Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens jersey is as traditional as they come, which might be expected from a hockey team that can trace its roots back to 1909. The Canadiens have more secondary nicknames that just about any team in sports. Many of these nicknames are French. The most common unofficial nickname for the team is “The Habs” which is short for “Les Habitants”, a name for the early French settlers along the St. Lawrence Gulf and River in present day Quebec. Fans can be heard cheering, “Go Habs Go”. Note that even in English, the spelling of the teams official nickname is French - Canadiens, not Canadians.

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens predate the NHL and is one of the oldest sports franchises in North America. They are one of the NHL’s “Original Six” along with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins.

The current uniform colors of the Montreal Canadiens, red, blue and white, date all the way back to 1914. The team’s classic and recognizable logo, the red “C” containing the “H” dates back to 1917. Contrary to what many believe, the “H” does not stand for “Habs” but for “Hockey”. When the logo was designed the official name of the team was “Club de Hockey Canadien”.

Like many of the “Original Six”, the Montreal Canadiens have maintained a traditional look with their jerseys. They still use the basic design dating back to 1914 and have had no changes since 1952. The team’s home jersey is mostly red in color. There are blue and white stripes on each arm and across the chest and waistline. The road jersey is predominately white with red and blue stripes accross the waist, red at the end of the sleeves and red draping over the shoulders. The tradition of the uniform is so strong that the sweater itself has acquired the nickname “La Sainte-Flanelle”, which in English means “The Holy Sweater”.

For the 2008 – 2009 and 2009 – 2010 seasons a logo was designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens. Part of the celebration was the retirement of numbers, the hosting of the NHL All Star game and the hosting of the NHL Entry Draft.

The word dynasty can hardly do justice to the Canadiens’ record. Winning the Stanley Cup 24 times, in one stretch five consecutive times, is one of the greatest feats in sports history. The number of star players that have played on the Montreal Canadiens is phenomenal, 58 NHL Hall of Famers and 17 retired numbers. Among these are: Goalie Jacques Plante, Jersey #1: Defenseman Doug Harvey, Jersey #2; Right Wing Bernie Geoffrion, Jersey #5; Right Wing Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jersey #9 and Goalie Patrick Roy, Jersey #33. Recent popular players include: Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta.