Most Successful Cities Top Ten Part 7

4. Montreal, QB, Canada

Pro Teams: Canadiens 1909-present (NHL),Wanderers 1910-18 (NHL), Maroons 1924-38 (NHL), Expos 1969-2004 (MLB)
Championships: 27 (1)Wanderers (1910), (24)Canadiens (1916,1924,1930,1931,1944,1946,1953,1956-60,1965,1966,1968,1969,1971,1973,1976-79,1986,1993), (2)Maroons (1926,1935)

History: The Canadiens are considered the most successful team in the NHL. And as of right now, they are only second to the Yankees who have 27 titles by themselves. During their existence, they have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs only 18 times in over a century of play. That includes this season's run and their time in the NHA (1909-17).

Montreal in its own right have won an additional 15 Stanley Cups. Five of them went to the Montreal HC. Another 5 went to the Victorias. Two went to the Shamrocks. But due to the fact that they were amateurs, then it doesn't really get considered into the professional. The Wanderers fall into that category. Before going pro with the NHA from 1910-17, they won an additional 3 Stanley Cups from 1906-08 as an amateur team. Because of the Canadiens appeal to the French community and the Wanderers to the English in Montreal, the team would fold after merging into the NHL.
The Maroons were also a team that tried to appeal to the English speaking community of Montreal. Despite winning the Stanley Cup twice, there were three factors that led to the Maroons disappearance. 1) The Great Depression. 2) The French speaking community is the majority and 3) The Maroons ownership group coincidentally owned the Canadiens and we all know how that goes.

Major League Baseball's first franchise would be the Expos in 1969. Named after the Expo World Fair that occurred in 1967, the Expos would be not as successful as their hockey counterparts. The 1994 strike seemed to doom the team because they were in 1st place, but didn't get to finish the season. As a result, the Expos never recovered and in 10 years, they would be off to Washington DC.

Interesting Facts: Though the roof remained closed due to structural problems, Olympic Stadium was the first retractable roof stadium for MLB use in 1987 (when the roof was actually completed). The Summer Olympics were held in 1976. The headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency are located in nearby Longueuil.