January 1: Canadiens Take Winter Classic, 2016

It was only fitting that one of hockey’s oldest and greatest rivalries returned to the game’s humble beginnings: the outdoors. On January 1, 2016, the Boston Bruins hosted the Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the Winter Classic. While some might have thought the Bruins would have an advantage playing on the hallowed ground that was home to the NFL’s New England Patriots, a club that was poised to win the Super Bowl that season, the Canadiens made them feel as though they were playing at the Montreal Forum.

Just over a minute into the matchup, David Desharnais scored to give the Habs the lead. In the second frame, the Canadiens were buoyed by goals from Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher, who was back in the lineup after a month off mending two broken fingers. Although Boston’s Adam McQuaid broke goaltender Mike Condon’s shutout bid early in the final frame, Montreal added two more goals to win 5–1, the largest margin of victory at a Winter Classic since the tradition began nearly a decade earlier.

January 2: José Théodore Scores a Goal, 2001

Every goalie dreams of scoring a goal. But José Théodore was the first to admit he wasn’t even trying to score when he flipped the puck down the ice. On January 2, 2001, with nine seconds remaining in a game against the Islanders, the Canadiens goaltender found the back of the net, becoming the first netminder in franchise history to light the lamp. With New York’s net empty, Théodore retrieved the puck from behind his crease and backhanded it. He thought an Islander would have intercepted the shot, but the puck found its way into the yawning cage, making it 4–0.

Théodore jumped for joy as he celebrated with his teammates, but even better than the goal was that he stopped all 32 shots he faced that night to record his first shutout of the season. While Théodore was the fourth goalie in NHL history to record a goal by shooting the puck into the opposing team’s net, he was the first to accomplish the feat and earn a shutout in the same game, a distinction he holds to this day.

January 3: Ken Dryden Earns 40th Shutout, 1978

It doesn’t matter if it’s your first shutout or your 40th, anytime you turn aside every shot you face to backstop your team to a victory, it’s an incredible feeling. Following a flawless performance against the St. Louis Blues on January 3, 1978, Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, who stopped 22 shots that night, reflected on his 40th career shutout. “It’s games like tonight that are special,” the always cerebral netminder told reporters. “Feelings like this are what makes hockey very special to me.”

Although Dryden already had four Stanley Cups, three Vezina trophies, and a Conn Smythe on his resume, there was nothing like a perfect game to put things in perspective. He may never have imagined having all that hardware to his name while he was growing up and playing on his backyard rink with his older brother, Dave, who also went on to become an NHL goaltender, but a shutout is always special, whether you are tending twine in the big leagues or honing your skills under the stars at the neighbourhood rink.

January 4: Lars Eller Notches Four Against the Jets, 2012

It was a great night for the great Dane. On January 4, 2012, in a game against the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal’s Lars Eller scored four goals and added an assist in a 7–3 rout to the delight of the home crowd at the Bell Centre. Following the matchup, he told reporters that “fans haven’t gotten what they’ve paid for most of the year,” but he made sure they got their money’s worth that night.

After notching his first goal in the opening frame to make it 3–0, Eller potted two more early in the third period to record his first career hat trick. But the Danish forward wasn’t done just yet. Just over the halfway mark of the final stanza, he was awarded a penalty shot. Although Eller hadn’t had an opportunity in the shootout that season, he beat Jets goaltender Chris Mason with a spinarama move, dazzling the Canadiens faithful to cap off a milestone evening. Eller would play four more seasons with Montreal, but that would be his only hat trick as a Hab.

January 5: First Canadiens Game, 1910

A month after the Montreal Canadiens were founded as part of the newly formed National Hockey Association, the team played its first game on January 5, 1910. Taking on the Cobalt Silver Kings, a squad hailing from a Northern Ontario mining town that was known for its silver deposits, at the Jubilee Rink in Montreal, the Canadiens stormed out to a 3–1 lead in the first half of the game. It’s worth noting that until the 1910–11 season, the NHA played two 30-minute frames before switching to three 20-minute periods.

But the Silver Kings rallied in the second half. They scored three quick goals to take the lead before the teams exchanged a few more goals to finish regulation tied 6–6. Shortly into overtime, George “Skinner” Poulin found the back of the net to give the Canadiens their first victory. The win, however, was short-lived. A few days later, the rival Canadian Hockey Association folded, and two of its teams were absorbed by the NHA. None of the results counted, and the bulging league officially restarted a couple of weeks later.