If You Fail This Habs Quiz, You Secretly Love The Leafs
- by Chris Roberts
- – on
- in Sports
If you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan - or a fan of any team that shares a rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens - then you probably pay close attention to the team throughout the regular season. Sure, you follow your own team first and foremost, but if your team isn't playing you're watching the Canadiens and rooting for the other team; you're waking up in the morning and checking first-thing to see if the Habs lost; and you're constantly going back and forth with your buddies about how awful the Canadiens played in their last game, even if your team lost as well. It's those rivalries that make being a sports fan so great and frustrating at the same time. When your team is riding a hot streak, you're on cloud nine, but when they're struggling, you can believe you're going to hear about it from fans of rival teams.
The Canadiens and Maple Leafs, for instance, share one of the greatest rivalries in the NHL. While it might not be as intense between both teams as it was once decades ago, the rivalry is still heated between both fan bases. Maple Leafs fans - and others - claim to know just as much about the Canadiens as their own team, but just how much do you know about one of the most storied franchises in NHL history? Canadiens fans themselves might have a hard time with this quiz, and we can guarantee no Maple Leaf fan is scoring 100 percent.
Who is this player?
The return in the P.K. Subban trade with Nashville, this player is - and has been for quite some time - one of the fiercest competitors in the NHL. He's also regarded as one of the league's best defenseman, though his declining skating ability and his massive salary cap hit and term is rather worrisome to fans. In the meantime, the 32 year old has been exactly as advertised for the Canadiens: a first-pairing, physical, shutdown defenseman who can contribute on the power-play.
Who is the team's current captain?
The Montreal Canadiens have had 28 different captains since its inaugural seasons in 1909, when Jack Laviolette wore the "C" on his sweater. Laviolette later served as captain from 1916 to 1922, meaning he was the team's captain as it entered the NHL. Since then, past legends that have worn the "C" include Toe Blake, Doug Harvey, Bob Gainey, and even goaltenders George Hainsworth and Bill Durnan. The team's current captain is an American forward who was given the role prior to the 2015-16 season.
How many Stanley Cups has the team won?
As previously mentioned, no team has won as many Stanley Cups as the Montreal Canadiens and it isn't even close. Other original six teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings would need to go on a Stanley Cup streak unlike any other teams before them to even contend with the success of the Canadiens franchise. While it won a few Stanley Cups in its early years, it was most dominant throughout the 1950s until the late 1970s.
Who is this player?
Diehard Canadien fans still aren't over the fact the team traded this player. A defenseman from Toronto, Ontario, he was selected with the 43rd overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and became an instant fan favorite with his flashy play and incredible puck-moving abilities. He also endeared himself to Les Habitants faithful through his support of the Montreal Children's Hospital, which included a $10 million donation. He continues to support the hospital, despite now playing for the Nashville Predators.
How many times has the team won four consecutive Stanley Cups?
Winning four Stanley Cups in a row is the benchmark for a dynasty, although in the modern 31-team NHL you could probably count Pittsburgh as a dynasty for winning consecutive Stanley Cups, or Chicago for winning three in six years. However, there are three noted dynasty teams prior to the 1990s and those are the Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and New York Islanders. Each franchise accomplished the feat of winning four consecutive Stanley Cups, but one did so on multiple occasions.
Who is this player?
While this goaltender also played for the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, and Colorado Avalanche, he is best known as a Montreal Canadien as that is where he had his most success. A native of Laval, Quebec, he was drafted by the Canadiens with the 44th selection in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, but didn't become the team's full-time starting goaltender until the 2000-01 season. The following year, he won the Vezina and Hart Trophy after winning 30 games and almost single-handily leading the Canadiens to the playoffs with a 2.11 goals against average and .931 save percentage.
Who is this player?
The Canadiens needed help on the blue line at the 2015 NHL trade deadline, so the organization acquired this defenseman from the Edmonton Oilers. His development had stalled with the consistently-under performing Oilers, but he thrived upon coming to Montreal, recording seven points in 19 games following the trade. Last season, the Ann Arbor, Michigan native recorded career highs in goals (8) and assists (20) and plus/minus rating (3). The 29 year old was originally drafted by the Oilers with the 45th overall pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
When did the Canadiens last win the Stanley Cup?
