gorman]], after [[1942-43 NHL season|Richard's rookie year]], concernedly voiced. If anything, he was Morenz's successor as one of hockey's preeminent superstars. Like Morenz, Richard was a great goal-scoring forward &mdash; and both Richard and Morenz were quite physical. Richard, in fact, became the first NHL player to hit 1000 career penalty minutes.

In [[1944-45 NHL season|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 &mdash; [[50 goals in 50 games]]. Despite their power, the Habs lost to the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] in the semi-finals. The team was to be invigorated in the [[1945-46 NHL season|1946]] playoffs, winning their sixth Stanley Cup. But in 1947, despite Rocket Richard winning the [[Hart Memorial Trophy]] as NHL [[Most Valuable Player]], the Habs lost in the [[Stanley Cup]] Final against the nemesis Maple Leafs.
[[Image:MontrealCanadiens1926.png|keft|150px|thumb|Logo used (1926-53)]]
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 [[1950-51 NHL season|1951]] and [[1959-60 NHL season|1960]], the Canadiens made the finals every year, winning six times (including a record five straight between [[1955-56 NHL season|1956]] and [[1959-60 NHL season|1960]]). Toe Blake succeeded Irvin as coach in 1955, and they added more of the league's great players such as [[Jean Béliveau|Jean Beliveau]] (nicknamed ''Le Gros Bill''), [[Dickie Moore (hockey)|Dickie "Digger" Moore]], [[Doug Harvey]], [[Bernard Geoffrion|Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion]], goalie [[Jacques Plante]] (who, in [[1959-60 NHL season|1959]], became the first goalie to regularly wear a mask on [[November 1]] in a 3-1 win at the [[New York Rangers]], but not without some resistance, even from coach Toe Blake), "Rocket" Richard, and his younger brother, [[Henri Richard|Henri]], who became known as the "Pocket Rocket" &mdash; many thought the Habs were merely placating the elder Richard when his brother was signed.

Montreal fell into a state of unbridled love, if not obsession, with the Habs team. At no time was this more evident than when Rocket Richard was suspended for the rest of the season on [[March 13]], [[1954-55 NHL season|1955]], for assaulting an official in the aftermath of a stick fight in a game against the [[Boston Bruins|Bruins]]. Montrealers rioted in the streets at the following game (on [[March 17]], at home versus 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. The previous year, the Habs had also fallen at the hands of the Red Wings, when Harvey (considered one of the best defencemen of all time) redirected a clearing attempt by the Red Wings' Tony Leswick into the Montreal net past Canadiens goalie [[Gerry McNeil]]. In 1956 the Canadiens established a "farm team" in Peterborough, Ontario, now the [[Peterborough Petes]] of the [[Ontario Hockey League]].

Despite Rocket Richard's retirement in 1960, the Canadiens looked ready to win yet another, a ''sixth'' straight Cup in [[1960-61 NHL season|1961]]; but they were stunned in the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks (who eventually won the [[Stanley Cup]] behind the goal-producing genius of [[Winger (hockey)|left-winger]] [[Bobby Hull]]) in the semi-finals. The Canadiens continued to suffer (relative) playoff frustration until they won the Cup again in [[1964-65 NHL season|1965]], in [[Yvan Cournoyer]]'s rookie season, and repeated in [[1965-66 NHL season|1966]].

===1967-86: Expansion era===
Canada's centennial year of 1967 was momentous for the country, and more importantly for the city of Montreal. A [[world's fair]], [[Expo 67]], was held in Montreal, and the Canadiens had promised to deliver the Stanley Cup to the Quebec Pavilion of the Canadian Showcase. The Stanley Cup final that year pitted the Canadiens against the Maple Leafs. Montreal was an overwhelming favorite, especially since Toronto featured two 30+-year-old goaltenders, [[Terry Sawchuk]] and [[Johnny Bower]]. However, the Leafs won in an upset, and instead of displaying the Cup in the Quebec Pavilion, the Habs had to watch the Leafs parade the Cup in downtown Toronto.

The Leafs have never been to the final since then, and with expansion in [[1967-68 NHL season|1968]], the Canadiens handily defeated the fledgling [[St. Louis Blues (hockey)|St. Louis Blues]] in the finals during each of the next two seasons. The Canadiens missed out on a playoff spot in [[1969-70 NHL season|1970]] on the final day of the regular season, thanks to a tiebreaker. Entering the final games of the season, the Canadiens held a two point lead over the [[New York Rangers]], plus a 242-237 edge in goals scored. The Rangers played their last regular season game first, and beat the [[Detroit Red Wings]] 9-5 to pull even in points and take a 246-242 goal lead. This led to an unusual incident in which, since the Canadiens would make the playoffs if they scored five or more goals in their final game regardless of the outcome, Montreal coach [[Claude Ruel]] pulled his goaltender with eight minutes remaining against the Black Hawks with Chicago leading 5-3. Chicago tallied three empty net goals, but Montreal failed to score again.[http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/sports/story.html?id=267319e2-3e42-4ef3-8918-8a1273956fad&k=86740] Since Toronto missed out as well, it meant both the only time in NHL history no Canadian teams made the playoffs, as well as the only time between [[1947-48 NHL season|1948]] and [[1994-95 NHL season|1995]] that Montreal missed the playoffs &mdash; an unprecedented stretch of nearly 50 seasons.

