1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 17th season and ninth in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Canadiens finished 7th in the league and did not qualify for the playoffs.
==Off-season==
The league added teams in Pittsburgh and New York, New York taking the players of the former Hamilton Tigers franchise.
The team had a large turnover of personnel, partly due to Georges Vezina to departure due to tuberculosis. Alphonse Lacroix, Herb Rheaume and Bill Taugher all appeared in the Canadien's net. New players included Bill Holmes, Wildor Larochelle, Albert Leduc, Alfred Lepine, Hector Lepine, Joe Matte and Roland Paulhus. Departures included the Cleghorn brothers, Odie and Sprague. Odie signed with Pittsburgh as playing-coach and Sprague was traded to the Boston Bruins for $5,000 on November 8, 1925. Cecil Hart took over as coach from Leo Dandurand, and Billy Coutu was named team captain.
==Regular Season==
Since 1911, Georges Vezina had been the Montreal Canadiens goaltender, and had led them to the Cup in 1924. In the first game of this season, he collapsed on the ice as the second period got underway. It was found that he had contracted tuberculosis and could no longer play. He went home to Chicoutimi, Quebec, where he died in March 1926. The team struggled with several goaltenders before Herb Rheaume won the job, but the team finished last.
In the second half of the season, the team had a twelve-game losing streak, from February 13, losing 3-0 to Pittsburgh, until March 16, winning 6–1 over Toronto.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results 	Regular Season Results
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	L 	November 28, 1925 	0–1 	Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	0–1–0
2 	W 	December 1, 1925 	3–2 	@ Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	1–1–0
3 	L 	December 3, 1925 	2–3 	Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	1–2–0
4 	L 	December 8, 1925 	2–6 	New York Americans (1925–26) 	1–3–0
5 	L 	December 12, 1925 	0–4 	@ Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26)	1–4–0
6 	W 	December 15, 1925 	3–1 	@ New York Americans (1925–26) 	2–4–0
7 	L 	December 17, 1925 	0–3 	@ Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	2–5–0
8 	W 	December 19, 1925 	6–5 OT 	Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	3–5–0
9 	L 	December 26, 1925 	0–3 	Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	3–6–0
10 	W 	December 30, 1925 	7–4 	@ Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	4–6–0
11 	W 	January 1, 1926 	2–1 	@ Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	5–6–0
12 	W 	January 5, 1926 	5–4 	Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26) 	6–6–0
13 	L 	January 9, 1926 	1–2 	New York Americans (1925–26) 	6–7–0
14 	W 	January 12, 1926 	4–2 	@ Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	7–7–0
15 	W 	January 13, 1926 	2–1 	@ New York Americans (1925–26) 	8–7–0
16 	L 	January 16, 1926 	0–1 	@ Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	8–8–0
17 	L 	January 19, 1926 	1–2 	Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	8–9–0
18 	L 	January 23, 1926 	2–6 	@ Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26)	8–10–0
19 	W 	January 26, 1926 	6–3 	Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26) 	9–10–0
20 	L 	January 28, 1926 	2–4 	@ Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	9–11–0
21 	L 	February 2, 1926 	0–2 	Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	9–12–0
22 	T 	February 6, 1926 	3–3 OT 	Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	9–12–1
23 	W 	February 9, 1926 	4–2 	Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	10–12–1
24 	L 	February 13, 1926 	0–3 	@ Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	10–13–1
25 	L 	February 16, 1926 	0–1 	Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	10–14–1
26 	L 	February 18, 1926 	2–4 	@ Ottawa Senators (1925–26) 	10–15–1
27 	L 	February 20, 1926 	1–3 	Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	10–16–1
28 	L 	February 23, 1926 	2–3 	@ Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	10–17–1
29 	L 	February 24, 1926 	1–6 	@ New York Americans (1925–26) 	10–18–1
30 	L 	February 27, 1926 	0–1 	New York Americans (1925–26) 	10–19–1
31 	L 	March 2, 1926 	1–4 	@ Boston Bruins (1925–26) 	10–20–1
32 	L 	March 6, 1926 	3–4 OT 	Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	10–21–1
33 	L 	March 9, 1926 	3–4 	Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–26) 	10–22–1
34 	L 	March 11, 1926 	3–5 	@ Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26)	10–23–1
35 	L 	March 13, 1926 	2–4 	@ Montreal Maroons (1925–26) 	10–24–1
36 	W 	March 16, 1926 	6–1 	Toronto St. Patricks (1925–26) 	11–24–1
==Playoffs==
*The Canadiens did not qualify for the post season.
==Player Stats==
===Scoring Leaders===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
Player 	GP	G 	A	Pts
Howie Morenz 	31	23	3	26
Aurel Joliat 	35	17	9	26
Pit Lepine 	32	10	3	13
Billy Boucher	34	8 	5	13
Albert Leduc 	32	9 	1	10
===Leading Goaltenders===
GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = shutouts, GAA = Goals against average
Player 	GP	GA	SO	GAA
Georges Vezina 	1 	1 	0 	1.0
Alphonse Lacroix	5 	15	0 	3.0
Bill Taugher 	1 	3 	0 	3.0
Herb Rheaume 	29	89	0 	3.1
==Awards and Records==
* Prince of Wales Trophy: Awarded for winning first game in Madison Square Garden, December 15, 1925.
==Transactions==
==Roster==
*Georges Vezina, Alphonse Lacroix, Herb Rheaume, Bill Taugher
* Billy Boucher, Billy Coutu, Bill Holmes, Aurel Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Albert Leduc, Alfred Lepine, Hector Lepine, Sylvio Mantha, Joe Matte, Howie Morenz, Roland Paulhus, Dave Ritchie
==Gallery==
25-26HLMontrealExhGameAd.jpg|Pre-season
25-26NHLCanadiensGameAd.jpg
25-26NHLCanadiensGameAd2.jpg
15Dec1925-Burch_Morenz_MSG_opening_faceoff.jpg|Faceoff between Burch and Morenz on MSG opening night, December 15, 1925.
15Dec1925-Short_scores_on_Rheaume_w_Green.jpg|Shorty Green scores the irst goal at MSG on Herb Rhéaume.
1925-26Canadiens.jpg|Team photo.
==Video==
Video of a Montreal Canadiens practice from early November 1925 which segues into the Habs playing the New York Americans in the first game at Madison Square Garden on December 15, 1925.
Montreal Canadiens 1924-25 1925-26
==See Also==
* 1925–26 NHL season
==References==
Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons
Category:1925 in hockey
Category:1926 in hockey