Despite the Canadiens dominance of the NHL throughout the pre-expansion period and even into the 1970s, the team has had relative troubles winning the Stanley Cup since. While Montreal has been a consistent playoff participant for most of the following years, it has struggled to reach the Stanley Cup Finals as often as it once did. However, the team does have one memorable championship season in recent history, despite entering that season's playoffs as underdogs with a rookie goaltender few had heard of.
Who is this player?
A third-round pick of the Canadiens in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, this native of Czech Republic has spent his entire career with the franchise. He made his debut with the team during the 2003-04 season, but didn't become a regular until two seasons later thanks in part to the lockout that wiped away the 2004-05 season. The center recorded a career-best 70 points during the 2009-10 season and, to date, has 585 points through 934 games. If he plays all 82 games this season, he will become only the sixth player to play 1,000 games with the team.
Who is the majority owner and chairman of the Canadiens?
The Montreal Canadiens are owned by a pair of brothers who made a fortune through their family's beer company, which produces and distributes the most popular beer in all of Canada. The brothers purchased the team back in 2009 for a whopping $500 million (the same price Vegas Golden Knights ownership paid the NHL for an expansion fee) and continue to be active with the team through executive roles. One of the brothers, who serves as chairman, is often vocal in local media regarding the team's performance.
What is the name of the Canadiens' current stadium?
Formerly known as the Molson Centre in conjunction with the team's owners, the Canadiens current stadium was constructed in 1996 and the team began playing there in March of the 1995-96 season. Additionally, the stadium hosted three games of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, which was won by the United States. The 21,288-seat stadium has been consistently sold out for Canadiens games since its opening and has also hosted numerous concerts, NBA exhibition games, and UFC events. It was also the home of WWE's Survivor Series 1997, which featured the infamous Montreal Screwjob.
Who is this player?
Canadiens fans have a complicated relationship with this player. A relatively unheralded player throughout his junior and minors career, he became one of the team's most reliable goal scorers in his first three years with the team, scoring a combined 85 goals. However, he had just 14 in his fourth year with the team and was dealt to the rival Boston Bruins. A couple years later, he was part of the Bruins team that eliminated the Canadiens in the playoffs and his absurd glove-hand save bailing out his goaltender became the highlight of the series.
Who is the team's general manager?
Since the founding of the Canadiens in 1909, the team has had 17 general managers, which is actually not that many when you consider the short shelf-life of a general manager in today's NHL. If the team doesn't show marked improvement over the course of a few seasons, the general manager is usually held accountable. However, the Canadiens have had four different general managers serve longer than 12 years. The team's current general manager has been with the team since May of 2012.
Who is the team's head coach?
More often than not, head coaches are more disposable than general managers, which is why the Canadiens have had 24 different head coaches throughout its 100-plus year history and only 17 general managers. A general manager often receives the opportunity to replace a coach once and, if that doesn't work, he's the next one out the door. However, while the Canadiens have had 24 coaches, five of them have coached the team in separate stints, including its current coach, who previously served as the team's bench boss from 2003 to 2006.
Who was the team's captain from 2010 to 2014?
Finnish center Saku Koivu served as the Canadiens' captain from 1999 to 2009 before being dealt to the Anaheim Ducks. His absence left a huge hole in the Canadiens lineup in regard to both skill and leadership. The Canadiens revamped its lineup by bringing in a few high-profile free agents, one of which it named captain before he had even played a game with the team. The diminutive American winger recorded 46 points in his first season as captain and failed to top that mark in subsequent years.
Who is this player?
This one might be another sore spot for Canadiens fans as most wanted this player back for the 2017-18 season, in which he would have become the sixth player in franchise history to play over 1,000 games with the team. Maple Leafs fans should definitely know who he is, given his success against the team in regular season contests. The Russian defenseman was selected by the Canadiens in the sixth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and recorded 572 points in 990 career games. He currently plays for Kazan Ak-Bars of the KHL.
