By the Letters: “M”—Remembering the Montreal Maroons
Back in the NHL’s early days, Montreal was a tale of ‘two sides of a city’. While the Montreal Canadiens franchise was considered to be the team for the French-speaking side, the Montreal Maroons were founded “for the English community in Montreal”. The Maroons’ run was short-lived, but they were considered to be an NHL powerhouse, leaving a legacy of grit and hardware at the Montreal Forum.
The Rise of the Montreal Maroons Machine
The Montreal Maroons—officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club—began playing in the NHL in 1924. To give them a home arena, the legendary Montreal Forum was built. In just their second season, the Maroons won their first Stanley Cup (1926), and became the first real local threat to the Canadiens since the Montreal Wanderers folded in 1918.
Cool Fact: In January 1918, the Montreal Arena, shared by the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Wanderers burned down; the Canadiens moved to the Jubilee Arena, which also burned down (1919), before settling in the Mount Royal Arena.
Montreal Maroons: Legendary ‘Hockey Hall of Fame’ Icons
The Montreal Maroons' roster was packed with icons who helped define that era of hockey, such as:
Clint Benedict: “Praying Benny” was one of the first great NHL goalies and an innovator in the sport; the first goalie to drop to his knees to stop the puck along the ice (which was illegal at the time).
Hooley Smith: Remembered as an original power forward and part of one of the NHL’s best lines—the “S line” (alongside Nels Stewart & Albert “Babe” Siebert)—Smith was captain of the Maroons and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1935.
Montreal Maroons: The Final Buzzer
In the end, the Great Depression was said to be the ultimate opponent the Maroons couldn't beat. As crowds thinned out, the franchise found it harder to keep pace with the Canadiens' rising popularity. The Montreal Maroons played their final game on March 17, 1938 (6-3 loss to the Canadiens).
Cool Fact: The Montreal Maroons held a unique record for decades as the last "non-Original Six" team to win a Stanley Cup until the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974.
In the end, the Montreal Maroons remain a vital chapter in Montreal’s massive hockey history.