Best Canadiens Dynasty

Best Canadiens Dynasty

Best Canadiens Dynasty

Of the 9 official dynasty team recognized by the NHL, three are iterations of the Montreal Canadiens. Their continued dominance is both impressive and undisputed; as of 2015, they had won 24 championships—about a quarter of all the Stanley Cups the league had handed out. They are historically the most successful NHL team and the second-most successful of all big four sports teams, behind only the Boston Celtics in terms of all-time championship success. Even in a history that has been so consistently successful, there are three eras that stand out as the best in Montreal Canadiens history—the late 1950s, (1955-1960), the late 1960s (1964-1969), and the late 1970s (1975-1979).

Based only on the number of championship wins, the Canadiens from 1955-1960 were the most successful. They won every single year in this span—five straight Stanley Cup victories, a feat no other team could match in the 50 years that followed. The Canadiens were the undisputed masters of the NHL in the late ‘50s. This was the original six era, however; any records set before the league’s first expansion in 1967 must be taken with a grain of salt. It was much easier to achieve (and maintain) dominance at this point in NHL history. The Canadiens roster at this point featured legendary names like Jacques Plante and Maurice “Rocket” Richard, and so while it’s an era that certainly helped shaped the Canadiens’ strong identity and rich history, it’s hard to call it the team’s best era.

A similar point could perhaps be made about the Canadiens dynasty team of the late 1960s. Though Montreal won two championships after the league expanded in 1967, the new teams hadn’t yet grown strong enough to really stand up to the original six clubs, and Montreal swept the St. Louis Blues out of the Stanley Cup finals in both those post-expansion seasons. Like with the late ‘50s, moves made during this time had great implications for Montreal’s future. Sam Pollock took over as the team’s general manager in 1964, and would lead the Canadiens to 9 Stanley Cups in 14 years. Four of those wins came in the seasons between 1964-65 and 1968-69, and eleven players from the team’s roster during these years were eventually inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Again, they were a strong team, but their strength was never truly tested.

That leaves the Montreal Canadiens from 1975 to 1979, who were not only the best team in Montreal history, but arguably the best team in the history of the NHL. Their top line in this era consisted of Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, and Jacques Lemaire. As if that’s not already an all-star team, they also had Ken Dryden in net. The 1976-77 Canadiens posted a 70 day, 28-game unbeaten streak and won their division by 51 points. Canadiens teams of this era hold two of the three best seasons of all time, with 129 points in 1976-77 and 132 points in 1976-77. You would be hard pressed to find a team statistic in which the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens don’t hold the all-time record. They had an at-home record of 33-1-6, had the most points and the best overall record (60-8-12), and largest goal differential. The team had nine hall of famers on the ice and one behind the bench in head coach Scotty Bowman. They didn’t only win four straight championships but made it look easy, crushing any team that came against them. Their playoff record from 1975 to 1979 was 48-10. They led their conference in regular season play four years in a row, finishing with no fewer than 115 points in a season, and in each of those seasons scored at least 300 goals. If it wasn’t on record, you would say it was impossible for any team to be that good.

The modern Canadiens play in the Bell Centre, the largest arena in the NHL with a per-game capacity of over 21,000 that is full every night, an intimidating environment for any team that comes to play. Staring out at the banners hanging from the Bell Centre’s rafters, you get a sense of the rich and storied history this club has built. The names on the 15 retired player numbers recount the history of the NHL. From Jacques Plante to Ken Dryden, Maurice Richard to Guy Lafleur. The championship banners speak to decades of domination. It’s no wonder Montreal fans are so dedicated. Their team has given them plenty of reasons to be proud.