Quickly, though, the Habs got back to their winning ways in [[1970-71 NHL season|1971]], defeating the Black Hawks to capture yet another Stanley Cup in goalie [[Ken Dryden]]'s rookie season (starting a career where he would average an astonishing two goals allowed per game), in addition to long-time Leafs' star [[Frank Mahovlich]]'s first in a Canadiens uniform. After [[1969-70 NHL season|1969-70]], captain [[Jean Béliveau|Jean Beliveau]], who retired in 1971, had only stayed on for the one last season at the insistence of [[General Manager]] [[Sam Pollock]], who knew there had to be a veteran leader in Montreal.

Dryden had only played six regular-season games in '70-'71, but [[Al MacNeil]], who had replaced Ruel midway through the season, made what was considered a wise choice in sticking with Dryden -- who had had a perfect record in those six games and a 1.65 GAA -- as the Habs dispatched the mighty Bruins in the first round. Despite his Cup triumph, MacNeil resigned amidst accusations that he showed favourtism toward the Habs' English-speaking players, including an ongoing dispute with Henri Richard.

After losing in the quarter-finals to the [[New York Rangers]] in [[1971-72 NHL season|1972]] ([[Guy Lafleur]]'s rookie season as well as Dryden's official one), they would once again win the Cup over Chicago in [[1972-73 NHL season|1973]].

Dryden would sit out the season in a contract dispute, although the official line was that he was completing his law degree. The Canadiens were upset by the Rangers in the first round in [[1973-74 NHL season|1974]], and would lose out to the [[Buffalo Sabres]] in the semi-finals in [[1974-75 NHL season|1975]]. In [[1975-76 NHL season|1976]], under the leadership of [[head coach]] [[Scotty Bowman]], they went on to win the Cup again, thwarting the [[Philadelphia Flyers]]' hopes for a third consecutive championship. The series was widely hailed as a victory for skilled play over the thuggish tactics of the "Broad Street Bullies". The team was led by Lafleur (who was in the midst of six straight 50-goal seasons, the league's first ever six-consecutive-time 50-goal ''and'' 100-point scorer), Cournoyer, Dryden, [[Frank Mahovlich]]'s brother [[Pete Mahovlich|Pete]], [[Steve Shutt]], [[Serge Savard]], [[Guy Lapointe]] and [[Larry Robinson]] (the last three of whom a powerful triumvirate of All-Star defencemen dubbed "The Big Three"). In [[1976-77 NHL season|1976-77]] the Canadiens would set a modern-day record by only losing eight games in an 80-game season. The Canadiens would then go on to win three more consecutive Cups to close out the 1970s.

The Canadiens nearly scuttled the deal between the NHL and [[World Hockey Association]], in which four WHA teams--the [[Hartford Whalers]] (now the [[Carolina Hurricanes]]), [[Edmonton Oilers]], [[Quebec Nordiques]] (now the [[Colorado Avalanche]]) and [[Winnipeg Jets]] (now [[Phoenix Coyotes]])--were due to join the NHL. The Canadiens, along with the NHL's other two Canadian teams (the Leafs and [[Vancouver Canucks]]) were not pleased at the prospect of splitting television revenue with three new teams. A boycott of [[Molson]] products was staged in Edmonton and Winnipeg, although it is debatable what, if any, effect it had.

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]], and another All-Star in sophomore [[Chris Chelios]], manning the blue line. Gainey, Carbonneau, Chelios, Naslund, Robinson and Roy would lead the Canadiens to their only [[Stanley Cup]] of the decade that season, defeating the [[Calgary Flames]].

===1986-present &mdash; The Modern NHL===
The Montreal Canadiens won their league-leading 24th (and, to date, last) [[Stanley Cup]] against the [[Los Angeles Kings]] in 1993, during the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup. That playoff season, the Canadiens won an NHL-record 10 consecutive overtime games. They also tied an NHL-record by winning 11 consecutive games in one playoff year (the record is shared by the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] and the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] - both teams won 11 in a row the previous year).

