The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL to start the 1926-27 season.  Since then, the team from Illinois has captured the Stanley Cup on four occasions, with the most recent championship coming in 2009-10. 

The Canadiens and the Blackhawks faced off for the first time on December 11, 1926 at the Montreal Forum, with the visitors heading back to Chicago with a 3-0 win over the hometown Habs.   

The Hawks took part in their first Stanley Cup Final in 1931, only to see Howie Morenz and the Montreal Canadiens steal the series 3-2, hoisting the Cup for the fourth time in team history.  It was only the start of the trend, though; Montreal went on to win the next four Finals between the two rivals, most recently in 1973. 

In 1938, the Blackhawks had a subpar regular season, but surprised everyone in the playoffs when they ousted the favored Habs in the quarterfinals en route to capturing the team’s second Stanley Cup. The 1937-38 Hawks, led by Bill Mosienko’s 38 goals – including the fastest hat trick in NHL history (21 seconds) – to this day, still remain the league champions with the worst record in the regular season. 

The Canadiens took the league by storm in 1944, finishing off the season without ever suffering a loss at the Forum.  They capped off the dream season with a 4-0 sweep in the Finals, led by Maurice Richard’s 12 goals and 17 points.

The 1950s and 1960s provided additional fuel to the fire, as the Chicago-Montreal rivalry grew more and more intense.  The two teams faced off against each other in the playoffs for four consecutive years from 1959 to 1962.  The Blackhawks’ stars, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita squared off annually against the Canadiens’ Jean Beliveau, Bernard Geoffrion and Henri Richard. 

The Habs won the series in 1959 and 1960, before the Hawks repaid the favor in 1961 and 1962.

Since the NHL expansion in 1967, the two teams have only crossed paths in the postseason twice.