The Canadiens, founded in 1909, are the longest continually functioning professional ice hockey team and the only extant NHL club to predate the formation of the NHL, as well as one of the oldest North American sports teams. The team is one of the “Original Six,” a term used to describe the teams that comprised the NHL from 1942 until its expansion in 1967. Following the departure of the rival Quebec Nordiques in 1995 and the move of the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C., the Montreal Expos became the Washington Capitals. In 2004, the Canadiens were the only club from one of Canada’s and the United States’ four major sports leagues to be headquartered in the province of Quebec.
The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup the most times of any team. They have won 24 titles, 22 of which have come since 1927, when NHL clubs became the sole competitors for the Stanley Cup. On a percentage basis, the Canadiens are one of the most successful professional sports clubs in Canada and the United States’ traditional four major sports. Source: NHL