But in [[1994-95 NHL season|1995]], the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years, and only the third time in 54 years. In December of that year, when the Canadiens lost 11-1 at home to the [[Detroit Red Wings]], then-head coach [[Mario Tremblay]] refused to pull [[Patrick Roy]] from the net until after the ninth goal, despite the goalie's repeated pleas. After he was pulled, Roy, approached then team president [[Ronald Corey]] and told him, "This is my last game in a Montreal Canadiens uniform."<ref name="RoyQuote">{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2001/02/20/sayitaintso_canadiens|title=King is Dethroned; Hockey, Canadiens-style, is not without its warts|publisher=The Montreal Gazette|year=2001|accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref><ref name="KingNoMore">{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/michael_farber/news/2003/05/27/farber_royretro|title=Career For The Ages|publisher=Sports Illustrated|year=2003|accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> He was traded to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion [[Colorado Avalanche]] along with [[Mike Keane]] for [[Jocelyn Thibault]], [[Andrei Kovalenko]], and [[Martin Rucinsky]].

[[Image:1993habs.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The 1992-93 Canadiens team posing with the Stanley Cup. No team from Canada has won it since.]]

On [[March 11]], [[1996]], the Canadiens defeated the [[Dallas Stars]], 4-1 in the final game at the historic [[Montreal Forum]]. The final goal at the Forum 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 moving closing ceremony was held, in which each living Canadiens captain, wearing an up-to-date version of the uniform with his old number on it, passed a torch, the older one to the younger one: [[Butch Bouchard]] to [[Maurice Richard]] to [[Jean Béliveau|Jean Beliveau]] to [[Henri Richard]] to [[Yvan Cournoyer]] to [[Serge Savard]] to Gainey to Carbonneau to [[Pierre Turgeon]], the then-captain. (Three living former captains were unavailable because they were still active with other teams: [[Mike Keane]] with the Avalanche, [[Kirk Muller]] with the [[New York Islanders]], and [[Chris Chelios]] with the [[Chicago Blackhawks]]).

The team moved into the new Molson Centre (renamed Bell Centre for [[2003-04 NHL season|2003-04]]) the following Saturday, defeating the [[New York Rangers]], 4-2. However, the Canadiens missed the playoffs three straight seasons between [[1998-99 NHL season|1999]] and [[2000-01 NHL season|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. After no acceptable offers came from Canadian interests, the NHL allowed Gillett to buy the team, provided that he promise to keep it in Montreal until 2021.

In the fall of 2001, it was revealed that centre [[Saku Koivu]], who had been with the team since [[1995-96 NHL season|1995]], had cancer and would miss the season. However, he came back to win the [[Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy]] for perservance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, register two assists in the last three games and, along with the surprising strong play of goalie [[Jose Theodore]] (who won the [[Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award]], [[Hart Trophy]] and [[Vezina Trophy]] that season), inspired the team for a run to the [[2001-02 NHL season|2002]] playoffs as the final seed in the Eastern Conference. They upset the [[Boston Bruins]] in the first round, before bowing to the [[Carolina Hurricanes]] in the second round.

On [[November 22]], [[2003-04 NHL season|2003]], the Canadiens participated in the [[Heritage Classic]], the first outdoor hockey game in the history of the NHL. The Canadiens defeated the [[Edmonton Oilers]] 4-3 in front of more than 55,000 fans &mdash; an NHL attendance record &mdash; at [[Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)|Commonwealth Stadium]] in [[Edmonton, Alberta|Edmonton]]. The team seemed to turn a corner at that point, and finished the season in the 7th playoff seed in the [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern Conference]]. The team would again play the Bruins in the playoffs, for a record 30th time. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit, the Canadiens won the final three games to again upset the Bruins. The Canadiens were swept away in second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champions [[Tampa Bay Lightning]].

On [[January 13]], [[2006]], [[Claude Julien (ice hockey)|Claude Julien]] was fired as coach, and replaced on an interim basis by [[Bob Gainey]], the team's general manager. Later on in the season, Montreal starting goalie [[José Théodore|Jose Theodore]] was traded to the [[Colorado Avalanche]] after numerous disappointing starts, in return for goalie [[David Aebischer]]. The Canadiens narrowly made the playoffs, but lost in 6 games to the eventual champion [[Carolina Hurricanes]].

In the [[2006-07 NHL season]], [[Guy Carbonneau]] took over as head coach of the team.<ref name="NewCoach">{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=5021|title=Canadiens usher in Carbonneau era|publisher=MontrealCanadiens.com|year=2006|accessdate=2006-05-10}}</ref>

In December 2006, as the founder of the Montreal Canadiens, [[Ambrose O'Brien|John Ambrose O'Brien]] was an inaugural inductee in the team's newly created 'Builders Row' in the [[Bell Centre]]. As well, the team inducted special advisor William Northey, former team president [[Donat Raymond]] and former owners [[Leo Dandurand]], [[Joseph Cattarinich]], [[Louis A. Letourneau]] and [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] [[Hartland de Montarville Molson]]. <ref name="Post Game Story - Founder John Ambrose O'Brien">{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiens.com/eng/stats/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&gameID=5430|title= Post Game Story - Founder John Ambrose O'Brien|publisher=Club de hockey Canadien, Inc.|accessdate=2007-04-30|year=2007}}</ref>

===The near future and beyond===
[[Image:Canadiens100Anniversary.png|right|thumb|250px|The Montreal Canadiens unveiled this 100th anniversary logo to be used in 2008-09.]]
A 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 [[Montreal Canadiens Centennial]] countdown, it was announced that three more jersey numbers would be retired &mdash; [[Dickie Moore (hockey)|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 [[Bernard Geoffrion|Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion]] on [[March 11]], [[2006]] prior to their contest against the [[New York Rangers]], the other team he played for after a two-year retirement &mdash; the first since moving from "The Forum" during a "Legends Night" ceremony, with one additional number to be hoisted to the rafters in each of the three following seasons. Sadly, Geoffrion would die on the very day his number was to be retired.

