National Bestseller The definitive history of the Montreal Canadiens – to coincide with their Centenary in 2009. Before there were slapshots, Foster Hewitt, or even an NHL, there were the Canadiens. Founded on December 4, 1909, the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1916. Since then, the Canadiens have won 23 more championships, making them the most successful hockey team in the world. The team has survived two wars, the Great Depression, NHL expansion, and countless other upheavals, thanks largely to the loyalty of fans and an extraordinary cast of players, coaches, owners, and managers. The Montreal Canadienscaptures the full glory of this saga. It weaves the personalities, triumphs, heartaches, and hysteria into a compelling narrative with a surprise on every page. It sheds new light on old questions – how the team colours were chosen, how the Canadiens came to be known as the Habitants – and goes behind the scenes of tumultuous recent events still awaiting thorough examination: why Scotty Bowman was passed over as general manager after Sam Pollock resigned; why Pollock’s successor, Irving Grunman, failed; why Serge Savard was dumped as GM so hastily despite his record. Colourful and controversial,The Montreal Canadiensis the history of a team that has been making news for 100 years – and continues to do so with the return of legendary player Bob Gainey as general manager, determined to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal.

The perfect book for those who love to laugh at the Montreal Canadiens. The book is written by Rich Sims a comedian based in Orlando, Florida.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most successful teams in the NHL, with 24 Stanley Cup victories and stars like Guy LaFleur, Patrick Roy, and Carey Price, who have all left their mark on hockey history. Author Pat Hickey, as a longtime beat writer for the Montreal Gazette, has witnessed more than his fair share of that history up close and personal. Through singular anecdotes only Hickey can tell as well as conversations with current and past players, this book provides fans with a one-of-a-kind, insider's look into the great moments, the lowlights, and everything in between. Habs fans will not want to miss this book.

Sport is all about play and game, aesthetic and strength, passion and emotion, challenge and rivalry. But because sometimes players and fans look for a little extra help from God, gods, spirits or any other Supreme Being, sport is also a matter of beliefs and Faith. Often, sport uses religion if the sport itself does not become a religion first. In Montreal, the fans' passion and emotion benefits the Montreal Canadiens, the oldest and the most victorious National Hockey League team. Since 2008, the Protestant Theologian Olivier Bauer, a former hockey goaltender, is carefully studying the religious aspects of the Montreal Canadiens. In his book, Olivier Bauer reveals how the Montreal Canadiens becomes a religion, specifies which kind of religion it is, and explains how it is interrelated with Quebec's Catholicism. From a theological point of view, he analyses two ways of practicing the Montreal Canadiens Religion, shows why both ways are idolatry, denounces the weakness of such a religion, and pleads for an evangelical use of the Montreal Canadiens. Based on the Montreal Canadiens, Olivier Bauer explains how sport becomes a religion, but he also critics the religion that sport offers.

This game wasn't about money, points, or trophies. Instead it was played for pride, both personal and national. It was a confrontation twenty years in the making and it marked a turning point in the history of hockey. On December 31, 1975, the Montreal Canadiens, the most successful franchise in the NHL, hosted the touring Central Red Army, the dominant team in the Soviet Union. For three hours millions of people in both Canada and the Soviet Union were glued to their television sets. What transpired that evening was a game that surpassed all the hype and was subsequently referred to as "the greatest game ever played." Held at the height of the Cold War, this remarkable contest transcended sports and took on serious cultural, sociological, and political overtones. And while the final result was a 3-3 tie, no one who saw the game was left disappointed. This exhibition of skill was hockey at its finest, and it set the bar for what was to follow as the sport began its global expansion.

National Bestseller The definitive history of the Montreal Canadiens – now updated with the inside story of the tumultuous 2009 season. Before there were slapshots, Foster Hewitt, or even an NHL, there were the Canadiens. Founded on December 4, 1909, the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1916. Since then, the Canadiens have won 23 more championships, making them the most successful hockey team in the world. The team has survived two wars, the Great Depression, NHL expansion, and countless other upheavals, thanks largely to the loyalty of fans and an extraordinary cast of players, coaches, owners, and managers. The Montreal Canadiens captures the full glory of this saga. It weaves the personalities, triumphs, heartaches, and hysteria into a compelling narrative with a surprise on every page. It sheds new light on old questions – how the team colours were chosen, how the Canadiens came to be known as the Habitants – and goes behind the scenes of tumultuous recent events still awaiting thorough examination: why Scotty Bowman was passed over as general manager after Sam Pollock resigned; why Pollock’s successor, Irving Grunman, failed; why Serge Savard was dumped as GM so hastily despite his record. Colourful and controversial, The Montreal Canadiens is the history of a team that has been making news for 100 years – and continues to do so with the return of legendary player Bob Gainey as general manager, determined to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal.

When people talk about the history of hockey in Montreal they often limit the discussion to the Montreal Canadiens. But what about the Montreal Maroons? The Maroons were the very first tenants of the Montreal Forum and rivaled the Canadiens for most of the 1920s and 1930s. The team drew most of its fans from the anglophone neighborhoods of Montreal and English-speaking communities throughout Quebec. During the Maroons' short but colourful existence, the team won two Stanley Cups and took part in some of the NHL's most historic moments. The titanic battles between the Maroons and the Canadiens were classic struggles between two proud teams. The games were also duels between rival superstars--the Canadiens with Howie Morenz and Aurèl Joliat, and the Maroons with Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith, and Babe Siebert. The matches were often wild affairs with fights on the ice and in the stands, but those who were there remembered them as the most thrilling hockey games they ever saw. The Montreal Maroons is the story of a team that had a major impact on the early days of the National Hockey League. It is also a look back at the glorious era in the history of hockey in Montreal.