Misplaced Pages

#838161

125-598: Until 1993, the NHL's top executive was the league president, and for five months in 1993, the league had both a commissioner and a president. The roles were amalgamated on July 1, 1993. The presidency originated in the National Hockey Association (NHA), which Frank Calder presided over jointly as NHA acting president and NHL president in the period of the NHL's founding and the NHA's suspension. According to

250-468: A salary cap , changes to free agency and arbitration in the hopes of limiting escalating salaries, the union instead proposed a luxury tax system. The negotiations were at times bitter, with Chris Chelios famously issuing a veiled threat against Bettman, suggesting that Bettman should be "worried about [his] family and [his] well-being", because "Some crazed fans, or even a player [...] might take matters into their own hands and figure they get Bettman out of

375-600: A silver service in 1937–38 for his 20 years as president of the NHL and the league extended their appreciation. Dutton was named managing director (acting president) of the NHL after the death of Frank Calder in February 1943, running the league at the direction of a subcommittee of the NHL Board of Governors. He was eventually convinced to assume the presidency in 1945, but in September 1946, amid frustrations with

500-707: A 3-year deal that expired after the 2016–17 season; the games were called by Bartlett and Jason York . Prior to this deal, TSN held the rights from 2010 through 2014; the games were broadcast on a part-time channel with Dave Randorf on play-by-play. This is a list of the last five seasons completed by the Canadiens. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Montreal Canadiens seasons . Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Updated November 25, 2024 The Canadiens have retired 15 numbers in honour of 18 players,

625-515: A commissioner resolve disputes, and agreed to an annual series between the two leagues for the Stanley Cup. The NHA now introduced the 'option clause' into player's contracts, holding that the team now had an exclusive option to re-sign a player after their contract expired. The 1913–14 season, the last before World War I, saw a tie between the Torontos and the Canadiens for first place, and

750-523: A day in his office. At the beginning of the league's expansion era in 1967 , the NHL clubs decided to highlight the achievements of the league president by donating the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in his honour. When the league realigned into two conferences and four divisions in 1974 , it further honoured Campbell by naming one of the two conferences after him, and awarding the Campbell Bowl to

875-507: A finalist for the job, but bowed out to avoid an internecine battle, and threw his support to Bettman. When Stein's term ended on July 1, 1993, the presidency was abolished and its duties were conferred onto the commissioner. On February 1, 1993, Gary Bettman 's tenure as the first commissioner of the National Hockey League began, replacing Gil Stein , who served as the NHL's final president. The owners hired Bettman with

1000-534: A further expansion of the NHL, in that the Tampa Bay Lightning and the new Ottawa Senators began play in the fall of 1992. The league hired an executive search firm to help select someone for their newly created office of commissioner, at the same time that Stein's appointment as president was announced. Before the end of 1992, NHL governors selected Gary Bettman to become the league's first commissioner, starting on February 1, 1993. Stein had been

1125-546: A lawsuit against the Battalion to attempt to make the Canadian Army pay $ 3000 for leaving the league and this had yet to be heard in court. The NHL could operate in the meantime, without Livingstone. The NHA's officials met nearly a year later, on September 20, 1918, when a vote was taken to permanently suspend operations over Livingstone's objections. That fall, Livingstone, along with Percy Quinn, attempted to launch

1250-642: A league champion being awarded the Cup to defend ceased with that season, as the Portland Rosebuds were the PCHA champions in 1915–1916 but were not automatically accorded the Cup. Instead, they played the Montreal Canadiens for the trophy (and became the first American team to do so), which the Canadiens won in a five-game series. The start of World War I meant that players started enlisting for

1375-483: A letter to the NHL board of governors to remove him. The board rejected the motion. Commencing with the 1932–33 season, Calder named the top rookie in the NHL. Starting in 1936–37 , he got the NHL's board of governors to let him buy a trophy to give to the league's top rookie and he did this until 1941–42 . After his death, the trophy was made permanent as the Calder Memorial Trophy . Calder received

SECTION 10

#1732775972839

1500-417: A majority position. The 1910–1911 season saw the start of labour unrest in the league, as the league imposed its $ 5,000 salary cap. The season almost foundered because of widespread dissatisfaction amongst the players at the salaries on offer, and players' unions were rumoured to be on the verge of creation at several points. The players at first intended to form their own league, but the arenas were under

1625-635: A new city. Led by club president Pierre Boivin , the Canadiens returned to being a lucrative enterprise, earning additional revenues from broadcasting and arena events. In 2009, Gillett sold the franchise to a consortium led by the Molson family which included The Woodbridge Company , BCE/Bell , the Fonds de solidarité FTQ , Michael Andlauer , Luc Bertrand and the National Bank Financial Group for $ 575 million, more than double

1750-511: A policy of suspending players from practices on non-game days, instead of having them miss games. He advocated the use of NHL players at the 1994 Winter Olympics , but ran into opposition on the issue from team owners, however, his successor, Gary Bettman was able to get NHL players to compete in the Winter Olympics beginning in 1998, and the league would take a break during years when the Winter Olympics were held until 2018. Stein oversaw

1875-571: A price of C$ 5.2 billion. Hockey Night in Canada would continue on the CBC for the next four seasons, but under a sub-licensing deal the public broadcaster would give Rogers free airtime to air the broadcasts. CBC would be allotted time during the broadcasts to promote its other programming. These moves left Bell Media and its TSN networks shut out of NHL broadcasts except for its regional properties. Commissioners of major professional sports leagues in

