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.
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.
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.
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.
Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.