Who is the franchise's all-time points leader?
Being the all-time points leader of a franchise as prestigious as the Montreal Canadiens is one of the great honors in the NHL. It's one thing to be the all-time leader of a relatively new team such as the Nashville Predators, but to sit atop the franchise leaderboard of a team with over 100 years of history is something special. The Canadiens' all-time points leader is only ninth in games played with 961, but was incredibly productive in those games, posting 1,246 points.
Who is the franchise's all-time goals leader?
Even a Toronto Maple Leafs fan would have no trouble recognizing the face of the man who leads the Canadiens in goals. The Montreal native scored 544 goals in only 978 games with the team and was one of the league's premier goal scorers throughout the 1940s and 50s. He scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1944-45 and continued to score at least 20 goals a season for the next 12 seasons, which is even more impressive back then as it would be today, given the low-scoring nature of that era.
Who is the franchise's penalty minutes leader?
Throughout its 100-plus year history, the Canadiens have primarily been regarded as having players with skill and finesse, but that doesn't mean the team hasn't had its share of tough guys. In recent years, Montreal had enforcers like George Parros and Georges Laraque on its roster, but neither of those players came close to matching the fighting ability of this player, who sits atop the franchise's penalty minutes leaderboard with 2,248 penalty minutes. That total ranks ninth all-time in the NHL.
Who is the franchise's all-time goaltending wins leader?
Despite all the firepower the Canadiens have had on offense throughout the years, it's an organization that is often associated with legendary goaltenders, and rightly so. The team's current goaltender is arguably one of the best in the league and it has also had multiple goaltenders with the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. The franchise's all-time wins leader between the pipes won 314 games with the Canadiens and later won over 100 games between the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Edmonton Oilers.
Which goalie holds the franchise single season wins record?
Despite the Canadiens list of legendary goaltenders, it's a modern-era star who holds the franchise's single-season wins record, which isn't much of a surprise given the fact teams played 70 or fewer games prior to the post-expansion era. The most wins recorded by a goaltender in a single season with the Canadiens is 44 and the record is held by a native of British Columbia who joined the team in 2007 after playing with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League.
Which team is Montreal's AHL affiliate?
Every team in the NHL needs a minor league affiliate to develop its young players and provide a place for fringe players to play and prepare themselves in the event of a call-up due to injuries on the NHL squad. The Canadiens have had seven American Hockey League affiliates since 1971 and six of those teams have been either in Quebec or Canada's eastern provinces (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). From 2002 to 2015, its minor league affiliate played in Hamilton, Ontario.
Who was the last Canadien to win the Calder Trophy?
One of the most surprising things about the history of the Montreal Canadiens is that only six of its players have ever won the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year and none have done so since 1972, when this player earned the award on the heels of a dominant season. Before then, the award had gone to Canadiens such as Jacques Laperriere, Bobby Rousseau, Ralph Backstrom, Bernie Geoffrion, and Johnny Quilty, who became the first Canadien to win the award in 1940-41.
Who is this player?
Though he was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this player is of Russian heritage. He played his junior hockey with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League and was drafted third overall by the Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He developed nicely throughout his first few seasons in the league, scoring a career-best 30 goals in 2015-16, but slightly regressed last season and has since become the subject of trade rumors and speculation as to whether or not he can or should play center.
In what year was the Montreal Canadiens founded?
The Montreal Canadiens officially joined the National Hockey League in 1917, but it was founded earlier than that and previously played in the National Hockey Association, which was the major professional league at the time. The team was created as Les Canadiens, a Francophone response to the Montreal Wanderers, which was an English club. The two teams had an ongoing rivalry and the Wanderers eventually joined the NHL along with the Canadiens, but wasn't as successful and only lasted one season.
Who is this player?
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, this player is loved by Canadiens fans and hated by fans of its rivals, or any team in general, for that matter. He has an incredible ability to agitate the opposition, whether it's through his willingness to battle in front of the net or his quick-witted trash talk on the ice. Selected in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he has played in 337 games with the Canadiens and has 195 points. He had a career year in 2014-15 with 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points.
