Sometimes people refer to the canadians as the "Habs." According to stories, this nickman dates back to 1924. Tex Rickards, who owend Madison Square Gardens in New York, was told that the "H" on the Canadiens sweater stood for habitant, a French word that was once used to describe the farmers of Quebec. Really, though, the "H" stands for "hockey." the Montreal Canadiens official name is "le Club de Hockey Canadien."
It is a "CHC" for le Club de Hockey Canadien, the official name of the franchise in French. Many people believe, mistakenly, that the "H" stands for Habitants (or "Habs" for short), but it does not. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard, owner of the Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."[20]
The h stands for hockey even though some people think it stands for habitant it really stands for hockey.
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If you look closely you can see that the logo consists of two Cs (The red one and a white one outlined in blue) and a white H outlined in blue. Together they are the initials of the "Club de Hockey Canadien".
Garpinator
The distinctive C-wrapped-around-H logo stands for "Club de Hockey Canadien."
H = Habitants (their first name) and C = Canadiens (Canadians in French)
Originally it stands for "Club de Hockey Canadien". But in 1924 the owner of the Canadians told a reporter in NewYork it stands for "Habitans", a name which the first french settlers had. So the nickname "Habs" was born.
blue,red and white
The St Cloud State hockey team started using the STC logo, similar to famous Habs CH, in 1996. They began using the current version in 2007.
Club Athletic Canadien (CAC)(Logo was an ''A'' in a C) was the former name and become Club de Hockey Canadien in 1917 (CHC)(''H'' in a C).
Logo One of sports' oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917-18 season before evolving to its current form in 1952-53. The 'H' does not stand for 'Habs' or Habitants; this misconception stems from an error by an English language newspaper reporter in the 1950s. It actually stands for 'Hockey', as in 'Club de Hockey Canadien', the official name of the team. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants."
Habs is an abbreviation of "les habitants," the informal name given to the original settlers of New France, dating back to the 17th Century. So it's a natural fit for the The Montreal Canadiens, established in 1909 and marketed as a French-Canadian hockey team. Having said that, the nickname might have been the result of an error. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants." Not true. The distinctive C-wrapped-around-H logo stands for "Club de Hockey Canadien."
Since the Colonial age the Quebecois have referred to themselves as "les habitants" (Fr. the inhabitants). When the NHL was first formed the Montreal Canadiens were intentionally a predominantly French Canadian team, whereas English speaking Montrealers had their own team, the Montreal Maroons. As a result, it was natural to call les Canadiens by the nickname of the people they represented. (Habs is the short form.)
On some Bruins apparel a number 24 and 49 are on each side of the teams logo, the reasoning behind these numbers is that it represents both the year the Bruins were established (1924), and the year they first began wearing their famous "spoked B" logo on their uniforms, which was (1949). This "spoked B" logo represents a hubcap, because Boston was know as the "HUB", and is still often refered to in hockey context as "The Hub of Hockey".
Employee Association Logo
Montreal's Amature Athletics Association, the MAAA, used the logo in the mid 19th century for their cycling club. Subsequently the logo was used for the Montreal Hockey Club which formed out of members of the MAAA. A lesser known fact is that the winged wheel logo was used for the MAA swim team as well. One of it's former players , James Norris, of Montreal Quebec supplants the "winged wheel" logo and moniker on the Detroit hockey team in 1932. The finacialy strapped team struggled under different names and owners before Canadian Jack Adams and Norris took control. Norris an astute businessman modified the original upright wing design and changed the name to "the Red Wings". However, too many parralels may be drawn between the Montreal and Detroit hockey clubs that had the MAA filed a claim it would have been actionable at that time. Since it's introduction into the public psyche and popular culture the "winged wheel" has been used by the American military, Girl Scouts, as well as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.