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Montreal Canadiens, one of the 4 teams that formed the National Hockey League in 1917. The original franchise was granted to J. Ambrose O'Brien in 1909 and the team played its first game 5 January 1910. The team was officially named Le Club athlétique canadien in 1911 and was composed entirely of francophone players until the 1912-13 season. Led by Newsy Lalonde, Jack Laviolette and goalie Georges Vézina, the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup in 1915-16.


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The team early on established its reputation for flair, speed and offensive power; in addition to Joe Malone and Aurèle Joliat, it had in Howie Morenz the most exciting player of the 1920s and 1930s. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup 1923-24, 1929-30 and 1930-31, but not again until 1943-44 and 1945-46, when the explosive Maurice Richard, goalie Bill Durnan, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach joined the team.

The victory in 1952-53 marked the seventh in the Canadiens' history to that point, and in 1955-56 the team began an era of success unmatched in the history of professional hockey. The team won 5 straight Stanley Cups to 1959-60, 4 out of 5 from 1964-65 to 1968-69, again in 1970-71 and 1972-73, and another 4 straight 1975-76 to 1978-79 - an amazing record of 15 Stanley Cups in 24 years. In the same 24-year span, the team finished first in its division 17 times.

Individual stars of the period, including Jacques Plante, Doug Harvey, Jean Béliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Henri Richard, Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Jacques Lemaire, Guy Lapointe, Serge SAVARD and Guy Lafleur, amassed an impressive array of individual awards, including the Vézina trophy (14 times), the James Norris Trophy (9 times), the Art Ross Trophy (8 times) and the Hart Trophy (6 times).

The Canadiens moved into the Montreal Forum in 1924 (rebuilt in 1968 at a cost of $10 million) and are currently owned by Brasserie Molson du Canada Ltée. Their new arena, the Molson Centre, opened in 1996. Throughout their history the Canadiens have been a symbol of pride and excellence for the sporting public of Québec. The Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup in the 1985-86 season, setting a new record for professional sports championships, and their 24th Cup in 1992-93.


Richard, Maurice
"Rocket" Richard on one of his famous drives to the net (courtesy Canada's Sports Hall of Fame).

Richard, Henri
Carrying the Stanley Cup after Montréal's victory over Chicago in 1971. Richard hoisted the cup 11 times, more than any other player (courtesy Canada's Sports Hall of Fame)

Author JAMES MARSH


Links to Other Sites
Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum
Extensive biographical information and data about Canada's greatest hockey stars. From the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum.

Montreal Canadiens
The official website of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.

National Hockey League
The NHL website features the latest league news as well as highlights of past seasons.

Rocket Richard
Historica’s acclaimed one-minute movies about Canadian history.

Hockey Night in Canada
Tune into some great audio clips from the early days of hockey broadcasting on CBC Radio.

Canadian Olympic School Program
The website for the Canadian Olympic School Program. From the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Sam Pollock
A CBC obituary for Sam Pollock, former general manager and vice-president of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.

The Rocket
A synopsis of the book "The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard," by Benoît Melançon. From Greystone Books.

Our Life With The Rocket
A review of the book "Our Life With The Rocket," by Roch Carrier. From the "Montreal Review of Books."

Roch Carrier and The Hockey Sweater
An online exhibit devoted to hockey merchandise advertised in mail-order catalogues. Also features Roch Carrier's story "The Hockey Sweater." From the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation.

CBC Sports
The CBC Sports website. Click on the menu links for the latest sports news and live video streaming of major events.

Andrew Podnieks
The website for Andrew Podnieks, the author of more than 50 books on the sport of hockey. Also see the gallery of Dennis Miles photos of hockey players and the bios of members of the "Women's Hall of Fame."

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