Montreal Canadiens: This Date in Habs History: Montreal Forum Opens
Montreal Canadiens played their first game at the Montreal Forum on this day.
The Montreal Canadiens are the most historic franchise in the history of hockey. They have won far more Stanley Cup championships than any other team in the league’s long history and the Hall of Fame as well as every major trophy are littered with names of legends who were the bleu blanc et rouge.
Most of that winning came when the team was the tenant of the Montreal Forum.
In fact, 22 of the team’s 24 Stanley Cups were won when the team called The Forum its home. It became a terrible place for opposing teams to try and earn two points. The Canadiens would win close to 1500 games at the Montreal Forum and score more than 10,000 goals inside those walls.
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For a while, the Habs were nearly unbeatable at the venerable Montreal Forum. In fact, throughout the 1970’s, the Canadiens were almost as likely to tie a game as lose it on home ice. Their home record from 1970-79 was 264-48-44. That means for an entire decade, opposing teams won 13% of the games they played inside the Montreal Forum. That’s not even a home ice advantage at that point, it’s pretty much home ice guarantee.
The Forum was rocking on those nights in the 1970’s, with 18,200 fans cheering on their favourites like Ken Dryden, Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson. No other arena in the history of hockey can even pretend to have half the glamour as the Montreal Forum.
It all began on this day, in 1924.
The Montreal Canadiens played a home game inside the Montreal Forum for the first time even on November 29, 1924. The most iconic arena in hockey history hosted the Habs for the first time even when they steamrolled the Toronto St. Pat’s 7-1 in front of 9000 fans.
The Canadiens would not play another home game in the Forum for two years. They remained in their home arena at the time, which was the Mount Royal Arena, until 1926. Some legal issues would force the Habs to leave that arena and move into the Forum where they became roommates with the Montreal Maroons until the latter team ceased operations in 1938.
The Habs would be the lone tenant of the hallowed arena until they moved to the Molson Centre in 1996. The Habs last Cup would be won on Forum ice in 1993, with Patrick Roy carrying the team to victory and being named the well deserved Conn Smythe Trophy winner for his heroics that spring.
It was the last of 22 Cups won while the Canadiens called The Forum home. It all began 96 years ago today when the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto St. Pats there because of ice issues at the Mount Royal Arena.
Billy Boucher would the hero that fateful night nearly a century ago, scoring three goals. Aurele Joliat added a pair of goals, captain Sylvio Mantha scored and Howie Morenz, who would become the first of many superstars to have his name chanted on the Montreal Forum ice scored as well. Georges Vezina earned the win in goal.