2000-458: A record for most NHL victories by a coach, was the team's head coach for its last five Stanley Cup victories in the 1970s. The Canadiens won Stanley Cups in 1986 , led by rookie star goaltender Patrick Roy , and in 1993 , continuing their streak of winning at least one championship in every decade from the 1910s to the 1990s (this streak came to an end in the 2000s). In 1996, the Habs moved from

2125-598: A record-low value of the Canadian dollar , Montreal fans feared their team would end up relocated to the United States. Team owner Molson Brewery sold control of the franchise and the Molson Centre to American businessman George N. Gillett Jr. in 2001, with the right of first refusal for any future sale by Gillett and a condition that the NHL Board of Governors must unanimously approve any attempt to move to

2250-540: A result, games on RDS are blacked out outside the Canadiens' home market of Quebec, Atlantic Canada and parts of Eastern Ontario shared with the Ottawa Senators . At least 22 Canadiens games per season (primarily through its Saturday night La super soirée LNH ), including all playoff games, are televised nationally by TVA Sports. TSN2 assumed the English-language regional television rights in

2375-409: A rival "Canadian Hockey Association" (CHA) unsuccessfully. Blocked, Livingstone and Quinn called a final meeting of the NHA owners on December 11, 1918. The NHL owners, against the wishes of Frank Calder, attended the meeting. Calder considered that an NHA meeting could not proceed with shareholders not having paid legal fees owed the league books held in court for lawsuits. Livingstone's plan was to use

2500-591: A team for the NHL's first season. Wanting to balance the schedule, and feeling it unthinkable not to have a team from Canada's second-largest city, the NHL granted a temporary franchise to the Toronto Arena Company, which leased the Blueshirts' players from Livingstone pending resolution of the dispute. This temporary franchise would evolve into today's Toronto Maple Leafs . The NHA's organization did not dissolve immediately. The owners had launched

2625-532: Is perhaps best remembered for the FoxTrax puck, which while generally popular according to Fox Sports, generated a great deal of controversy from longtime fans of the game. Canadians were also upset as the league gave preference to Fox ahead of CBC for scheduling of playoff games, as Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette wrote that the schedule was "just another example of how the NHL snubs its nose at

SECTION 20

#1732775972839

2750-418: 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 waistline. The main road sweater is mainly white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves red shoulder yokes. The basic design has been in use since 1914 and took its current form in 1925, generally evolving as materials changed. Because of

2875-462: Is sung in English. One of sport's oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917–18 season, when the club changed its name to "Club de hockey Canadien" from "Club athlétique Canadien", before evolving to its current form in 1952–53. The "H" stands for "hockey", not " Habitants ," a popular misconception. According to NHL.com,

3000-529: The 1914–1915 season, the Stanley Cup was awarded exclusively to the winner of a playoff between the NHA and the PCHA regular season winners. The league championship was decided by a two-game total goal playoff between the Wanderers and the Senators. Ottawa won the championship, and the right to defend the Cup against Vancouver in a three-game series in which Vancouver won in dominating fashion. The notion of

3125-680: The 1976–77 season , the Canadiens set three still-standing team records – fewest losses (8) in an 80-game season, the longest home unbeaten streak (34), and best goal differential (+216) – and one record that lasted until the 2022–23 Boston Bruins beat it, for the most points (132) in an 80-game season. The next season, 1977–78, the team had a 28-game unbeaten streak, the second-longest in NHL history . The next generation of stars included Guy Lafleur , Yvan Cournoyer , Ken Dryden , Pete Mahovlich , Jacques Lemaire , Pierre Larouche , Steve Shutt , Bob Gainey , Serge Savard , Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson . Scotty Bowman , who would later set

3250-557: The 2020–21 season , the league moved the Canadiens along with the other six teams from Canada to the North Division . Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Canadiens only played against teams in the division in the regular season to avoid travel restrictions between the United States and Canada . All teams in the division played without fans to begin the season. The Canadiens advanced through the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs , beating

3375-543: The Boston Black Panthers , the first all-black hockey team, he was reported to have remarked, "Pro hockey has no ruling against the coloured man, nor is it likely to ever draw the line", a reference to the segregation in baseball. Only one attempt to remove Calder as president of the NHL was made. This was in 1932–33 when the owner of the Chicago Black Hawks , Frederic McLaughlin , circulated

3500-618: The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. The first two recipients of the award were Danny Gallivan and Rene Lecavalier in 1984. The other three award recipients are Doug Smith (1985), Dick Irvin Jr. (1988), and Gilles Tremblay (2002). Players Builders Source: "MTL Records - Montréal Canadiens - History" . records.nhl.com . Retrieved November 22, 2023 . These are

3625-688: The Montreal Canadiens , was admitted on December 4, 1909 to be managed by Jack Laviolette , but owned by O'Brien, on the understanding ownership was to be transferred to francophone sportsmen as soon as practicable. In all, O'Brien and his father, Michael John O'Brien, were financing four teams in the league: the Renfrew Creamery Kings (which became known as the Renfrew Millionaires), Cobalt, Haileybury, and Les Canadiens . The Cobalt and Haileybury clubs were from

3750-661: The Montreal Expos baseball team but was dropped from the franchise when they moved to Washington, D.C. in 2004–05 and became the Washington Nationals . With the switch, Youppi became the first mascot in professional sports to switch leagues. He is also the first mascot in professional sports to get ejected from a game. In June 2020, Youppi became the first mascot from a Canadian-based club to be honoured in The Mascot Hall of Fame. Youppi's induction in

3875-636: The NHLPA , that ended a ten-day strike initiated by Bob Goodenow . As president, Stein greatly expanded the visibility of the president's office during his term, often seen at games and being frequently interviewed on air and in print. Among his early actions after becoming president was a shake-up of league officers, ousting several vice-presidents, including Brian O'Neill , who had been the league's disciplinarian under Ziegler. Stein personally took over responsibility for league discipline, making it mandatory that suspended players pay their fines. He also implemented

