It's felt like an eternity for Canadiens fans, but Montreal is finally back in the Stanley Cup Final after nearly three decades. The most successful franchise in NHL history now has another chance to recapture the magic of years past.
From 1956 to 1993, the Canadiens brought the Stanley Cup back to Montreal an incredible 17 times. They were a model of consistency; Henri Richard was on 11 of those championship teams, while Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer were each on 10.
Dick Raphael / Sports Illustrated / Getty
However, things have gone downhill for the franchise since it was last crowned champion in '93. New coaches, general managers, and players have entered the fray, but no one has been able to deliver another Cup for the devoted Habs fans.
This year appeared to be another to forget, but it's quickly turned into one of the greatest seasons in recent memory.
Here's a look at some of the numbers since the Canadiens' last Cup victory:
2: Montreal had two players capture the Hart Trophy between their Cup appearances, with both being goaltenders (Carey Price and Jose Theodore).
3: The Canadiens drafted in the top five of the NHL draft three times since '93. Alex Galchenyuk, Price, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were the selections.
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5: The number of times Canadian teams have made it to the Stanley Cup Final since '93. None have been victorious.
8: The Canadiens have had eight different captains since Guy Carbonneau last led the team to glory.
8: Eric Staal - the oldest player on this Canadiens roster at 36 - was eight years old the last time the Habs won the Cup.
9: The Canadiens have featured nine players this postseason who weren't born yet when the team last won the Cup: Kotkaniemi, Josh Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Artturi Lehkonen, Jake Evans, Alexander Romanov, and Brett Kulak.
10: Montreal has missed the playoffs in 10 of the 27 seasons since its last Cup.
11: The Canadiens have gone through 11 bench bosses since Jacques Demers last led the team all the way.
12: The number of jerseys that have been raised to the rafters at the Bell Centre since '93, with the latest being Guy Lapointe's in 2014.
Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / Getty
12: The previous longest drought between Stanley Cup appearances in franchise history was 12 seasons, from 1931 to 1944.
13: Montreal has had some decent playoff success and made a couple of deeper runs in recent years, winning 13 postseason series and making it to the conference finals three times since '93.
23: Vincent Damphousse recorded 23 points in the 1993 playoffs, leading the team in scoring.
2,277: Including the postseason, the Canadiens have played 2,277 games since last hoisting the Cup.
6,213: Canadiens fans have had the pleasure of watching their team fill opponents' nets 6,213 times over the last 28 years.
"Not sure," Cooper said Friday when asked if the star forward will play, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. "I wish I could give you guys lineup answers. I can't. We'll have to wait till tonight."
Kucherov wasn't a participant in Friday's optional morning skate.
The playoff points leader suffered an apparent injury in the first period of Game 6, likely after taking a heavy cross-check from Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield.
So its looking like this cross-check (no call on the play) on Kucherov is what caused him to leave the game… pic.twitter.com/p2xFSApas4
Kucherov finished his shift before eventually leaving the game. He didn't return, and the Islanders went on to win 3-2 in overtime.
The 28-year-old has five goals and 22 assists during the playoffs so far. He missed the entire 2020-21 regular season after undergoing hip surgery in December.
New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello is the winner of the 2020-21 Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award, the league announced Tuesday.
Lamoriello beat out the Montreal Canadiens' Marc Bergevin and the Florida Panthers' Bill Zito.
A panel that includes all 31 NHL general managers votes on the award, and the voting took place after the second round of the playoffs.
This is the second straight year Lamoriello has been given the award, and he's the first general manager to win it twice, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.
Bergevin earned one more first-place vote than Lamoriello, but he came in second place. Here are the full results:
Here's the Jim Gregory award votes. Lou Lamoriello wins it. Kyle Dubas got one vote, it was a first-place vote pic.twitter.com/33i51L8oe9
The 78-year-old went through a relatively quiet offseason, but he brought in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to make a big splash prior to the trade deadline. The veterans have been integral to the Islanders' playoff success.
The Islanders finished fourth in the tight East Division this campaign with a 32-17-7 record, despite losing captain Anders Lee for the second half of the season. The team has made it to the semifinals for the second straight year with its well-rounded roster, and New York currently trails the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2.
Robert had been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack late last week.
The Sabres acquired Robert in 1972 in exchange for Eddie Shack. He went on to play alongside Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin, and the trio quickly became known as the "French Connection" line, since all three were French Canadians hailing from Quebec.
They combined for 1,681 points between 1972 and 1979, helping to lead the Sabres to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1975. The line was broken up when Robert was traded to the Colorado Rockies in 1979.
Robert played eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Sabres, and he also logged stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Rockies. He finished his career with 702 points over 744 career games, and the Sabres retired his number in 1995.
The Canucks added Daniel and Henrik Sedin to the team's hockey operations department as special advisers to the general manager, the club announced Tuesday.
"Henrik and Daniel's hockey intellect and experience is exceptional," general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. "We've had an open line of communication since they retired as players. They are students of the game, eager to learn, who will make valuable contributions and strengthen our staff."
The Sedins will support Benning in decision-making and organizational strategy. Their work will include player evaluation, development, and communication from the amateur level to the NHL.
"When we retired, we always thought we'd like to be involved in the business side of hockey one day," Daniel said. "There's a lot to learn, but we are excited and ready for the opportunity. This team has some of the best young players in the NHL and we want to do everything we can to support the group and achieve our goals."
Henrik added: "The province and the fans care deeply about this team. As we've said, being part of the Canucks family has been the best time in our lives. It is an honor to be back."
The twins retired in 2018 after spending their entire NHL careers with the Canucks. Henrik is the franchise leader in games played (1,330), assists (830), and points (1,070), while Daniel leads in goals (393).
No Golden Knights players were on the NHL's COVID-19 list that was released at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday.
McCrimmon's positive test is the second confirmed case during his team's semifinal series against Montreal, with Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme also testing positive on Friday.
The Golden Knights will take on the Canadiens in Game 4 in Montreal on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Jon Merrill also returned to the lineup in the place of Alexander Romanov. Merrill hasn't played since Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Petry missed two contests against the Winnipeg Jets after injuring his hand during Game 3 of Montreal's second-round series. He's been one of the Canadiens' best postseason players, chipping in three assists while averaging 23:52 of ice time.
Gerard Gallant is officially the new head coach of the New York Rangers, the organization announced Wednesday.
"Gerard's proven track record has made him one of the league's most sought-after coaches, and we are fortunate to have him as part of the team," team owner James Dolan said. "I have no doubt that he will play a critical role in helping us take the next steps to building a championship-caliber team."
Gallant replaces David Quinn, who was fired in May after three seasons with the club.
The 57-year-old recently guided Team Canada to an improbable gold medal at the world championship. He was previously head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights from 2017-20, where he led the team to a Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season.
Gallant also previously served as head coach with the Florida Panthers from 2014-17 and Columbus Blue Jackets from 2003-07.