On [[September 23]], [[2006]], the Montreal Canadiens announced the retirement of number 18 for [[Serge Savard]], on [[November 18]], [[2006]], and number 29 for [[Ken Dryden]], on [[January 29]], [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=5176|title =Dryden and Savard earn ultimate tribute|publisher = Montreal Canadiens|year=2006|accessdate = 2006-09-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url
=http://www.cbc.ca/story/sports/national/2006/09/20/dryden-savard-canadiens.html|title = Dryden, Savard paid tribute|publisher = CBC Sports|year = 2006|accessdate=2006-09-23}}</ref>

The Canadiens also announced ambitious plans for their Centennial year of 2008-09, including plans to bid on hosting the [[World Junior Hockey Championships]] (which were since awarded to [[Ottawa]]), the [[NHL All-Star Game]] (which they were awarded) and the [[NHL Draft]]. On [[January 23]], [[2007]], it was announced that the 2009 [[NHL All-Star Game]] would indeed be held in Montreal.<ref name="AllStar2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=287828|title=Montreal will host 2009 NHL All-Star events|publisher=NHL.com|year=2007|accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The team's management has pledged to be a [[Stanley Cup]] contender in time for 2009.

==Team colours and mascot==

{{h3|Logo}}
[[Image:Canadiens0607.png|right|thumb|350px|Clockwise from top left: the home, vintage and road jerseys used in the 2006-07 season]]

One of sports' oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917-18 season before evolving to its current form in 1952-53. The 'H' does not stand for 'Habs' or ''Habitants'', as this is a misconception stemming from an error by an English language newspaper reporter in the 1950s. It actually stands for 'Hockey', as in 'Club de Hockey Canadien', the official name of the team.

The first logo was a large green maple leaf with a white 'C' in 'Old English' script as all of the NHA O'Brien franchises had similar logos. As the team ownership changed, the logo evolved into today's famous logo.

After being bought in 1911 by George Kennedy, the logo was first changed to a star-like logo of the letters CAC, standing for Club Athletique Canadien. This was then changed to a large C, with an A inside.

After being bought by original Canadien player Leo Dandurant, the team regained their original name, Club de Hockey Canadien, and the H replaced the A. Thus the CH, standing for Club de Hockey Canadien (or CHC) logo was born.

{{h3|Jerseys}}

The current team colours are red, blue and white, and they can all be seen on the home, road and third jerseys. The home jersey, which was the team's road jersey from 1970 until 2003 when the [[National Hockey League|NHL]] decided to switch home and road jerseys,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=15112|title=NHL 'quacked' up with hockey jersey switch|publisher=State News|year=2003|accessdate=2006-08-30}}</ref> is predominantly red in colour. There are four blue and white stripes, one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waist. The main road jersey is the team's former home jersey, it is mainly white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves and the shoulders are also draped with red. The third jersey is white in colour with a similar design to the home jersey, except that the three stripes are blue and red, with a single red stripe dabbing the end of each arm sleeve. The third jersey design is based upon the white sweater worn by the Canadiens in the mid-1940s; as a vintage design, it sports a solid red crew collar, as opposed to the blue-white-blue striped V-neck on the home and road jerseys.

The Canadiens' famous colours are an important part of French Canadian culture. In the short story ''[[The Hockey Sweater]]'' by [[Roch Carrier]] a young Quebecois boy is accidentally given the jersey of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The poem was later made into an animated short; a quote from it appears on the [[Canadian banknotes|Canadian five dollar bill]].

Because of the team's rich history and significance, the jersey is referred to by many as ''La sainte flanelle'' (the holy flannel sweater).