NHL commissioner - Misplaced Pages Continue

4000-743: The National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . Since 1996, the team has played its home games at Bell Centre , originally known as Molson Centre. The Canadiens previously played at the Montreal Forum , which housed the team for seven decades and all but their first two Stanley Cup championships. Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide, and

4125-803: The Quebec Nordiques to Denver (1995), the original Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix (1996), the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina (1997) and the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg (2011), while the Arizona Coyotes suspended operations in 2024 and a new team in Salt Lake City was established. Led by Bettman, the league focused expansion and relocation efforts on the American South , working to expand

4250-695: The Stanley Cup and ostensibly the pre-eminent ice hockey league, was in the midst of a dispute. The Montreal Wanderers team of the ECHA had been bought by P. J. Doran, owner of the Jubilee Rink in Montreal and he intended to move the team's games there. The Jubilee was smaller than the Wanderers' current rink, the Montreal Arena which meant visiting teams would earn less on their trips to play

4375-685: The Timiskaming Professional Hockey League (TPHL) and Renfrew from the Federal Hockey League. Along with the Wanderers, the league had five teams. The O'Briens were determined to win the Stanley Cup and a bidding war for players immediately started. Frank and Lester Patrick were each signed by the Renfrew Millionaires for $ 3,000 apiece, the highest salaries recorded to that time. Renfrew also signed star player Cyclone Taylor of

4500-628: The Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs 4–3, overcoming a 3–1 Maple Leafs lead in the series. The Canadiens then swept the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, advancing to the Stanley Cup semifinals. The Canadiens defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the semifinals, clinching an overtime victory in game 6 of the series, and reaching their first Stanley Cup Finals in 28 years, whilst also being

4625-491: The Toronto Maple Leafs , who first faced the Canadiens as the Toronto Arenas in 1917. The teams met 16 times in the playoffs, including five Stanley Cup Finals . Featuring the two largest cities in Canada and two of the largest fanbases in the league, the rivalry is sometimes dramatized as being emblematic of Canada's English and French linguistic divide. From 1938 to 1970, they were the only two Canadian teams in

4750-453: The " Battle of Quebec ". Montreal Canadiens games are broadcast locally in both the French and English languages. CHMP 98.5 is the Canadiens' French-language radio flagship. As of the 2017–18 season, the team's regional television in both languages, and its English-language radio rights, are held by Bell Media . CKGM , TSN Radio 690 , is the English-language radio flagship; it acquired

4875-424: The " Original Six ", the teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion . The team's championship season in 1992–93 marked the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup . The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other franchise, having earned 24 championships, with 23 victories since the founding of the NHL, and 22 since 1927, when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for

5000-482: The $ 275 million he spent on the purchase eight years prior. During the 2008–09 season , the Canadiens celebrated their 100th anniversary with various events, including hosting both the 2009 NHL All-Star Game , and the 2009 NHL entry draft . The Canadiens became the first team in NHL history to reach 3,000 victories with their 5–2 victory over the Florida Panthers on December 29, 2008. For

5125-459: The $ 5.5 million that the NHL received from American national broadcasts in 1991–92 . The NHL's television fortunes have faded since the ABC deal, however. In 2004, the league could only manage a revenue sharing deal with NBC , with no money paid up front by the network. Also, coming out of the lockout, ESPN declined its $ 60 million option for the NHL's cable rights in 2005–06 . While wishing to retain

NHL commissioner - Misplaced Pages Continue

5250-617: The 1930s decade successfully, with Stanley Cup wins in 1930 and 1931 . The Canadiens and its cross-town rivals the Montreal Maroons , who stopped playing after the 1937–38 NHL season , declined both on the ice and economically during the Great Depression . Losses grew to the point where the team owners considered selling the team to interests in Cleveland , Ohio, though local investors were ultimately found to finance

5375-486: The 1940s. The story was later made into an animated short, The Sweater , narrated by Carrier. A passage from the short story appears on the 2002 issue of the Canadian five-dollar bill . Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut. To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high. The motto is from the poem " In Flanders Fields " by John McCrae , which

5500-419: The 2006 Canadian movie Bon Cop, Bad Cop . Although Bettman was tasked with putting an end to the NHL's labour problems, the league has nonetheless locked out its players three times during Bettman's tenure. The 1994–95 lockout lasted 104 days, causing the season to be shortened from 84 to 48 games. A key issue during the lockout was the desire to aid small market teams. Led by Bettman, the owners insisted on

5625-461: The 2017–18 season, with John Bartlett on play-by-play, and Dave Poulin , Mike Johnson and Craig Button on colour commentary. All other games, including all playoff games, are televised nationally by Sportsnet or CBC . Bartlett returned to Sportsnet over the 2018 off-season, and was succeeded by Bryan Mudryk . English-language regional rights were previously held by Sportsnet East (with CJNT City Montreal as an overflow channel), under

5750-547: The Board of Governors for their cancellation of the suspended Brooklyn Americans franchise that he had sought to revive, he handed over the reins to his assistant, Clarence Campbell , a former NHL referee who had just returned from military service in Europe and had been in the job for less than a month. One of Clarence Campbell 's first acts of authority was in 1948, when he expelled players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger from

