Meet the Canadiens Every sport has teams that are popular worldwide Ice hockey has the Montreal Canadiens They seem to have fans everywhere ywhere But it is the people in the French-speaking parts of Eastern Canada CCaannaaddaa who hold the club unusually close to their hearts Canadiens is the French word for Canadians One in five n five people in Canada speaks French Many live in the province ince of Quebec where French is the official language Montreal al is Quebec’s largest city So for more than 100 years the e Canadiens have been an important part of their country’s national identity This book tells the story of the Canadiens They are the most successful team in the history of professional hockey Their players and coaches have changed the game and moved the sport in new directions When a Montreal player steps onto the ice he is not only a part of the history and tradition of a great sport but of a wonderful culture too LEFT Brendan Gallagher David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty celebrate a goal during the 2012 13 season Like all players on the Canadiens they share a special bond with Montreal fans 5
Glory Days A century ago many believed that Canada’s French-speaking hockey players lacked the skill to compete with English speaking players In 1909 a businessman named Ambrose O’Brien challenged this notion He formed a professional hockey club in Montreal and stocked it with French-Canadians including Newsy Lalonde Didier Pitre Skinner Poulin and Jack Laviolette who also coached the club Les Canadiens were also called Les Habitants a nickname for Canada’s French settlers or Habs for short The Canadiens were members of the National Hockey Association NHA a group of professional hockey teams that played in the eastern part of North America The National Hockey League NHL later formed from a group of NHA clubs in 1917 At the end of each season the NHA champion would meet the 6
champion of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association PCHA for the sport’s greatest trophy the Stanley Cup In the spring of 1916 the Canadiens defeated the Portland Rosebuds to win their first Stanley Cup The team’s greatest star in these early years was goalie Georges Vezina The Canadiens played for the Stanley Cup five times with Vezina in goal and won the championship twice During the 1920s Vezina was joined by Howie Morenz and Aurel Joliat Morenz was the NHL’s most exciting player He netted the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Finals twice After Vezina retired George Hainsworth took over in goal and helped the Canadiens win the championship in 1930 and 1931 But the club struggled in the years that followed The Canadiens were in danger of going out of business until they hired coach Dick Irvin in 1940 Over the next 15 years Montreal reached the Stanley Cup Finals eight times and won three championships LEFT This team photo shows the Canadiens in 1912 ABOVE Georges Vezina started a tradition of great goaltending for the Canadiens 7
