Longest win streak in Canadiens history

With 24 Stanley Cups to their name, the Montreal Canadiens have probably enjoyed over 100 long, memorable winning streaks, but which one is the longest? It came over 50 years ago during a year when they hoisted one of their 24 Cups.

On January 6th, 1968, Montreal beat the New York Rangers 5-2, and they refused to lose until February 4th when, ironically, New York shut them out 3-0. Their final win of the 12-game streak occurred just a day earlier on February 3rd, in a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, so by the time they fell to the Rangers, Montreal sat with a glimmering 26-14-9 record. 

Despite the Rangers ending the streak, here is an interesting fact: From January 6th until February 22nd, the Canadiens went 20-1-0, so the shutout loss to the Rangers on February 4th was their only loss in roughly a month and a half. 

Had they beaten New York, the 1967-68 team may have enjoyed the longest winning streak in NHL history at 21 games. Even so, a 12-game streak, and winning 20 of 21 contests in that stretch remains one of the most memorable runs in league history. 

The longest winning streak in Canadiens history could have gone longer

If you want more irony, the team that ended the Canadiens epic 20-1-0 run was none other than the Rangers, who beat them 6-1 on February 24th. Given their remarkable winning streak and overall 20 wins in 21 contests, it’s easy to see why the Habs parlayed such an effort into winning what was then their 15th Stanley Cup. 

But the Canadiens weren’t finished following the 1967-68 season, as they also won the Cup in the 1968-69 season, before winning six more throughout the 1970s. It’s safe to say that these were some good Montreal Canadiens teams, so it should surprise none of us that their longest winning streak in franchise history also occurred during the era. 

(Statistics and data provided by Hockey-Reference)