5875-707: The Canadiens. The Maroons suspended operations, and several of their players moved to the Canadiens. Led by the " Punch Line " of Maurice "Rocket" Richard , Toe Blake and Elmer Lach in the 1940s, the Canadiens enjoyed success again atop the NHL. From 1953 to 1960 , the franchise won six Stanley Cups, including a record five straight from 1956 to 1960, with a new set of stars coming to prominence: Jean Beliveau , Dickie Moore , Doug Harvey , Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion , Jacques Plante and Richard's younger brother, Henri . The Canadiens added ten more championships in 15 seasons from 1965 to 1979 , with another dynastic run of four-straight Cups from 1976 to 1979. In

6000-486: The English NHL shield logo. The Canadiens used multiple designs prior to adopting the aforementioned design in 1914. The original shirt of the 1909–10 season was blue with a white C. The second season had a red shirt featuring a green maple leaf with the C logo, and green pants. Lastly, the season before adopting the current look the Canadiens wore a " barber pole " design jersey with red, white and blue stripes, and

6125-459: The Mascot Hall of Fame was decided by a long voting process, which included the public vote. In 2022, the Canadiens introduced an "unofficial official mascot" for its Reverse Retro series of games that season. The Canadiens have developed strong rivalries with two fellow Original Six franchises, with whom they frequently shared divisions and competed in postseason play. The oldest is with

6250-484: The Montreal Forum, their home during 70 seasons and 22 Stanley Cups, to Molson Centre (now called Bell Centre ). Following Roy's departure in 1995, the Canadiens fell into an extended stretch of mediocrity, missing the playoffs in four of their next ten seasons and failing to advance past the second round of the playoffs until 2010. By the late 1990s, with both an ailing team and monetary losses exacerbated by

6375-604: The Montreal teams and Ottawa . Prior to the 1915–16 season, Toronto Shamrocks team owner Eddie Livingstone made two moves that infuriated the NHA and the PCHA. At that time Quebec was to be one of the designated NHA teams which the PCHA would draft players from. Livingstone arranged a trade with Quebec to hide some players from the draft, infuriating the PCHA. He bought the Toronto Blueshirts without league permission for its players, and ended up with no players for

SECTION 50

#1732775972839

6500-444: The NHA constitution did not allow them to simply expel him from the league. Instead, on November 22, 1917, the other four owners voted to suspend the NHA's operations. Two weeks later, the four clubs founded the National Hockey League so that they could continue the business of pro hockey without Livingstone. Every owner except Livingstone was granted a franchise in the NHL and the NHA contracts transferred. The NHL also continued to use

6625-455: The NHA control and surrendered for that season. The clubs' bottom lines improved, Ottawa estimated to make six to eight thousand in profits, while the Canadiens made three to four thousand; the Wanderers two to three thousand; and Quebec at nine hundred. Only Renfrew lost money. The new constitution also affected the format of play. For the first time, the hour of play would be divided into three 20-minute periods, with five minutes of rest between

6750-468: The NHA so as to proceed, according to Calder's terms, but Livingstone and Quinn refused. The NHL owners then left the meeting. Separately, the Montreal and Ottawa NHA owners met and paid the fees owing to the league and Calder fined the Torontos, Ontarios and Quebec a further $ 200. Calder now publicly promised to file a court order to "wind up" the NHA organization. When the NHL decided to continue with play, Livingstone and Quinn threatened injunctions to stop

6875-478: The NHA was the O'Brien Cup , made of solid silver, donated by the O'Brien family. It survived as the championship trophy of the NHL until the Western Hockey League, the successor to the PCHA, folded after the 1925–26 hockey season. This left the NHL as the only professional league that competed for the Stanley Cup. Thus starting in the 1926–27 season, the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of

7000-413: The NHA. In November 1910, the league principals of Mike Quinn, Dickie Boon and Eddie McCafferty developed a new constitution differing from the ECHA constitution to put it on a more business-like basis. The league developed a standard player contract, a salary limit of CA$ 5,000 (equivalent to $ 136,412 in 2023) per team, the requirement to "waive" players past other clubs before they were released from

7125-520: The NHA. Founded in 1909 by Ambrose O'Brien , the NHA introduced 'six-man hockey' by removing the 'rover' position in 1911. During its lifetime, the league coped with competition for players with the rival Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), the enlistment of players for World War I and disagreements between owners. The disagreements between owners came to a head in 1917, when the NHA suspended operations in order to get rid of an unwanted owner, Eddie Livingstone . The remaining NHA team owners started

7250-673: The NHL Constitution, Article VI, section 6.1: " 6.1 Office of Commissioner, Election and Term of Office The League shall employ a Commissioner selected by the Board of Governors . The Commissioner shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the League and is charged with protecting the integrity of the game of professional hockey and preserving public confidence in the League. The Board of Governors shall determine

7375-454: The NHL by the end of the 1980s. The first league-wide labor dispute occurred under Ziegler toward the end of the 1991–92 season . Ziegler was forced out of office by the owners as a result of the settlement that resolved the ten-day strike. On June 22, 1992, Gil Stein was announced as the new president of the league and formally took the position, succeeding Ziegler. Ziegler had been forced out by owners dissatisfied with his agreement with

7500-506: The NHL for betting on games. As NHL president, Campbell is perhaps best remembered for suspending Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice Richard for the remaining three games of the 1955 regular season and for the entirety of the playoffs. His action came as a result of Richard's punching of linesman Cliff Thompson during a March 13 game with the Boston Bruins (Thompson was holding Richard, allowing Boston's Hal Laycoe to punch

7625-412: The NHL from operating. However, the threats were not followed through on and the NHL season began on schedule. The NHA organization itself was not formally dissolved for several years afterwards and Frank Calder held the presidency in both organizations. The NHA was innovative for its time. The league put forth several innovations, among them the division of each game into three periods, the abolition of