{{h3|Mascot}}

Beginning in the [[2004-05 NHL Season|2004-05 NHL season]], the Canadiens adopted a furry, orange creature named [[Youppi]] as their official mascot, the first in their 90+ year history. 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 2004 and became the [[Washington Nationals|Nationals]]. With the switch, Youppi became the first mascot in professional sports to switch leagues.<ref name="Youppi!">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9371075|title=Canadiens adopt Youppi! as their mascot|publisher=MSN|accessdate=2007-02-01|year=2005}}</ref>

==Seasons and records==
===Season by season results===
''This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Canadiens. For the full season-by-season history, see [[Montreal Canadiens seasons]]''

'''''Note:''' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''

{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-size: small; font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd; padding:5px;" |
|Season || GP || W || L || T<sup>1</sup> || OTL || GF || GA || PTS || PIM || Finish || Playoffs
|-
| [[2001-02 NHL season|2001-02]] || 82 || 36 || 31 || 12 || 3 || 207 || 209 || 87 ||974 || 4th, Northeast ||Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 ([[Carolina Hurricanes|Hurricanes]])
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| [[2002-03 NHL season|2002-03]] || 82 || 30 || 35 || 8 || 9 || 206 || 234 || 77 || 900 || 4th, Northeast || Did not qualify
|-
| [[2003-04 NHL season|2003-04]] || 82 || 41 || 30 || 7 || 4 || 208 || 192 || 93 || 1039 || 4th, Northeast ||Lost in Conference Semifinals, 0-4 ([[Tampa Bay Lightning|Lightning]])
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| [[2004-05 NHL season|2004-05]] || colspan="11"| ''Season cancelled due to [[2004-05 NHL Lockout]]''
|-
| [[2005-06 NHL season|2005-06]]<sup>1</sup>|| 82 || 42 || 31 || — || 9 || 243 || 247 || 93 || 1312 || 3rd, Northeast || Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 ([[Carolina Hurricanes|Hurricanes]])
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| [[2006-07 NHL season|2006-07]] || 82 || 42 || 34 || — || 6 || 245 || 256 || 90 || 1312 || 4th, Northeast || Did not qualify
|}
:<sup>1</sup> <small>As of the [[2005-06 NHL season]], all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).</small>

==Franchise scoring leaders==
{{details|Montreal Canadiens Records}}
<!--PLEASE DO NOT UPDATE STATISTICS MID-SEASON, AS IT CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES, AND WIKIPEDIA'S PURPOSE IS NOT TO PROVIDE UP-TO-THE-MINUTE STATISTICS. PLEASE SAVE THE UPDATING OF STATISTICS UNTIL THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON AND/OR PLAYOFFS.-->
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

'''''Note:''' Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

''Updated at completion of 2006–2007 season''
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" style="font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd;" |
| align="left" | Player || Pos || GP || G || A || Pts || P/G
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Guy Lafleur]] || RW || 961 || 518 || 728 || '''1246''' || 1.30
|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align="left" | [[Jean Beliveau]] || C || 1125 || 507 || 712 || '''1219''' || 1.08
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Henri Richard]] || C || 1256 || 358 || 688 || '''1046''' || .83
|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align="left" | [[Maurice Richard]] || RW || 978 || 544 || 421 || '''965''' || .99
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Larry Robinson]] || D || 1202 || 197 || 686 || '''883''' || .73
|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align="left" | [[Yvan Cournoyer]] || RW || 968 || 428 || 435 || '''863''' || .89
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Jacques Lemaire]] || C || 853 || 366 || 469 || '''835''' || .98
|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align="left" | [[Steve Shutt]] || LW || 871 || 408 || 368 || '''776''' || .89
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Bernie Geoffrion]] || RW || 766 || 371 || 388 || '''759''' || .99
|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align="left" | [[Elmer Lach]] || C || 664 || 215 || 408 || '''623''' || .94
|}

===Individual records===
====Career====
*Most Seasons: [[Henri Richard]], 20
*Most Games: Henri Richard, 1256
*Most Goals: [[Maurice Richard]], 544
*Most Assists: [[Guy Lafleur]], 728
*Most Points: Guy Lafleur, 1246 (518G, 728A)
*Most Penalty Minutes: [[Chris Nilan]], 2248
*Most Shutouts: [[George Hainsworth]], 75
*Most Consecutive Games Played: [[Doug Jarvis]], 560
*Most Stanley Cups: [[Henri Richard]], 11*

====Season====
*Most Goals in a season: [[Steve Shutt]] & [[Guy Lafleur]], 60 (1976-77; 1977-78)
*Most Powerplay goals in a season: [[Yvan Cournoyer]], 20 (1966-67)
*Most Assists in a season: [[Pete Mahovlich]], 82 (1974-75)
*Most Points in a season: [[Guy Lafleur]], 136 (1976-77)
*Most Penalty Minutes in a season: [[Chris Nilan]], 358 (1984-85)
*Most Points in a season, defenceman: [[Larry Robinson]], 85 (1976-77)
*Most Points in a season, rookie: [[Mats Naslund]]; [[Kjell Dahlin]], 71 (1982-83; 1985-86)
*Most Wins in a season: [[Jacques Plante]]; [[Ken Dryden]], 42 (1955-56 & 1961-62; 1975-76)
*Most Shutouts in a season: [[George Hainsworth]], 22 (1928-29)*
*Most Goals in a season, defenceman: [[Guy Lapointe]], 28 (1974-75)

==Current roster==
<small>As of [[October 1]], [[2007]] [http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=TeamPlayers&type=roster]</small>

