What is the official name of the NHL team based in Montreal?

The official name of the NHL team based in Montreal is the Montreal Canadiens.

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens joined the NHL when the league was created in 1917. Their name comes from “Canadiens,” the French-language term for French Canadians, reflecting the club’s original cultural identity in Montreal. The team is commonly nicknamed the Habs, short for “Les Habitants,” an older nickname associated with French-speaking settlers in New France.

Montreal is one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises, alongside Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Toronto. The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, more than any other NHL team. They play their home games at the Bell Centre, which opened in 1996 after the club left the Montreal Forum.

A common mix-up is confusing the Canadiens with the Montreal Maroons, another historic Montreal NHL team that folded in 1938. The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball club, while the Nordiques represented Quebec City and later became the Colorado Avalanche.