SECTION 60

#1732775972839

7750-493: The NHL in parallel as a temporary measure, to continue play while negotiations went on with Livingstone and other lawsuits were pending. A year later, after no progress was reached with Livingstone, the other NHA owners decided to permanently suspend the NHA. The NHA's rules, constitution and trophies were reused in the NHL. In November 1909, the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA), holder of

7875-504: The NHL, it stated the cost was overvalued. However, Bettman was able to negotiate a deal with Comcast to air the NHL on the Outdoor Life Network , which changed its name to Versus to reflect their increasing live sports coverage, and was once again renamed to NBC Sports Network as a result of Comcast acquiring a majority of NBCUniversal . The three-year deal was worth $ 207.5 million. Bettman has been heavily criticized for

8000-466: The NHL. The O'Brien Cup was then awarded annually as an NHL trophy until being retired in 1950. Three current NHL teams, the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Senators have roots in the NHA. While the Canadiens acknowledge their NHA history and records, the Maple Leafs do not claim the Blueshirts' history as their own, which would include an additional Stanley Cup championship. The original Ottawa Senators,

8125-559: The National Hockey Association (NHA). With Cobalt and Haileybury, two other teams controlled by O' Brien, the NHA was founded on December 2, 1909 at a private meeting at 300 St. James St. in Montreal, and adopted the constitution of the ECHA. At the same time, to build a rivalry and capture francophone interest in Montreal, O'Brien and Gardner conceived of creating a team consisting of francophone players, to be managed by francophones. 'Les Canadiens', known today as

8250-781: The PCHA had raided Quebec for three players of its championship squad, they were replaced by top players from the Ontario and Maritime leagues, and Quebec repeated as champions. This year, the Quebec team travelled west to play the PCHA champion Victoria Aristocrats , in the first series between the two leagues' champion teams. In the 1913 off-season, the NHA and the PCHA signed an agreement to end their bidding war for players. The agreement stipulated territorial rights, splitting Canada east and west of Port Arthur, Ontario . The four-year agreement meant each league would respect each other's reserve clauses, conduct an intraleague draft for players, have

8375-412: The Rocket). On March 17, Campbell attended a game at the Montreal Forum between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings . Throughout the first period he was taunted and pelted with debris by outraged Montreal fans, who saw him as a prime example of the city's English-Canadian elite oppressing the French-Canadian majority. After a tear gas bomb was released in the arena, Campbell exited the building,

8500-462: The Shamrocks team as the PCHA in retaliation raided the Blueshirts for players. The league ordered Livingstone to sell his Shamrocks franchise, but he was unable to do so as he had only enough players for one team. The 1915–16 season was played with only five teams, a situation whereby one team each week would not play, a situation limiting team owner revenues and infuriating the other owners. Instead of two games in Toronto to cover travel expenses from

8625-429: The Stanley Cup trustees as champions of the Federal League , but had been rejected. At the November 25 CHA founding meeting, held at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, O'Brien applied to join the CHA but the application was rejected. Sitting in the lobby of the hotel after the CHA meeting, O'Brien met Jimmy Gardner of the Wanderers, whose team had also been rejected by the CHA. Together, they decided to form their own league,

8750-407: The Stanley Cup. The Canadiens also had the most championships by a team of any of the four major North American sports leagues until the New York Yankees won their 25th World Series title in 1999 . The Canadiens were founded by J. Ambrose O'Brien on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the forerunner to the National Hockey League . It was to be

8875-470: The Toronto teams, who were waiting for the Arena Gardens' completion, in the end the league played with only four teams. In that same off-season, the Patrick brothers built two arenas in Vancouver and Victoria and formed the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). The PCHA exploited the low pay of the NHA teams to raid the teams for players. Quebec won the league championship, winning its first Stanley Cup, defending it successfully against Moncton. Despite

9000-461: The United States and Canada : National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association ( NHA ), initially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited , was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec , Canada. It is the direct predecessor of today's National Hockey League (NHL), and much of the business processes of the NHL today are based on

9125-511: The Wanderers. On November 25, 1909, the other teams in the league disbanded the ECHA and formed the new Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), which excluded the Wanderers. At the same time, Ambrose O'Brien of Renfrew, Ontario – scion of a prosperous silver mine owner and founder of the Renfrew Creamery Kings ice hockey team –was seeking admission to the ECHA so as to be able to contest the Stanley Cup. The team had applied to

9250-622: The champion Ottawa Senators team, reputedly at $ 5,000 per season. Attendance at the CHA games was poor and a meeting of the NHA was held on January 15, 1910 to discuss a possible merger of the two leagues. Instead, the NHA admitted Ottawa and the Montreal Shamrocks to the NHA and the CHA folded. The owners of the Montreal Le National were offered the ownership of the Canadiens but turned it down. The Quebec Bulldogs and

9375-782: The conference's regular-season (later playoff) champion. Although the Clarence Campbell Conference was renamed the Western Conference in 1993 , the Campbell Bowl continues to be awarded to the conference's playoff champion. In 1977, John Ziegler became the fourth president of the NHL, succeeding Campbell. It was under Ziegler's watch that the WHA disbanded in 1979, and the NHL absorbed four of its teams (the Edmonton Oilers , Quebec Nordiques , Hartford Whalers , and original Winnipeg Jets ), and near

9500-410: The country that invented hockey and its fans." The controversy repeated itself in 2007, as the CBC was once again given second billing to Versus ' coverage of the playoffs. Despite falling ratings, Bettman negotiated a five-year, $ 600 million deal with ABC and ESPN in 1998. It was the largest television contract the NHL ever signed. The $ 120 million per year that ABC and ESPN paid for rights dwarfed