{| width=90%
!colspan=6 |<center><big>Goaltenders
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|#
!width=5%|
|align=left!!width=15%|'''Player'''
!width=8%|Catches
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth

|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''31'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Carey Price]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2005 NHL Entry Draft|2005]]
|[[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]]

|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''39'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|FRA}}
|[[Cristobal Huet]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2004-05 NHL season|2004]]
|[[Saint-Martin-d'Hères|Saint-Martin-d'Heres]], [[France]]
|}

{| width=90%
!colspan=6 |<center><big>Defencemen
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|#
!width=5%|
|align=left!!width=15%|'''Player'''
!width=8%|Shoots
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''8'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|USA}}
|[[Mike Komisarek]]
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[2001 NHL Entry Draft|2001]]
|[[West Islip, New York|West Islip]], [[New York]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''25'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Mathieu Dandenault]]
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[2005-06 NHL season|2005]]
|[[Sherbrooke, Quebec|Sherbrooke]], [[Quebec]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''26'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Josh Gorges]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2006-07 NHL season|2007]]
|[[Kelowna, British Columbia|Kelowna]], [[British Columbia]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''32'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CHE}}
|[[Mark Streit]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2004 NHL Entry Draft|2004]]
|[[Englisberg]], [[Switzerland]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''44'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|Czechoslovakia}}
|[[Roman Hamrlík|Roman Hamrlik]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2007-08 NHL season|2007]]
|[[Zlín|Gottwaldov]], [[Czechoslovakia]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''51'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|USA}}
|[[Francis Bouillon]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2002-03 NHL season|2002]]
|[[New York City|New York]], [[New York]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''71'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Patrice Brisebois]]
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[2007-08 NHL Season|2007]]
|[[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''79'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|RUS}}
|[[Andrei Markov (ice hockey)|Andrei Markov]]
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[1998 NHL Entry Draft|1998]]
|[[Voskresensk]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|U.S.S.R.]]
|}

{| width=90%
!colspan=7 |<center><big>Forwards
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|#
!width=5%|
|align=left!!width=18%|'''Player'''
!width=8%|Position
!width=8%|Shoots
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''6'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Tom Kostopoulos]]
|align=center|RW
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[2007-08 NHL season|2007]]
|[[Mississauga, Ontario|Mississauga]], [[Ontario]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''11'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|FIN}}
|[[Saku Koivu]] &ndash; '''[[Captain (ice hockey)|C]]'''
|align=center|C
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[1993 NHL Entry Draft|1993]]
|[[Turku]], [[Finland]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''14'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CZE}}
|[[Tomas Plekanec]]
|align=center|C
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2001 NHL Entry Draft|2001]]
|[[Kladno]], [[Czechoslovakia]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''20'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|USA}}
|[[Bryan Smolinski]]
|align=center|C
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[2007-08 NHL season|2007]]
|[[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]], [[Ohio]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''21'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|USA}}
|[[Christopher Higgins]] &ndash; '''[[Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains|A]]'''
|align=center|C
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2002 NHL Entry Draft|2002]]
|[[Smithtown, New York|Smithtown]], [[New York]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''22'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Steve Begin]]
|align=center|LW
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2003-04 NHL season|2003]]
|[[Trois-Rivières, Quebec|Trois-Rivieres, Quebec]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''27'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|RUS}}
|[[Alexei Kovalev]] &ndash; '''[[Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains|A]]'''
|align=center|RW
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2003-04 NHL season|2004]]
|[[Tolyatti]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|U.S.S.R.]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''28'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Kyle Chipchura]]
|align=center|C
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2004 NHL Entry Draft|2004]]
|[[Westlock, Alberta]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''46'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|BLR}}
|[[Andrei Kostitsyn]]
|align=center|LW
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2003 NHL Entry Draft|2003]]
|[[Navapolatsk]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|U.S.S.R.]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''54'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|BLR}}
|[[Mikhail Grabovski]]
|align=center|C
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2004 NHL Entry Draft|2004]]
|[[Potsdam]], [[East Germany]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''73'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Michael Ryder]]
|align=center|RW
|align=center|R
|align=center|[[1998 NHL Entry Draft|1998]]
|[[Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador|Bonavista]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|'''84'''
|align=center|{{flagicon|CAN}}
|[[Guillaume Latendresse]]
|align=center|RW
|align=center|L
|align=center|[[2005 NHL Entry Draft|2005]]
|[[Sainte-Catherine, Quebec|Sainte-Catherine]], [[Quebec]]
|}

