Today In Habs History: A Dynasty Is Born

The Montreal Canadiens team of the late 1950s was unstoppable as they won 5 consecutive Stanley Cups from 1956-1960. It was April 10th, 1956, that the Canadiens got their dynasty officially started when they beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in Game 5 to capture the Stanley Cup, marking 70 years to the day that the Habs began their dominance over the NHL for the next 5 years. Just how incredible was the team that got it all started in 1956?

THIS DATE IN #HABS HISTORY
April 10, 1956: The Canadiens won their first of a record five straight Stanley Cups, beating the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 at the Forum in Game 5 of final. Jean Béliveau had a goal and also assisted on goals by Maurice Richard and Bernie Geoffrion. pic.twitter.com/CyZf2lRgow

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) April 10, 2026

Yesterday, I discussed the 1946 Stanley Cup team having its 80th year anniversary of its victory. From that team, there was only one remaining player on the 1956 Stanley Cup dynasty team: Maurice “Rocket” Richard (Emile “Butch” Bouchard started the season but retired midway through due to an injury and inability to keep up with the game anymore; therefore, he wasn’t there for the Stanley Cup win). The team also had former team captain for the 1946 Stanley Cup team, Toe Blake, as a rookie head coach for the 1955-56 campaign.

At this point of his career, the Rocket was 34 years old and wasn’t as fast as he was during his prime. However, he still managed to produce his final 70+ point season when he scored 38 goals and 71 points, finishing 2nd in points behind a player 10 years younger in Jean Béliveau, who had 47 goals and 88 points. Beliveau finished that season with both the Art Ross Trophy for most points during the season as well as the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

The reality was that this team had been transitioning into a powerhouse behind a veteran Richard for the past few years as the Canadiens brought in multiple superstar future Hall-of-Famers to surround him since the 1946 Stanley Cup win. Starting with defenseman Doug Harvey, who became a Hab during the 1947-48 season. Harvey was in the prime of his career at the start of the dynasty as he won his 2nd of 7 career Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman during the 1955-56 campaign.

The next big piece that joined was Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, who had played a few games along with Beliveau as early as the 1950-51 season with the Habs but only became a full-time Canadien as of the next season. At this point, Geoffrion was on the verge of taking over the role as the main sniper from Richard, as both players had 38 goals in 1954-55, leading the league in that stat. Geoffrion had a bit of a dip in producing during the 1955-56 season, scoring 28 goals and 62 points in 59 games. Meanwhile, Beliveau would only join the Habs full-time for the 1953-54 campaign even though he played parts of the previous 3 years with them. He was the next player to help create the powerhouse and likely the best all-around player during this 5-year run.

Following that came goaltender Jacques Plante for the 1953-54 season, who spent one year as a backup before assuming the starting role and flourishing into a star during the 1954-55 campaign. In just his second season as a starter, he would win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Essentially, the Habs managed to sweep all of the major awards for the 1955-56 season.

Forward Dickie Moore would make his debut during the 1951-52 season with the Canadiens, but he would spend a lot of time going up and down from the minors before staying up for good during the 1954-55 season. During the 1955-56 season, Dickie Moore was not yet in his prime and was just developing himself as a player, but he did have a solid 11 goals and 50 points in 70 games, showing his ability as a playmaker.

The Canadiens also had a 19-year-old Henri Richard, who made his debut alongside his older brother during the 1955-56 season. In his rookie year, Richard had a respectable 19 goals and 40 points in 64 games, but it was far from the player he would become as the dynasty progressed.

On top of those star players, the Habs also had two more Hall-of-Famers in forward Bert Olmstead, who put up a career-high 56 assists and 70 points in 70 games during the 1955-56 season. As well as defenseman Tom Johnson, who would form a great pairing for years with Harvey. With that being said, the star power for this team was something that could never be repeated today and it’s no wonder that they won 5 straight Stanley Cups.

During the regular season, the Canadiens went 45-15-10 to record the first ever 100-point season in league history as they ran away with first place in the league as they led the 2nd place Detroit Red Wings by 24 points. The success only continued in the playoffs as they handled both their opponents quite easily, starting with the New York Rangers, whom they beat in 5 games. Followed by the Red Wings, whom they handled in 5 games once again to capture their 8th Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The team was led by Beliveau who had 12 goals and 19 points in 10 games. He was followed by Geoffrion, Richard and Olmstead who all put up 14 points in the post-season. In the Stanley Cup clinching game, Beliveau had a goal and also assisted on the other two goals for a 3 point night. Beliveau was the inaugural winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP in 1965, but had it been available in 1956, he would have ran away with it. At the end of the day, the Habs centre had one of the greatest seasons ever from a Hab as he led the team and league in almost every way possible.

The 1955-56 Habs team was a special one as it set the stage for the team to grow into an even more dominant squad by the end of the decade. There will never be another team like the late 1950s Habs, and that’s why they deserve to be recognized for everything that they did.