9625-687: The end of his tenure in 1991, the San Jose Sharks began play, returning the NHL to the Bay Area for the first time since 1975. Also under Ziegler's watch, NHL headquarters were moved from Montreal to New York City. In 1987, Rendez-vous '87 , a series between the Soviet national team and a team of stars from the NHL, was held in Quebec City . The two teams split the two-game series, and propelled an influx of Soviet players being drafted into

9750-412: The entire season with the words "It is my sad duty to announce that because a solution has not yet been attained, it is no longer practical to conduct even an abbreviated season. Accordingly, I have no choice but to announce the formal cancellation of play for 2004–2005." The NHL became the first North American league to cancel an entire season because of a labour stoppage. As in 1994, the owners' position

9875-498: The fact that the Canadiens had a minority shareholder, contrary to NHA voting rules, to disallow the Canadiens vote and cause the vote to swing their way and lead to the resumption of the NHA. At first, Lichtenhein refused to recognize Quinn's purchase of the Quebec NHL franchise, but agreed to if Quinn would pay the costs of the meeting itself, which he refused. The meeting ended when the NHL owners offered to pay legal fees owed to

10000-531: The first Canadian team to reach the Finals since the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 . Montreal lost the Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning , 4–1. In 2021–22 , the Canadiens were unable to replicate their success from the prior season, ultimately finishing last in the league for the first time since the 1939–40 season and the first time in the NHL's expansion era, in what was one of the worst seasons in

10125-426: The first Canadiens given the honour in 1945, while Pierre Turgeon was the most recently inducted, in 2023. Along with players, a number of inductees from the builders category are affiliated with the club. The first inductee was vice president William Northey in 1945. The most recent inductee was Pat Burns in 2014. In addition to players and builders, five broadcasters for the Montreal Canadiens have been awarded

10250-583: The first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard , owner of the Madison Square Garden , in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants". In French, the "Habitants" nickname dates back to at least 1914, when it was printed in Le Devoir to report a 9–3 win over Toronto on the ninth of February. The team's colours since 1911 are blue, white and red. The home sweater

10375-408: The franchise. The Canadiens finished fifth-last in the subsequent 2022–23 season . The Canadiens organization operates in both English and French. For many years, public address announcements and press releases have been given in both languages, and the team website and social media outlets are in both languages as well. At home games, the first stanza of O Canada is sung in French, and the chorus

10500-675: The game was forfeited to the Red Wings, and the Forum was evacuated. What ensued was a full-fledged riot in which 60 people were arrested and $ 500,000 in damage was done. Campbell was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. He was instrumental in the 1967 expansion , which doubled the league in size. He kept the league alive when the World Hockey Association raided its talent in the 1970s, and often worked 18 hours

10625-616: The influence of McCafferty, who was the secretary of the Montreal Royals baseball team. The new constitution even dropped 'of Canada' from the name of the corporation "to permit of taking into affiliation hockey bodies that may be formed in the United States as well as in Canada, with a view to making it eventually the central organization in the game." The new constitution was published in the Montreal Gazette in November 1910. The 1910 off-season led to changes in membership in

10750-414: The league's first play-off was held. Toronto won the two-game series to win the championship and the first Stanley Cup win by any Toronto team. After the play-off, PCHA champion Victoria came east to play Toronto in a best-of-five series. The series was 'unofficial' as it was not approved by the Stanley Cup trustees, but any controversy was moot as Toronto won the series in three-straight games. Starting in

10875-563: The league's footprint across the country. As a result, there has been significant growth in the sport of hockey at the grassroots level with children in the U.S. South playing the game in increasing numbers. The move towards southern markets has been heavily criticized as well, however, with fans in Canada and the Northern United States lamenting the move away from "traditional hockey markets." Bettman has also been accused of having an "anti-Canadian" agenda, with critics citing

11000-452: The league, Frank Calder , chaired NHA meetings and served as the acting president of the NHA. Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal ), officially le Club de hockey Canadien ( lit. The Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs , are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal . The Canadiens compete in

11125-409: The league, and a 'reserve clause' whereby teams could name ten players in a "draft" that could not join other clubs. The meetings of the association were private and only the president of the league could communicate about the meetings to the press. These rules would later be followed in the successor National Hockey League. These new principles were based on the rules of American baseball, likely due to

11250-431: The league, as Cobalt, Haileybury and Shamrocks dropped out. Les Canadiens would be taken over by George Kennedy and Quebec would join the league for the 1910–11 season. Lalonde was returned to the Canadiens. The two dormant O'Brien franchises were to be held for two Toronto teams to join the league in the future, to play in the new Arena Gardens planned for Toronto. The Wanderers incorporated, with Sam Lichtenhein taking

11375-428: The league. The team's other Original Six rival are the Boston Bruins , who since their NHL debut in 1924 have played the Canadiens more than any other team in both regular season play and the playoffs combined. The teams have played 34 playoff series, seven of which were in the finals. The Canadiens also had an intraprovincial rivalry with the Quebec Nordiques during their existence from 1979 to 1995, nicknamed

11500-451: The logo being a white maple leaf reading "CAC", "Club athlétique Canadien". All three designs were worn during the 2009–10 season as part of the Canadiens centenary. In the 2020–21 season, the Canadiens unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform in collaboration with Adidas . The uniform was essentially the same as their regular red uniform, but with blue as the primary colour and red as the stripe colour. A second "Reverse Retro" uniform

11625-446: The mandate of selling the game in the U.S. markets, ending labour unrest, completing expansion plans, and modernizing the views of the "old-guard" within the ownership ranks. When Bettman started as commissioner, the league had already expanded by three teams to 24 since 1991, and two more were set to be announced by the expansion committee: the Florida Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , who would begin play in 1993–94 . Similar to