==Leaders==
===Team captains===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:8.0em;">
*[[Jack Laviolette]], 1909-10
*[[Newsy Lalonde]], 1910-11
*Jack Laviolette, 1911-12
*Newsy Lalonde, 1912-13
*[[Jimmy Gardner]], 1913-15
*[[Howard McNamara]], 1915-16
*Newsy Lalonde, 1916-22
*[[Sprague Cleghorn]], 1922-25
*[[Billy Coutu]], 1925-26
*[[Sylvio Mantha]], 1926-32
*[[George Hainsworth]], 1932-33
*Sylvio Mantha, 1933-36
*[[Albert Babe Siebert|Albert "Babe" Siebert]], 1936-39
*[[Walter Buswell]], 1939-40
*[[Toe Blake]], 1940-48
*[[Bill Durnan]], 1948 <small> (January - April)</small>
</div><div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Emile Bouchard]], 1948-56
*[[Maurice Richard]], 1956-60
*[[Doug Harvey]], 1960-61
*[[Jean Beliveau]], 1961-71
*[[Henri Richard]], 1971-75
*[[Yvan Cournoyer]], 1975-79
*[[Serge Savard]], 1979-81
*[[Bob Gainey]], 1981-89
*[[Guy Carbonneau]] & [[Chris Chelios]], 1989-90 <small> (co-captains)</small>
*Guy Carbonneau, 1990-94
*[[Kirk Muller]], 1994-95
*[[Mike Keane]], 1995 <small> (April-December)</small>
*[[Pierre Turgeon]], 1995-96
*[[Vincent Damphousse]], 1996-99
*[[Saku Koivu]], 1999- ''present''
</div><br clear="all">

===Head coaches===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:2.5em;">
*[[Jack Laviolette|Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette]], 1909–10
*[[Adolphe Lecours]], 1910–11
*[[Napoléon Dorval|Napoleon Dorval]], 1911-13
*[[Jimmy Gardner|James Henry "Jimmy" Gardner]], 1913-15
*[[Edouard Lalonde|Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde]], 1915-21
*Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde<br>and [[Leo Dandurand]], 1921-22
*Leo Dandurand, 1922-26
*[[Cecil Hart]], 1926-32
*Edouard Lalonde, 1932-34
*Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde<br>and Leo Dandurand, 1934-35
*[[Sylvio Mantha]], 1935-36
*Cecil Hart, 1936-38
*Cecil Hart and [[Jules Dugal]], 1938-39
*[[Albert Babe Siebert|Albert "Babe" Siebert]], 1939
*[[Alfred Lepine|Alfred "Pit" Lepine]], 1939-40
*[[Dick Irvin]], 1940-55
</div><div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Toe Blake|Hector "Toe" Blake]], 1955-68
*[[Claude Ruel]], 1968-71
*[[Al MacNeil]], 1971
*[[Scotty Bowman]], 1971-79
*[[Bernie Geoffrion]], 1979
*Claude Ruel, 1979-81
*[[Bob Berry (hockey player)|Bob Berry]], 1981-84
*[[Jacques Lemaire]], 1984-85
*[[Jean Perron]], 1985-88
*[[Pat Burns]], 1988-92
*[[Jacques Demers]], 1992-95
*[[Mario Tremblay]], 1995-97
*[[Alain Vigneault]], 1997-00
*[[Michel Therrien]], 2000-03
*[[Claude Julien (ice hockey)|Claude Julien]], 2003-06
*[[Bob Gainey]], 2006 <small> (January - May) (interim coach)</small>
*[[Guy Carbonneau]], 2006 - ''present''
</div><br clear="all">

==Honoured Members==
{{details|Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners}}

===Pro Hockey Hall of Famers===
In the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]], the Canadiens boast the most enshrined Hall-of-Famers with forty-two. All of their inductees are from [[Canada]] with the exception of former Defenceman [[Joe Hall]], who was from [[England]]. Thirty-six of these players are from three separate notable dynasties: 12 from 1955-1960, 11 from 1964-1969 and 13 from 1975-1979. [[Howie Morenz]] and [[Georges Vézina]] were the first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while [[Patrick Roy]] and [[Dick Duff]] were the last to be inducted in 2006.

