It has been a while since the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens faced each other. The last meeting was on April 5, 2011, which was won in overtime by P.K. Subban. Since that time, the Blackhawks have added another Stanley Cup Banner to the rafters of the United Center. The last three Stanley Cup Final appearances for the Blackhawks (1992, 2010 and 2013) are the only ones in Blackhawks history that have not somehow involved the Montreal Canadiens.
The first meeting between the two storied franchises took place 87 years and 1 month ago this Saturday when the teams will meet up for the first time this season. On December 11, 1926, the Blackhawks visited the Canadiens in Montreal and left the building the victors in a 3-0 shutout. Chicago’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance in team history at the end of the 1930-31 season was against the Canadiens, who defeated the Blackhawks and took home the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in their team history. Since that time, these two teams have met a surprising number of times in the post season, but since the expansion of the league, those meetings have become much more infrequent.
Here is a look at the intermingled playoff history of the Blackhawks and Canadiens.
|
Season |
Playoff Matchup |
Stanley Cup Final Result |
|
1929-1930 |
Quarter Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs BOS |
|
1930-1931 |
Stanley Cup Final |
MTL Won 3-2 |
|
1933-1934 |
Quarter Finals (CHI beat MTL) |
CHI Won 3-1 vs DET |
|
1937-1938 |
Quarter Finals (CHI beat MTL) |
CHI Won 3-1 vs TML |
|
1940-1941 |
Quarter Finals (CHI beat MTL) |
BOS Won vs DET |
|
1943-1944 |
Stanley Cup Final |
MTL Won 4-0 |
|
1945-1946 |
Semi-Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs BOS |
|
1952-1953 |
Semi-Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs BOS |
|
1958-1959 |
Semi-Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs TML |
|
1959-1960 |
Semi-Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs TML |
|
1960-1961 |
Semi-Finals (CHI beat MTL) |
CHI Won 4-2 vs DET |
|
1961-1962 |
Semi-Finals (CHI beat MTL) |
CHI Lost 4-2 vs TML |
|
1964-1965 |
Stanley Cup Final |
MTL Won 4-3 vs CHI |
|
1967-1968 |
Semi-Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs STL |
|
1970-1971 |
Stanley Cup Final |
MTL Won 4-3 vs CHI |
|
1972-1973 |
Stanley Cup Final |
MTL Won 4-2 vs CHI |
|
1975-1976 |
Quarter Finals (MTL beat CHI) |
MTL Won vs PHI |
*table information gathered from www.hockey-reference.com
The current playoff format will not allow these two franchises to meet again in the playoffs unless it is in the Stanley Cup Final. For nostalgia’s sake, what an amazing story that would be should it happen again since so much of the early history of the NHL involves these teams.