11750-408: The military to fight overseas. By 1915, World War I and PCHA raiding left the NHA without enough quality players. At first, the NHA and PCHA made peace with an agreement limiting PCHA signings of NHA players to those on teams designated by a 'draft'. However the peace did not last and disputes within the NHA and with the PCHA led to the end of the NHA. Two factions developed, Toronto and Quebec City, and

11875-583: The most of any team in the NHL. All honourees were born in Canada and were members of at least two Stanley Cup winning Canadiens teams. Howie Morenz was the first honouree, on November 2, 1937. The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky 's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game . The Montreal Canadiens have an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame . Thirty-seven of these players are from three separate notable dynasties: 12 from 1955 to 1960, 11 from 1964 to 1969, and 13 from 1975 to 1979. Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina were

12000-564: The move to OLN/Versus/NBC Sports, as detractors have argued that the league has lost a great deal of exposure since moving to the much smaller network, which is often relegated to higher or specialty tiers on cable systems. In 2011, the NHL and NBC announced a 10-year, $ 2 billion contract. On November 26, 2013, Bettman and NHL announced that it had sold twelve seasons' worth of exclusive Canadian national broadcast rights to Rogers Media , who would broadcast games across its numerous platforms, including Sportsnet , Sportsnet One , and City , from at

12125-579: The oldest of the three, continued in the NHL after the NHA's disbandment, but ceased operations in 1935. Ottawa returned to the league in 1992 having been granted a new franchise to operate as the current Ottawa Senators . The current club honors the Ottawa club history dating back to the 1880s, with banners at the Canadian Tire Centre . † Stanley Cup Champions. In 1910, both the Wanderers and Senators are considered champions. *228th Battalion

12250-551: The only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL . One of the oldest North American professional sports franchises, the Canadiens' history predates that of every other Canadian franchise outside the Canadian Football League 's Toronto Argonauts , as well as every American franchise outside baseball and the National Football League 's Arizona Cardinals . The franchise is one of

12375-622: The other cities, there was only one per trip. In 1916, the league stripped Livingstone of the Shamrocks franchise and fielded a second team in Toronto for the 1916–17 season . The team was composed of hockey players who had enlisted for wartime duty. The team, known as the 228th Battalion or Northern Fusiliers—formed in North Bay, Ontario —played wearing khaki military uniforms and was the league's most popular and highest scoring club until

12500-471: The other clubs and continued with four teams. Livingstone threatened to sue the league over the suspension, infuriating the other owners. The league next made a demand that Livingstone sell the Toronto franchise between April and June 1917. Instead of selling, Livingstone followed through with his threat to sue the NHA. By this time, the owners of the Canadiens, Wanderers, Senators and Bulldogs wanted nothing more to do with Livingstone. However, they discovered

12625-430: The other teams of the CHA were not even considered for membership. Games played prior to January 15 were thrown out, and the season began again, now with seven teams. Despite the efforts of O'Brien, who added Newsy Lalonde from the Canadiens to Renfrew, the first championship went to the Wanderers, taking over the Stanley Cup and successfully defending it against Edmonton. It would be the Wanderers' only championship in

12750-461: The periods. Ottawa won the championship and held the Stanley Cup against Galt and Port Arthur. In the 1911 off-season, O'Brien exited the hockey business and Renfrew exited the league. The Ottawa Hockey Club became the second club to incorporate. The NHA itself incorporated, forming a Canadian federal corporation capitalized at CA$ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 1,424,607 in 2023) divided into five hundred shares of $ 100 each. The purpose of incorporation

12875-484: The players agreed to accept a salary cap. Bettman quickly accomplished one of his stated goals, signing a five-year, $ 155 million deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company to broadcast NHL games nationally beginning in the 1994–95 season . The deal was significant, as a network television contract in the United States was long thought unattainable during the presidency of John Ziegler . The Fox deal

13000-567: The previous expansion cycles, the focus was on placing teams in the southern United States. The Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000), Columbus Blue Jackets (2000), Vegas Golden Knights (2017) and the Seattle Kraken (2021) have been added during Bettman's tenure. In addition, five franchises have relocated during Bettman's tenure – the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas (1993),

13125-435: The principal public spokesman for the league. The commissioner also has authority over dispute resolution, league committees, interpretation of league rules, appointment of league staff, NHL financial matters, contracting authority, scheduling, officials and disciplinary powers. The commissioner also determines the date and places of board of governors meetings. Calder wielded his power as president with such authority that he

13250-541: The raids by the PCHA, the NHA allowed a player-organized team of all-stars to play an exhibition series out west against the PCHA after the season. Some of the NHA players, notably Cyclone Taylor, would be enticed to join the PCHA in the following season. In 1912–13, the two new Toronto teams joined the league, the Torontos , later dubbed the 'Blueshirts', and the Tecumsehs and the league expanded to six teams. Although

13375-417: The regiment was ordered overseas in February 1917 and the team was forced to withdraw. A scandal ensued when several stars were subsequently discharged and alleged they had been promised commissions solely to play hockey for the military team. The Battalion dropping out left the league at five teams again. Instead of continuing with five teams, the league suspended the Blueshirts also and dispersed its players to

13500-601: The relocation of the franchises in Quebec City and Winnipeg and his apparent refusal to help stop it, along with the aborted sale of the Nashville Predators in 2007 to interests that would have moved the team to Hamilton, Ontario . Jim Balsillie accused Bettman of forcing the Predators to end negotiations with him to purchase the team. Bettman was satirized in this vein as the character "Harry Buttman" in