{| class="wikitable"
|align="center" colspan="12"|'''Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famers'''
|-align="center"
!Player
!Nat.
!Position
!Inducted
!Player
!Nat.
!Position
!Inducted
!Player
!Nat.
!Position
!Inducted
|-
| [[Howie Morenz]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1945 ||[[Bill Durnan]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]]|| 1964|| [[Yvan Cournoyer]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]]|| 1982
|-
| [[Georges Vézina|Georges Vezina]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]]|| 1945 ||[[Hector Blake|Hector "Toe" Blake]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 1966 || [[Ken Dryden]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]]|| 1983
|-
| [[Aurel Joliat]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 1947 ||[[Ken Reardon]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1966 || [[Jacques Lemaire]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1984
|-
| [[Newsy Lalonde]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1950 ||[[Emile Bouchard]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1966 || [[Bert Olmstead]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]]|| 1985
|-
| [[Joe Malone]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1950 ||[[Elmer Lach]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1966 ||[[Serge Savard]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1986
|-
| [[Sprague Cleghorn]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1958 ||[[Tom Johnson]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1970 || [[Jacques Laperriere]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1987
|-
| [[Herb Gardiner]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 1958 ||[[Jean Beliveau]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]]|| 1972|| [[Guy Lafleur]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]]|| 1988
|-
| [[Sylvio Mantha]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1960 ||[[Bernard Geoffrion|Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]] || 1972 || [[Bud O'Connor]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]]|| 1988
|-
| [[Maurice Richard|Maurice "Rocket" Richard]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|RW]]|| 1961 ||[[Doug Harvey]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1973 || [[Bob Gainey]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 1992
|-
| [[Joe Hall]]||{{flagicon|United Kingdom}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1961 ||[[Dickie Moore (hockey)|Dickie Moore]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]] || 1974 || [[Guy Lapointe]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1993
|-
| [[George Hainsworth]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]]|| 1961 ||[[Jacques Plante]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]] || 1978 || [[Steve Shutt]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 1993
|-
| [[Jack Laviolette]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1962 ||[[Henri Richard|Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Centre (ice hockey)|C]] || 1979 || [[Larry Robinson]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]]|| 1995
|-
| [[Didier Pitre]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|D]] || 1962 ||[[Gump Worsley|Lorne "Gump" Worsley]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]] || 1980 || [[Patrick Roy]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Goalie|G]]|| 2006
|-
| [[Albert Siebert|Albert "Babe" Siebert]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]] || 1964 ||[[Frank Mahovlich]]||{{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]] || 1981 || [[Dick Duff]] || {{flagicon|Canada}}|| [[Winger (ice hockey)|LW]]|| 2006
|-
|}

=== Retired numbers ===

The Canadiens have retired twelve numbers in their history,<ref name="Retired">{{cite web
| author = Club de hockey Canadien
| title = Montreal Canadiens - History
| publisher = canadiens.nhl.com
| date = 2007
| url = http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=16875
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-09-11 }}
</ref>
the most of any team in the [[National Hockey League]], and the fourth highest total of any North American professional sports franchise. All of the honourees are Canadian born. [[Howie Morenz]] was the first honouree on [[November 2]], [[1937]], while [[Ken Dryden]] was the most recent to have his number retired on [[January 29]], [[2007]]. [[Larry Robinson]] is scheduled to be honored on [[November 19]], [[2007]], while [[Bob Gainey]] is scheduled to be honored on [[February 23]], [[2008]].<ref>{{cite web
| author = CBC Sports
| title = Canadiens honouring Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey
| publisher = CBC.ca
| date = 2007-09-05
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2007/09/05/nhl-canadiens-gainey-robinson.html
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2007-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release
| title = Gainey and Robinson to be honored in 2007-08
| publisher = canadiens.nhl.com
| date = 2007-09-05
| url = http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=336674&page=NewsPage&service=page
| accessdate = 2007-09-11 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|align="center" colspan="6"|'''Montreal Canadiens Retired Numbers'''
|-
!No.
!Player
!Retired
!No.
!Player
!Retired
|-
|1||[[Jacques Plante]]||Oct 7, 1995||10||[[Guy Lafleur]]||Feb 16, 1985
|-
|2||[[Doug Harvey]]||Oct 26, 1985||12||[[Dickie Moore (hockey)|Dickie Moore]]||Nov 12, 2005
|-
|4||[[Jean Beliveau]]||Oct 9, 1971||12||[[Yvan Cournoyer]]||Nov 12, 2005
|-
|5||[[Bernard Geoffrion]]||Mar 11, 2006||16||[[Henri Richard]]||Dec 10, 1975
|-
|7||[[Howie Morenz]]||Nov 2, 1937||18||[[Serge Savard]]||Nov 18, 2006
|-
|9||[[Maurice Richard]]||Oct 6, 1960||29||[[Ken Dryden]]||Jan 29, 2007
|-
|}
''* 99 [[Wayne Gretzky]], number retired league-wide [[2000 NHL All-Star Game|February 6]], [[2000]]''

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==See also==
* [[Montreal Canadiens notable players and award winners]]
* [[Montreal Junior Canadiens]]
* [[Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry]]
* [[List of Montreal Canadiens presidents]]
* [[List of NHL players]]
* [[List of NHL seasons]]
* [[List of Stanley Cup champions]]
* [[List of Montreal Canadiens goalies]]

==External links==
*[http://www.canadiens.com/ Official website of the Montreal Canadiens]
<!-- READ [[WP:EL]] before adding any links -->

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{{Montreal Canadiens}}{{CanadiensCoach}}{{NHL}}{{Montreal Sports}}
{{Montreal Canadiens seasons}}
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[[Category:Ice hockey in Canada]]
[[Category:Montreal Canadiens]]
[[Category:Québec sports teams]]
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[[be-x-old:Манрэаль Канадыенз]]
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[[uk:Монреаль Канадієнс]]
[[zh:蒙特利爾加拿大人隊]]

Revision as of 18:59, 19 November 2007

wikipedia sucks ass, u shuldve nown better to trust this wackass site

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