Canadiens -- Maple Leafs rivalry - Wikipedia Canadiens -- Maple Leafs rivalry `` Toronto - Montreal rivalry '' redirects here. For the rivalry in soccer, see 401 Derby. Canadiens -- Maple Leafs rivalry Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs First meeting December 26, 1917 Arena Gardens ( Toronto ) Latest meeting April 7, 2018 Air Canada Centre ( Toronto ) Next meeting TBA Statistics Meetings total 810 All - time series 397 -- 316 -- 88 -- 9 ( MTL ) Regular season series 355 -- 287 -- 88 -- 9 ( MTL ) Postseason results 42 -- 29 ( MTL ) Largest victory MTL 11 -- 0 TOR March 30, 1944 Longest win streak MTL W14 Current win streak TOR W4 Post-season history 1944 Semi-finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 1 1945 Semi-finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 2 1947 Stanley Cup Finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 2 1951 Stanley Cup Finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 1 1959 Stanley Cup Finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 1 1960 Stanley Cup Finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 0 1963 Semi-finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 1 1964 Semi-finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 3 1965 Semi-finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 2 1966 Semi-finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 0 1967 Stanley Cup Finals : Maple Leafs, 4 -- 2 1978 Semi-finals : Canadiens, 4 -- 0 1979 Quarterfinals : Canadiens, 4 -- 0 Roch Carrier as a young boy ( wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater ) and presumably the inspiration of The Hockey Sweater Created by Charles Pachter, Hockey Knights in Canada is a piece consisting of two murals installed in 1984 in College Station of the Toronto Subway, the nearest station to Maple Leaf Gardens ( then the home venue ). One mural features Leafs players, while the other shows the Canadiens and stands in literal opposition on the northbound platform across the tracks. The Canadiens -- Maple Leafs rivalry is a National Hockey League ( NHL ) rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Dating back to 1917, it is the oldest rivalry in the NHL. From 1944 -- 78, the two teams met each other in the playoffs 15 times and faced each other in five Stanley Cup Finals. While the on - ice competition is fierce, the Leafs -- Habs rivalry is symbolic of the rivalry between Canada 's two largest cities : Toronto and Montreal. Both teams have fans across Canada ( and beyond ) ; allegiances are no longer as strongly determined by language spoken as in their early histories. Contents 1 History 2 1940s to 1960s 3 Post-expansion era 3.1 1980s and 1990s 3.2 2000s -- present 4 Playoff battles 5 See also 6 References History From the time of the French loss of Quebec City at the Plains of Abraham in 1759, the chief tension in what eventually became Canada has been between English - and French - speaking Canadians. The English Canadians were for the most part of British ethnic stock and Protestant, and were associated with the British Crown. By contrast, the French Canadians ( from Quebec and other provinces ), were not only of French descent, but were also heavily Roman Catholic in religion and as a group did not possess strong allegiances with the British Crown. When the NHL was created in 1917, these differences continued to play themselves out in the rivalry between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. The Maple Leafs ' fanbase consisted mainly of English - speaking Canadians of British descent ; in fact, the team 's logo from 1927 onward was in essence a stylized version of the Canadian Army 's Cap Badge Insignia during World War I. This held particular significance for longtime Leafs owner Conn Smythe, who had served as an artillery officer during the Great War. As late as the 1970s, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, was hung in the Leafs ' home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, and `` God Save the Queen '' was sung as an anthem before the game ( the former practice was famously discontinued by the team 's owner at the time, Harold Ballard, who asked, `` The Queen does n't pay anything to get in, does she ? '' ). The Canadiens, meanwhile, captured the imaginations of French - speaking fans, mainly concentrated in the province of Quebec ( and to a slightly lesser degree, English - speaking Catholic and Jewish fans in Montreal, as well as English - speaking Catholic fans in eastern Ontario and the Maritimes ). In contrast to the anthem practice in Toronto at the time, the Canadiens pioneered the use of the current Canadian national anthem, `` O Canada, '' at the Montreal Forum with bilingual lyrics. Ironically, the Canadiens were responsible for the Maple Leafs ' entrance to the League. The NHL had been formed when four of the five teams in the National Hockey Association -- including the Canadiens -- wanted to get rid of Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone. When they discovered the League constitution did not allow them to simply expel the Blueshirts, they simply created a new league, the NHL, and did not invite the Blueshirts to join them, effectively leaving Livingstone in a one - team league. However, Canadiens