13625-416: The rights under a seven-year deal which began in the 2011–12 season. In June 2017, Bell Media reached a five-year extension. Regional television rights in French are held by Réseau des sports (RDS) under a 12-year deal that began in the 2014–15 NHL season . A sister to the English-language network TSN , RDS was the only French-language sports channel in Canada until the 2011 launch of TVA Sports , and

13750-439: The rover position, the institution of match penalties, and allowing line changes on the fly. On the business side, the NHA introduced the standard contract, reserve clauses, waiver draft and the first salary cap. While the originator of jersey numbers in ice hockey is disputed, the NHA is commonly cited as the first to use them, requiring players wear numbered armbands beginning with the 1911–12 season. The championship trophy of

13875-531: The same rules and season format as the NHA, with the NHL champion now moving on to face the PCHA champion in the Stanley Cup Finals. Wanderers owner Sam Lichtenhein was quoted as saying, "We didn't throw Livingstone out; he's still got his franchise in the old National Hockey Association. He has his team, and we wish him well. The only problem is he's playing in a one-team league." The Bulldogs, however, announced they didn't have enough financing to ice

14000-401: The team of the francophone community in Montreal, composed of francophone players, and under francophone ownership as soon as possible. The founders named the team "Les Canadiens," a term identified at the time with French speakers. The team's first season was not a success, as they placed last in the league. After the first year, ownership was transferred to George Kennedy of Montreal and

14125-413: The team's history. In the process they set team records for most regulation losses (49), most goals against (319), fewest wins (22), and fewest points (55), while their .335 point percentage was the team's third-worst ever, after only 1925–26 (.319) and 1939–40 (.260). As a result, team owner Geoff Molson authorized a "rebuild" of the roster over an extended period, a first in the modern history of

14250-455: The team's lengthy history and significance in Quebec, the sweater has been referred to as 'La Sainte-Flanelle' (the holy flannel sweater). Since 2015, the Canadiens' home red sweater is the only uniform in the league to feature the French language version of the NHL shield logo (LNH) on the neck collar, in acknowledgment of Montreal's French Canadian heritage. The road white sweater retains

14375-466: The team's record improved over the next seasons. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in the 1915–16 season . In 1917, with four other NHA teams, the Canadiens formed the NHL, and they won their first NHL Stanley Cup during the 1923–24 season , led by Howie Morenz . The team moved from the Mount Royal Arena to the Montreal Forum for the 1926–27 season . The club began

14500-555: The term of office and compensation of the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall be elected a majority of the Governors present and voting at a League meeting at which a quorum was present when it was convened." In Section 6.3, the commissioner's duties are spelled out as having "responsibility for the general supervision and direction of all business and affairs of the league", co-ordinates matters between member clubs and serves as

14625-470: 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 Sources: "Statistics | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens" . Montreal Canadiens. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009 . Retrieved June 27, 2009 . , "Hockey-Reference.com" . June 17, 2010. Archived from

14750-400: The way." By the end of the deal in 2004, the owners were claiming that player salaries had grown far faster than revenues, and that the league as a whole lost over US$ 300 million in 2002–03 . As a result, on September 15, 2004, Bettman announced that the owners again locked the players out prior to the start of the 2004–05 season . Three months later, Bettman announced the cancellation of

14875-519: Was "to encourage, develop and improve the National Canadian winter game of hockey and athletic sports and pastimes." For the 1911–12 season, the league dropped the 'rover' position, changing the game to six-man hockey, although other leagues would hold on to seven-man play into the 1920s. Attempts would be made to reintroduce seven-man hockey in subsequent years but were unsuccessful. While the league delayed its schedule to try to accommodate

15000-483: Was also the previous national French rightsholder of the NHL; as a result, the Canadiens forwent a separate regional contract, and allowed all of its games to be televised nationally in French as part of RDS's overall NHL rights. With TVA Sports becoming the national French rightsholder in the 2014–15 season through a sub-licensing agreement with Sportsnet , RDS subsequently announced a 12-year deal to maintain regional rights to Canadiens games not shown on TVA Sports. As

15125-416: Was from North Bay, Ontario, training at Camp Borden and in Toronto at the time. It dropped out after first half of season. Toronto was suspended by league after first half. Frank Robinson submitted his resignation letter during an NHA's meeting on October 20, 1917. However, his resignation was not considered and he was voted as NHA president for another term. In Robinson's absence, the secretary-treasurer of

15250-416: Was predicated around the need for a salary cap. In an effort to ensure solidarity amongst the owners, the league's governors voted to give Bettman the right to unilaterally veto any union offer as long as he had the backing of just eight owners. The players initially favoured a luxury tax system, and a 5% rollback on player salaries — later increased to 24%. As the threat of another season being canceled loomed,

15375-546: Was rarely opposed. When he ordered the Quebec Bulldogs franchise forfeited to Hamilton , as happened in 1920, no one challenged him. An example of his authority was when the Hamilton Tigers went on strike in 1925. Rather than talk to the players, he suspended and fined them $ 200 each. Calder was adamant about not restricting racial minorities' entry into the NHL. During the 1927–28 season , upon hearing of

15500-418: Was released in the 2022–23 season, again using the same template but with red relegated to the logo only and featuring a light blue base with white/dark blue/white stripes. The Canadiens' colours are a readily identifiable aspect of French Canadian culture. In the short story " The Hockey Sweater ", Roch Carrier described the influence of the Canadiens and their jersey within rural Quebec communities during

15625-407: Was written in 1915, the year before the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup championship. The motto appears on the wall of the Canadiens' dressing room as well as on the inside collar of the new Adidas 2017–18 jerseys. Beginning in the 2004–05 NHL season , the Canadiens adopted Youppi! as their official mascot, the first costumed mascot in their long history. Youppi was the longtime mascot for

#838161