The Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche's rivalry died down considerably after the latter's relocation, but it was one of the most storied in hockey when they were the Quebec Nordiques. One notable moment from the Canadiens-Avalanche rivalry didn't necessarily happen on the ice but instead behind the bench with the famous Patrick Roy trade demand. Thanks to the Quebec part of the rivalry, the Canadiens played the Avalanche franchise more than most Western Conference teams. They hold a 91-76-15-1 record against Colorado/Quebec.
The Canadiens were 2-0 against the Avalanche in 2023-24, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Their first win was a 4-3 victory at home, which ended with a late Joel Armia goal to take the lead. The teams traded goals all game, with Ross Colton and Juraj Slafovsky scoring in the first, Cale Makar and Rafael Harvey-Pinard scoring in the second, and Cole Caufield and Devon Toews scoring in the third. Jake Allen was the starting goalie for the Canadiens and stopped 32 shots.
The Canadiens edged out the Avalanche 2-1 in the second game. Sam Montembeault was the star, shutting down the high-powered offense with a 27-save performance. Joel Amria scored the winner again, which came with five minutes remaining in the first period. Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki both scored in the game's first minute to get the scoring started.
A history of the Canadiens and Nordiques
The Canadiens and Nordiques first met on April 13, 1979, and their last meeting was April 26, 1995. The Canadiens held the edge in the all-time series with a 79-53-12 record. They played five times in the postseason, with the Nordiques winning the first meeting in the 1982 division semifinals. The Canadiens won in the division finals in 1984, before the Nordiques returned the favor in 1985. They faced off in one more division finals in 1987, which the Canadiens won in seven games. Their final playoff matchup was in the 1993 Habs Stanley Cup run, when the Canadiens won the division semifinals in six games.
One of the most infamous moments was the 1984 Good Friday Massacre. The Canadiens rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win 5-3 and clinch the series, but the final two periods had a black eye due to multiple brawls. The teams combined for 222 penalty minutes in the second period alone, and there were ten players thrown out of the game from two brawls.