Founded: 1909
Arena: Bell Centre
Stanley Cups: 24
1916, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993
2008-09 Canadiens Preview:
(See below for the team ranking from last season)
Four Eastern Conference teams took big steps last year. Montreal, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington overtook the Devils and Rangers as the class of the East, and all look poised to carry on upward.
But the best teams in the East also share potential weaknesses: a lack of blue line depth, an unknown quantity in the goaltender, and young, unproven players in key positions.
Even accounting for those problem areas, Montreal offers the most balanced offense and the best mix of youth and experience. That’s makes them the odds-on favorite for first place.
No player in the NHL will be under more pressure this season than Carey Price, the 21-year-old goaltender who had Habs fans dancing in the streets last season. Until playoff time, of course. Given his 2008 post-season meltdown, you have to wonder if he's up for 60 games and a lengthy playoff run.
But before we lay the fate of Montreal's season at the foot of Price's locker, let's consider what kind of help he'll get. Andrei Markov, Roman Hamrlik, and Mike Komisarek make an admirable top three on defense. After that it gets interesting. Francis Bouillon? Josh Gorges? At times they've both played well. By bringing Patrice Brisebois back for one more year, general manager Bob Gainey revealed that he's having second thoughts about defensive depth.
This being a Gainey team, Price and the defenders should expect some help from the forwards, with Saku Koivu leading by example. With Tomas Plekanec and Robert Lang also at center, Koivu slides into a two-way checking role, and he should thrive in it.
Even if he plays the third line, Koivu can probably generate 50 points. Which brings us to the best news for Montreal fans. There isn't a faster, slicker, deeper group of forwards in the East. Adding Lang and Alex Tanguay, while subtracting Michael Ryder, brings even more offense to a team that led the NHL in goals last year.
The Canadiens don't have potential scoring champions, like the Penguins and Capitals. They aren't as big as the Flyers or Devils. But as long as Price and his defenders can keep the goals-against respectable, no team is better set for the 82-game marathon.
What the Montreal Canadiens did in 2007-08
NHL rankings in each category are noted in brackets
2007-08 Regular Season Record:
Team Statistics
Team Leaders
Goaltenders
Carey Price: 41 games, 24-12-3
2.56 GAA (19th in NHL), .920 SV PCT (T-6th), 3 SO (T-20th)*
Jaroslav Halak: 6 games, 2-1-1
2.11 GAA, .934 SV PCT, 1 SO
*goaltending rankings among those with at least 25 games played.
