Our history - The historical website of the Montreal Canadiens

THE REGULAR SEASON

1920-21 brought the NHL’s first franchise transfer, with the Quebec Bulldogs becoming the Hamilton Tigers, beginning a 60-year interruption in Montreal’s on-ice rivalry with Quebec City. It also brought several new faces to the Canadiens lineup, as coach Leo Dandurand replaced several players from the team after having missed the playoffs the year before.

The result was a more balanced attack, as six men each potted a dozen or more goals over the 24-game regular schedule and Montreal led the league in team scoring. Captain Newsy Lalonde, a 32-year old veteran, played his last great season with a league leading 41 points to go along with his team leading 33 goals.

Reliable Didier Pitre, a future Hall of Famer, accounted for fifteen markers, as did Harry Mummery, the standout among the newcomers to the team, whose 20 points marked a career high. Mummery’s 68 penalty minutes also put him among team leaders in that category.

The defensive side of things lagged behind the offense with only big Bert Corbeau seeming to come to play every night. The rugged blue-liner, who tipped the scales at 200 pounds, was one of the best in the league but he could not hold off the opposition by himself.

After posting a 4-6 record in the first half of the season, finishing in third place, the Canadiens reversed their fortunes in the second segment. They went 9-5, finishing second in the standings, but falling just one position shy of a playoff berth.