Montreal Canadiens Colors and Logo: A History and Color Codes
Why do the Montreal Canadiens wear red and blue? The story of the Montreal Canadiens colors, including full color codes
In this article, we look at the history and details of the Montreal Canadiens logo and colors.
We discuss the different colors and logos that the ice hockey team have used throughout the years- including full details of their CMYK, HEX, RGB and Pantone codes.
A brief history of the Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens were the first of the original six teams to start playing ice hockey in North America, established back in 1909.
The team was formed by John O’Brien and he initially called the ice hockey club “Club de Hockey Canadien”.
This is one of the theories behind why some people think they are referred to as the “habs”, a second team nickname.
The Canadiens eventually joined the National Hockey League when it was first formed in 1917.
Major honours and trophies
When it comes to sports history, one comparison you probably didn’t see coming is the links between the New York Yankees and the Montreal Canadiens.
One of the biggest similarities is that they both have the most championships in their respective sport.
The Yankees have 27 World Series wins, while the Canadiens have 24 Stanley Cups.
However, neither team has won their respective championships in over a decade.
The Yankees won their last World Series in 2009, while the Canadiens haven’t won one since the 1992-1993 season.
Both teams also have rivalries with their Boston counterparts, both of which are considered to be the greatest rivalries in all sports.
As far as Canadiens rivalries go, their fiercest competitors are the Bruins. This team were the third of the original six teams, and they’ve faced each for over a century.
In contrast, the Yankees have competed against the Red Sox for years, an incredible team also based in Boston.
Most famous Montreal Canadiens
Although there are numerous famous Montreal Canadiens, find out about some of the greatest to ever wear a red and blue Canadiens uniform.
Maurice Richards
Maurice Richards is the Canadiens all-time goals leader, and his career is ripe with accolades.
These accolades include making 14 all-star games in 18 years. He was also the 1946-1947 Hart Trophy winner and he led in goals on five different occasions.
Richards was also a member of eight of the team’s 24 Stanley Cup teams.
Guy Lafleur
The first round pick of the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft won five Stanley Cups, making six all-star games and three Ross trophies.
He also won three Pearson awards, the 1976-1977 Smythe Trophy and he won the Hart Trophy twice.
Lafleur led the league with four hat tricks during the 1977-1978 season, as well as leading the league in game-winning goals every year from 1974-1975 up until 1978-1979.
Patrick Roy
While Patrick Roy was a part of four Stanley Cup teams, only two out of the four were actually with the Montreal Canadiens.
Carey Price
Carey Price came to the Canadiens in net only a few years after Patrick Roy left.
He was another great player for the Canadiens, and he was a goalie with them for his entire 15 year career.
Price garnered the 2014-2015 Vezina, Hart and Jennings award winner and he also received the 2021-2022 Masterson Award.
Guy Lapointe
Guy Lapointe spent 14 of his years with Montreal.
He also spent two years with Saint Louis and one year with rival Boston Bruins.
He was a member of six Stanley Cup championships and he won four all-star games.
Why do the Montreal Canadiens play in red and blue?
The colors and uniforms of the Montreal Canadiens are as historic as the team itself.
The team has played in the same unform colors since 1914, with different combinations of blue, white and red.
These colors have become an important part of the French-Canadian culture, representing this team for years.
Montreal Canadiens colors: CMYK, HEX, RGB and Pantone color codes
Below, find the full color codes for the Montreal Canadiens.
Canadiens Red
HEX: #A6192E
RGB: (166, 25, 46)
CMYK: (7, 100, 82, 26)
Pantone: PMS 187 C
Canadiens Blue
HEX: #001E62
RGB: (0, 30, 98)
CMYK: (100, 95, 5, 39)
Pantone: PMS 2758 C
Canadiens logo and color history
A history of the famous Montreal Canadiens logo throughout the years.
1910
The 1910 logo was by far the simplest of the Canadiens logos over the course of their history.
It contained a blue “C” with edges at each of its corners and the “C” was filled in with color.
1911
The Canadiens only chose to keep their original logo for one year and they decided to add a green maple leaf and stylise the “C”.
1912
The letter “C” stayed the same but it changed to red and there was a line in the front and middle.
1913
This logo featured the letters “CAC” in blue in the middle of the logo, with a picture of a maple leaf and red outline.
“CAC” stands for Club Athletique Canadien.
1914-1917
The logo started to evolve into the Canadiens modern day logo at this time.
This version of the logo contained letters that are red with a blue outline and a big “C” with a letter “A” inside.
1918-1919
The Canadiens chose to change their logo once again! A white scripted “H” replaced “A”, which went inside the “C”.
1920-1921
The colors changed to red in this version of the logo, making it more symmetrical, as it removed the blue outlines.
1922
This logo included a red “C” but with blue outlines again. This logo also added an extra line which pointed up.
1923-1925
This logo reverted back to same logo as 1918.
1926-1932
A thin outline was added around the logo.
1933-1947
The blue outline thickened, making the “H” smaller.
1948-1956
This version of the logo contained improvements in color and graphic contrast.
1957-1999
This logo featured a closed “C” with a thick blue outline. The “H” was still in the middle.
This was by far the longest standing logo of them all.
2000- present
This logo featured a closed “C” sign, and the entire logo had a blue outline.
