Thank You, Habs For A Great Season

While I’ve seen the Habs make the Stanley Cup Finals before during the 2021 Covid-shortened season, this season’s run was much more special because we actually got to cheer the team on from inside the Bell Centre and not be confined to such small groups. There were amazing watch parties (the best being inside the Bell Centre for Game 7s) all through the city and province every night as the Habs continued to impress against great teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres. Yes, the Hurricanes showed the Habs that they may not be ready just yet to be a potential Stanley Cup contender, as they gassed out in the Conference Finals, but just getting there in their first year of being considered a top team is a huge accomplishment, and I can’t wait to see what next year brings.

My overall favourite moment was when I got to celebrate with all the Habs fans inside the Bell Centre when the Habs eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 for the watch party. The building was absolutely buzzing as the whole crowd celebrated beating a team that had previously been a kryptonite to the Habs until this season. Habs fans are the best fans in the world, and that night was just one of the moments that proved it as it showed both the passion and love the city has for the team. The Habs themselves struggled at the Bell Centre during the postseason, going 2-6, but those last two games were likely the result of gassing out, and other losses came because they haven’t got the instinct to pull away in a series yet; that part of the team’s success will definitely come with the experience gained from this playoff run and will go into future seasons.

The playoff run was great, but it wasn’t even the best moment from this season, as there were moments that will never be forgotten from the regular season involving important Habs players. To start, the moment when Nick Suzuki recorded his 100th point of the campaign was in the 2nd-to-last game of the regular season.

Suzuki’s 100th point was a special milestone, as it made him the first player to reach that mark in 40 years since Mats Naslund last reached it during the 1985-86 season. This means that no Habs fan under the age of 40 was even alive the last time it happened, which is why it will be a moment that I will remember watching forever. Suzuki is now 1 of just 5 players in Canadiens history to reach 100 points, which is something that will keep him in the record books forever.

Cole Caufield had reached an even more impressive milestone a couple of games earlier with his 50th goal of the season. This was a milestone that Habs fans had watched closely for weeks on end with the season winding down, and once it happened, it was arguably seen as the biggest moment of the year. The goal came in the first period of a game at the Bell Centre against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy. It was not only on home ice in front of the best fans in the world, but he had also scored the milestone goal on the possible Vezina Trophy winner. Caufield became one of 7 players to score 50 goals in a season throughout Canadiens history.

Although there have been more 50-goal scorers in Habs history than 100-point getters, in today’s NHL recording 50 goals is more impressive. Caufield was one of just two players, along with Nathan MacKinnon, to score 50+ goals, while Suzuki was one of 8 players to get 100 points. Either way, both players gave us amazing milestones that will make this season memorable forever.

Finally, it may not feel as impressive, but Lane Hutson’s 66th assist tied a franchise record for most assists in a single season by a defenseman with Larry Robinson. The fact is that tying a franchise record in 2026 is something that rarely happens, but Hutson took another step in his game during his sophomore season in the offensive department, which allowed him to do that. This season may not end up being a memorable one for Hutson’s numbers as his career goes on, as we will probably see him eclipse 66 assists at some point during his time with the Habs over at least the next 8 years, but it does show us just how incredible a player the Habs have on their hands. Therefore, the continuous progression of Hutson is another incredible thing that occurred during this season.

There were other players such as Juraj Slafkovsky’s progression and the emergence of both Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes in their rookie seasons that made this past season so memorable and one I will forever look at fondly. It may not have resulted in a Stanley Cup win, but it was a special season that may line the team up to win in the near future. Overall, it was a successful season.

What were your favourite moments of the 2025-26 Montreal Canadiens season?