Businessman and promoter Joseph Viateur “Leo” Dandurand purchased the Montreal Canadiens on November 2, 1921, along with his partners, Joseph Cattarinich and Louis A. Letourneau, for the amount of $11,500.

Born in 1889 in Illinois, Dandurand moved from the United States to Canada with his family at the age of 16. He always had a passion for hockey, from his involvement in minor hockey in Montreal to becoming an NHL referee.

During his tenure as the team’s general manager, from 1921 to 1935, the Canadiens became a powerful team that was a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Shortly after assuming the GM’s position, Dandurand traded star forward Newsy Lalonde to Saskatoon in exchange for prospect Aurele Joliat, who went on to become one of the team’s top players. The following season, Dandurand added young Howie Morenz to his lineup and in 1924 the Canadiens went on to claim the second Stanley Cup in team history.

The arrival of goalie George Hainsworth (the Vezina Trophy winner in 1927, 1928 and 1929) and defenceman Sylvio Mantha allowed Dandurand to claim two more Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931.

While Dandurand ran the team, the Canadiens appeared in four Stanley Cup Finals, won four division titles and appeared in the playoffs 12 times in 14 seasons. Dandurand was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.