owner George Kennedy felt it would be unthinkable not to have a team from Toronto in the new league. The NHL also needed a fourth team to balance the schedule after the Quebec Bulldogs suspended operations due to financial problems ( and as it turned out, did not take the ice until 1919 ). At his suggestion, the NHL granted a temporary franchise to the Blueshirts ' landlords, the Toronto Arena Company. The Arena Company was granted a permanent franchise for the next season, known as the Toronto Arenas. The Arenas became the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919 and the Maple Leafs in 1927. The rivalry became especially heated after the Montreal Maroons ( a team representing Montreal 's Anglophone community ) suspended operations ( and as it turned out, never returned ) in 1938. For the next 32 years, the Habs and Leafs were the only Canadian teams in the league. 1940s to 1960s While certainly heated during the 1940s and 1950s, the Habs -- Leafs rivalry was particularly acute during the 1960s ; the two teams reigned exclusively as Stanley Cup champions during the decade, with the exception of 1961, which was won by the Chicago Black Hawks ( their last championship until 2010 ). The rivalry perhaps reached its zenith in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals during the centennial year of Canadian Confederation. The city of Montreal was hosting Expo 67 that year, and the Canadiens were expected to beat the Leafs quite handily. Still, underdog Toronto upset the Habs to capture their most recent Cup. Post-expansion era After 1967, the rivalry cooled slightly due to NHL expansion and realignment. The fanbases of both teams began to erode somewhat : new franchises in Vancouver ( the Canucks ), Calgary ( the Flames ), Edmonton ( the Oilers ) and Winnipeg ( the Jets ) captured the allegiances of Canadians in Western Canada, while the Quebec Nordiques competed with the Canadiens for the loyalties of Quebecers from 1979 to 1995. 1980s and 1990s From 1981 to 1998, Toronto and Montreal were in opposite conferences -- the Maple Leafs in the Clarence Campbell / Western Conference and the Canadiens in the Prince of Wales / Eastern Conference. The fortunes of the two teams since 1967 have also seen a marked difference ; the Habs have won ten Stanley Cup championships since that year, while the Maple Leafs have yet to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto came close to reaching the Finals in 1993, where they would have faced the Wales Conference champion Habs in the 100th anniversary year of the Stanley Cup. However, they were narrowly defeated in the Campbell Conference Finals by the Los Angeles Kings. At the 1994 NHL All - Star Game in New York City the following January, however, the then - starting goaltenders of the two teams -- Montreal 's Patrick Roy and Toronto 's Felix Potvin -- were the starting goalies, Potvin substituting for future Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour. The Eastern Conference, coached by the Canadiens ' Jacques Demers, won the game, 9 -- 8. This rivalry is featured in the children 's book The Hockey Sweater, in which the protagonist, a Canadiens fan and presumably author Roch Carrier as a child, is forced to wear a Leafs sweater. The rivalry is also featured in the murals of Toronto 's College subway station, in a work by Charles Pachter called Hockey Knights in Canada, in which the Leafs are depicted on the southbound side mural and the Canadiens are depicted on the northbound side mural. The two murals are installed appropriately in opposition, with one facing the other across the subway tracks. On May 29, 1992, Pat Burns resigned as the Canadiens head coach and was hired as the Maple Leafs head coach that same day, adding more fuel to the fire. Burns coached the Canadiens to the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Calgary Flames in six games. However, he would win the Stanley Cup as coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2003. In 1998, the Leafs moved into the Eastern Conference 's Northeast Division. This has served to rekindle the rivalry, although the two teams have yet to appear in a playoff series against each other. For the Maple Leafs, this realignment also put them in the same division as the Ottawa Senators, their in - province rivals. 2000s -- present Another realignment in 2013 kept the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Senators in the same division, now going by the Atlantic Division name ( the old Atlantic Division was renamed the Metropolitan Division ). On October 14th, 2017, the Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens 4 - 3 in overtime, ending a record breaking 14 game losing streak against their rivals dating back over three years to January 18th, 2014. It was also their first win in Montreal in over four years, stretching back to October 1st, 2013. Playoff battles The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have met in the playoffs 15 times. To date, Montreal has won 8, Toronto 7. Scores of games won by the series winning team are in bold. Season Round Result Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 1917 -- 18 NHL Final * Toronto 10 - 7 * * 3 - 7 3 - 4 1924 -- 25 NHL Semi-final * Montreal 5 - 2 * * 3 - 2 2 - 0 1943 -- 44 Semi-final Montreal 4 - 1 3 - 1 1 - 5 2 - 1 4 - 1 0 - 11 1944 -- 45 Semi-final Toronto 4 - 2 1 - 0 3 - 2 4 - 1 3 - 4 3 - 10 2 - 3 1946 -- 47 Final Toronto 4 - 2 0 - 6 4 - 0 2 - 4 1 - 2 1 - 3 1 - 2 1950 -- 51 Final Toronto 4 - 1 2 - 3 3 - 2 2 - 1 3 - 2 2 - 3 1958 -- 59 Final Montreal 4 - 1 3 - 5 1 - 3 2 - 3 3 - 2 3 - 5 1959 -- 60 Final Montreal 4 - 0 2 - 4 1 - 2 5 - 2 4 - 0 1962 -- 63 Semi-final Toronto 4 - 1 1 - 3 2 - 3 2 - 0 1 - 3 0 - 5 1963 -- 64 Semi-final Toronto 4 - 3 0 - 2 2 - 1 3 - 2 3 - 5 2 - 4 0 - 3 3 - 1 1964 -- 65 Semi-final Montreal 4 - 2 2 - 3 1 - 3 2 - 3 2 - 4 1 - 3 4 - 3 1965 -- 66 Semi-final Montreal 4 - 0 3 - 4 0 - 2 5 - 2 4 - 1 1966 -- 67 Final Toronto 4 - 2 2 - 6 3 - 0 2 - 3 6 - 2 4 - 1 1 - 3 1977 -- 78 Semi-final Montreal 4 - 0 3 - 5 2 - 3 6 - 1 2 - 0 1978 -- 79 Quarter - final Montreal 4 - 0 2 - 5 1 - 5 4 - 3 5 - 4 * Stanley Cup Finals were between the NHL and PCHA champions prior to 1927. * * Total goals series. See also National Hockey League rivalries Pearson Cup References Inline citations Jump up ^ Cole 2004, p. 52 ^ Jump up to : Cole 2004, p. 71 Jump up ^ Cole 2004, p. 68 Jump up ^ Cole 2004, p. 127 Jump up ^ Dillman, Lisa ( May 30, 1993 ). `` Game 7 Victory Is a Great One Hockey ''. Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Jump up ^ Cox, Damien ( May 30, 1992 ). `` Habs ' Burns to coach Leafs ''. Toronto Star. p. A1. ^ Jump up to : Frei, Terry ( June 10, 2003 ). `` Devils in heaven Brodeur 's shutout nets NHL title ''. The Denver Post. p. D01. ^ Jump up to : Shoalts, David ( December 3, 1997 ). `` Leafs get wish to play Habs more ''. The Globe and Mail. p. S1. Jump up ^ `` Matthews pots OT winner as Leafs end 14 - game winless run against Habs ''. CBC. Canada. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` A look back at the last time the Leafs beat the Canadiens ''. www.thescore.com. Jump up ^ `` Auston Matthews nets OT winner as Toronto Maple Leafs edge Montreal Canadiens 4 - 3 ''. National Post. Canada. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017. Bibliography Cole, Stephen ( 2004 ). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto : McArthur & Company. ISBN 1 - 55278 - 408 - 8. Montreal Canadiens Founded in 1909 Based in Montreal, Quebec Franchise Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current season History History Original Six Centennial Records Award winners Retired numbers Personnel Owners Molson family ( Geoff Molson, chairman ) General manager Marc Bergevin Head coach Claude Julien Team captain Max Pacioretty Current roster Arenas Jubilee Arena Montreal Arena Mount Royal Arena Montreal Forum Bell Centre Rivalries Boston Bruins Quebec Nordiques Toronto Maple Leafs Affiliates AHL Laval Rocket ECHL Brampton Beast Media TV TSN2 ( English ) RDS ( French ) Radio English TSN Radio 690 French 98, 5 FM Culture and lore Youppi ! The Hockey Sweater Pour toujours, les Canadiens ! Ginette Reno Tour des Canadiens The Punch Line Richard Riot 1938 European tour Good Friday Massacre 2003 Heritage Classic 2011 Heritage Classic 2016 Winter Classic NHL 100 Classic Toronto Maple Leafs Founded in 1917 Based in Toronto, Ontario Franchise Franchise General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current season History History Toronto Arenas Toronto St. Patricks Original Six Award winners Records Retired numbers Personnel Owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment ( Larry Tanenbaum, chairman ) President Brendan Shanahan General manager Kyle Dubas Head coach Mike Babcock Team captain Vacant Current roster Arenas Arena Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens Air Canada Centre Rivalries Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Affiliates AHL Toronto Marlies ECHL Orlando Solar Bears Media Broadcasters TV : Sportsnet Ontario TSN4 Leafs Nation Network ( team - related programs only ) Radio : Sportsnet 590 The Fan TSN Radio 1050 Choq FM 105, 1 Culture and lore 2014 NHL Winter Classic 2018 NHL Stadium Series NHL Centennial Classic Carlton the Bear In popular culture `` Fifty Mission Cap '' Hockey Knights in Canada The Hockey Sweater The Love Guru J.P. Bickell Memorial Award Maple Leaf Square The Kid Line Toronto Blueshirts National Hockey League rivalries Pacific Canucks -- Flames Ducks -- Kings Flames -- Oilers Kings -- Sharks Central Blackhawks -- Blues Atlantic Bruins -- Canadiens Canadiens -- Maple Leafs Lightning -- Panthers Maple Leafs -- Red Wings Maple Leafs -- Senators Metropolitan Capitals -- Flyers Capitals -- Penguins Capitals -- Rangers Devils -- Flyers Devils -- Rangers Flyers -- Penguins Flyers -- Rangers Islanders -- Rangers Intraconference Bruins -- Flyers Historical Canadiens -- Nordiques Blackhawks -- Red Wings Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canadiens -- Maple_Leafs_rivalry&oldid = 841323843 '' Categories : History of the Montreal Canadiens History of the Toronto Maple Leafs National Hockey League rivalries Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from August 2017 Use Canadian English from January 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 15 May 2018, at 04 : 14. 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Question: when was the last time toronto played montreal in playoffs
Answer: 1978–79