Canadiens History
Myth of the Montreal Canadiens' Early Success
February 6th, 2019 For generations, the Habs have been dogged by accusations that their historic Stanley Cup success was because they had territorial rights to the best players French Canada had to offer. In this great article, originally published May 12, 2010, former THW contributor Mike...
Guy Lafleur: The Last of the Great Habs Skaters
January 10th, 2019 Guy Lafleur's 17-year NHL career spanned from 1971 until 1991. The first 14 years were with the Habs, followed by a three-year retirement. He then skated one season with the New York Rangers and two with the Quebec Nordiques. He's known as one of the greatest right wingers...
1993 Montreal Canadiens: A Love Letter
December 19th, 2018 “And now a 24th Stanley Cup banner will hang from the rafters of the famous Forum in Montreal. The Canadiens win the Stanley Cup!” To a generation of Montreal Canadiens fans those two sentences, spoken by legendary play-by-play man Bob Cole on CBC’s Hockey Night in...
What's in a Nickname? For the Current Canadiens, Not Much
December 13th, 2018 Before a game against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 4, the Montreal Canadiens, a.k.a. Les Habitants, skated out for the warm-up with nicknames on their nameplates. The jerseys were going to be auctioned off to support the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation, but surely...
One for the Ages: Mats Naslund’s 1985-86 NHL Season
December 11th, 2018 Mats Naslund played a style of hockey that was far larger than his 5-foot-7, 160-pound frame. Possessing tremendous speed and an ability to generate offense seemingly on a whim, Naslund was the star forward for the Montreal Canadiens during the decade of the 1980s....
Jean Béliveau, Miracle of Modesty
December 2nd, 2018 Originally written when Mr. Béliveau passed away, four years ago. The hockey world, and all of Canada, mourns the loss of Jean Béliveau, a man of miraculous talent and total modesty, who played the game better than almost anyone ever has, and who carried himself-- on...
Brian Bellows Trade to Montreal
November 8th, 2018 For an entire decade, Brian Bellows was a staple of the Minnesota North Stars and the team's premier sniper. Selected with the second pick of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, he represented the franchise at three different All-Star Games (1984, 1988, 1992) and was even named an...
Price Passes Roy with Statement Shutout
October 28th, 2018 Make no mistake, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price still has a long way to go before he catches Jacques Plante for the most wins on the team’s all-time list. But passing Patrick Roy for No. 2 is a fine start. Price Bounces Back In a lot of ways, the 3-0 win over...
Price and His Fellow Habs Set for Big Milestones
October 23rd, 2018 Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price isn’t the only Hab on the cusp of reaching a big milestone. In fact, while the netminder being one win shy of tying Patrick Roy (289) for No. 2 on the team list has been highly publicized, it’s actually not the only historical...
Kotkaniemi the Latest Kindergarten Canadien
October 14th, 2018 When he donned the bleu-blanc-rouge on opening night of the 2018-19 season, Jesperi Kotkaniemi tied Claude Lemieux as the third-youngest Montreal Canadien in history, at 18 years, 89 days old. The native of Pori, Finland and third overall pick in the 2018 draft also made...
Canadiens GM Showdown: Bergevin vs. Houle
August 18th, 2018 In this last instalment of a four-part series comparing Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to his four immediate predecessors, we take a look at Rejean Houle. Marc Bergevin is not the most popular person in Montreal right now. The Canadiens' general manager...
Memories of the Montreal Forum
August 12th, 2018 On a Tuesday night in Montreal, people flock to a movie theatre on the corner of Ste Catherine and Atwater streets to see films at half the regular price. The deal attracts a lot of teens and young adults, many of whom are too young to remember when the building was the...
The Canadiens Wild Centennial Season
July 19th, 2018 The Montreal Canadiens marked their 100th anniversary as a franchise on December 4, 2009, in what was their 101st season. Celebrations officially began a year earlier, but since no NHL hockey was played in 2004-05, the 2009-10 season was actually their real centennial year....
