Montreal Canadiens Team History

The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O’Brien on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of the National Hockey Association, the forerunner to the National Hockey League. It was to be the team of the francophone community in Montreal, composed of francophone players, and under francophone ownership as soon as possible.

Stanley Cup – 1931
The 1931 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Black Hawks, making their first Stanley Cup final appearance. The Canadiens, defending champions won the series to become the second NHL team to repeat as champion.

Stanley Cup – 1930
The 1930 Stanley Cup Final championship series was played between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. In a best of three series, Montreal won 4–3 and 3–0 to win the team’s third Stanley Cup championship.

Stanley Cup – 1924
The 1924 Stanley Cup Final saw the National Hockey League (NHL) champion Montreal Canadiens defeat the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) champion Calgary Tigers two games to none in the best-of-three game series. It was Montreal’s fourth appearance in the Final and second championship.

Stanley Cup – 1916
The 1916 Stanley Cup Final was played between the National Hockey Association (NHA) champion Montreal Canadiens and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champion Portland Rosebuds. This was the first time that a best-of-five Cup championship went the distance. Also, the Rosebuds were the first team based in the United States to play for the Cup. The Canadiens defeated the Rosebuds three games to two in the best-of-five game series. This would be the first of 24 Stanley Cup championships for the Canadiens.

Stanley Cup – 1946
The 1946 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens would win the series four games to one.

Stanley Cup – 1944
The 1944 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens would win the series 4–0 to win their first Stanley Cup since 1931.

Stanley Cup – 1959
The 1959 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the defending champion Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal was making its ninth consecutive appearance in the Final series. It was Toronto’s first appearance since 1951. The Canadiens would win the series four games to one to win their fourth-straight Cup victory.

Stanley Cup – 1958
The 1958 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the defending champion Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins in a rematch of the 1957 Final. The Canadiens would win the series 4–2, for their third straight Cup victory, and tenth in the team’s history.

Stanley Cup – 1957
The 1957 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the defending champion Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens were making their seventh consecutive Final appearance, while Boston was making their first appearance since the 1953 Final, also against Montreal. The Canadiens would win the series 4–1, for their second-straight Cup victory.

Stanley Cup – 1956
The 1956 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Montreal Canadiens and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings in the fifth Detroit-Montreal series in the 1950s. The Canadiens were making the sixth consecutive appearance in the Final series; Detroit was making their third consecutive appearance. The Canadiens would win the series 4–1.

Stanley Cup – 1953
The 1953 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. Boston was making its first appearance in the Final since the 1946 Final. The Canadiens, who were appearing in their third-straight Final series, would win the series four games to one.

Stanley Cup – 1969
The 1969 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series played from April 27 to May 4, 1969, between the defending champions Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues, the same finalists as in 1968. The Canadiens would win the series in four-straight games.

Stanley Cup – 1968
The 1968 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens would sweep the series in four-straight games, in the first Stanley Cup series after the NHL expansion to 12 teams. Each game was decided by 1 goal.

Stanley Cup – 1966
The 1966 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to two to win the Stanley Cup for the seventh time in eleven years.

Stanley Cup – 1965
The 1965 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won the best-of-seven series four games to three to win the Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup – 1960
The 1960 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, appearing in their tenth consecutive Final series and the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was a rematch of the 1959 Final. The Canadiens won the series four games to none for their fifth straight Cup victory.

Stanley Cup – 1979
The 1979 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the New York Rangers and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their fourth straight appearance. It was New York’s first appearance since 1972. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. This was the last Stanley Cup Final until 2013 where both teams were from the Original Six.

Stanley Cup – 1978
The 1978 Stanley Cup Final championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their third-straight appearance. The series was a rematch of the 1977 final. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to two, to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup – 1977
The 1977 Stanley Cup Final championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins were making their first appearance in the final series since their loss in the 1974 final. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to none, to win their second straight Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup – 1976
The 1976 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers, making their third-straight final appearance and the Montreal Canadiens. This was the Canadiens first appearance in the final since their Cup win in the 1973 final. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to none.

Stanley Cup – 1973
The 1973 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a rematch of the 1971 championship series. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to two.

Stanley Cup – 1971
The 1971 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens. The Black Hawks made their first appearance in the final series since 1965, the Canadiens had last played and won the series in 1969. The Canadiens would win the series 4–3.

Stanley Cup – 1993
The 1993 Stanley Cup Final series was contested by the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship for the 1992 – 1993 season. It was the first appearance in the Final for the Kings, and the 34th for Montreal, their first since the 1989 Final. The Canadiens won the series four games to one to win the team’s twenty-fourth Stanley Cup. The year 1993 was the 100th anniversary of the first awarding of the Stanley Cup in 1893.

Stanley Cup – 1986
The 1986 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Calgary Flames in their first Final appearance and the Montreal Canadiens in their 32nd. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their twenty-third Stanley Cup, and their seventeenth in their last eighteen Finals appearances dating back to 1956.

Ownership of the Canadiens once again passed to the Molson family in 2009 after Gillett sold the team, Bell Centre, and Gillett Entertainment Group to a partnership headed by Geoff Molson and including his brothers Andrew and Justin. The sale price was estimated at over $600 million. Unlike the pre-Gillett era, the team is now privately owned by the Molson family and not by the Molson brewery, which is now a division of Molson Coors. The reputed sale price reflected a return to profitability, due both to a new collective bargaining agreement after the 2004 – 2005 lockout that fixed player costs to revenues and to a rise in the value of the Canadian dollar back to at or near parity with the U.S. dollar.