Who is the franchise's all-time games played leader?
Throughout its 100-plus year history, only five Montreal Canadiens played more than 1,000 games with the team, including Claude Provost, Jean Beliveau, Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, and this player, who played 1,256 games with Montreal from 1955 to 1975. Teams didn't play 82 games back then, so it's even more impressive that he was able to rack up such a high number. He was productive even in his last few seasons, consistently recording over 40 points. He ranks third all-time in points with 1,046.
What was the name of the team's previous stadium?
Before moving into the then-named Molson Centre in 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played its games at this Saint Catherines Street location for 70 years. Few stadiums have held up that long and it would be hard to imagine even modern arenas having such longevity, but the team's previous arena stood the test of time and had a nostalgic feel of it, especially considering the franchise experienced so much success in the building. It was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997.
In what year did the team win its first Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup is regarded as the toughest trophy to win in all of professional sports. Teams nowadays have to go through four rounds and win a combined 16 games. That wasn't the case back in the early days of the NHL, but it was still an elusive trophy to win for the Canadiens in their early years. Despite winning more Stanley Cups than any other team, the Canadiens only won four Stanley Cups in its first 33 years of existence.
When was the last time the Canadiens didn't make the playoffs?
Throughout 98 seasons in the NHL (remember the league has experienced multiple lockouts so there hasn't been 100 seasons despite the league recently celebrating its centennial), the Montreal Canadiens have qualified for the playoffs 83 times. Think about that for a minute. That's a remarkable percentage, especially considering making the playoffs in the post-expansion era is incredibly more difficult. Yet, the Canadiens have made the playoffs in eight of the past 10 years, which is an accomplishment in itself given the competitive nature of the Eastern Conference.
What is the name of the team's mascot?
The Montreal Canadiens didn't have a mascot until 2005, when it adopted the mascot of the Montreal Expos MLB team after it had relocated to Washington, D.C. The mascot was as much a part of the Expos and Montreal as some of the team's biggest stars, so it only made sense for the Canadiens to purchase the rights to the popular mascot. In turn, he became the first mascot to ever switch professional sports leagues. He's also the only mascot to ever be thrown out of a MLB game.
Who was the last Canadien to win the Hart Trophy?
As you might expect, multiple Canadiens have won the Hart Trophy, which is given annually to the league's most valuable player. The team was a powerhouse for the better part of three decades in the pre-expansion era and was led by greats such as Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, and Guy Lafleur, all of whom won multiple Hart Trophies. Howie Morenz, who was the first Canadien to have his number retired, won three Hart Trophies from 1928 to 1932. Nine other Canadiens have won the Hart Trophy, including this goaltender.
Who is this player?
A native of Slovakia, this player was a 10th round selection of the Washington Capitals in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, but he played his best hockey with the Canadiens. He joined the team at the 2001 trade deadline and recorded nine points in 12 games to close out the season. The following year, he posted a career-best 44 points and followed that up with back-to-back 50-point campaigns. He finished his NHL career in 2008 with 379 points in 745 games.
How many numbers does the franchise have retired?
The Montreal Canadiens are widely regarded as having the best pre-game ceremonies in celebration of its alumni - if you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you know this all too well as the Maple Leafs have done a horrendous job of celebrating its legends, at least until Brendan Shanahan took over as president. The Maple Leafs didn't retire numbers until this past season, but the Canadiens have done so since 1937, when Howie Morenz's No. 7 sweater was retired. Other Canadiens legends that have had their numbers go up to the rafters include Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, and Larry Robinson.
Who was the last Canadiens coach to win the Jack Adams Award?
The Jack Adams Award is given annually to the league's best coach, so you might expect a handful of Canadien coaches have won the award, but only two have done so. Part of that is because the award wasn't created until 1974 as well as the fact the late 1970s Canadiens had such a deep and talented roster that anybody could have coached the team to a Stanley Cup. However, the coach of the 1988-89 Canadiens truly got the most out of his team and was rewarded with the Jack Adams Award following a 115-point season.