1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season

NHL hockey team season March 2026 August 2023 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1939–40 1939 7th 10–33–5 5–14–5 5–19–0 90 168 Jules Dugal Pit Lepine Walter Buswell Montreal Forum Toe Blake (17) Toe Blake (21) Toe Blake (38) Polly Drouin (51) Claude Bourque (9) Claude Bourque (3.26)The 1939–40 Montreal Canadiens season was the 31st season in franchise history. The team placed seventh in the regular season and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1935–36 season. The Canadiens would not finish a season in last place in their division again until the 1998–99 Montreal Canadiens season, and would not finish last in the league for 2021–22 Montreal Canadiens season. 2 Regular season The Canadiens' first game saw them score what would be a season-high 8 goals as they defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 8–2 at the Montreal Forum on November 5, 1939. The Habs were undefeated over their first six games (4–0–2) and were 6-2-2 in their first ten. After that, however, long winless streaks were the rule. They went 3-8-0 in December, 1-10-1 in January, 1-8-1 in February and 1-5-1 in March. Their most lopsided loss happened on February 22, 1940 – 1–10 against the Chicago Black Hawks at Chicago. Final standings Record vs. opponents MTL Schedule and results background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 5px solid; border-bottom:#192168 5px solid; 1939–40 regular season1939-40 Montreal Canadiens Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/MTL/1940_games.html Hockey-Reference.com April 8, 2025 y background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 2px solid; border-bottom:#192168 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |1||W||November 5, 1939||8–2 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||1–0–0 |- |2||W||November 9, 1939||2–0 || align="left"| New York Americans (1939–40) ||2–0–0 |- |3||T||November 16, 1939||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||2–0–1 |- |4||W||November 19, 1939||2–1 OT|| align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1939–40) ||3–0–1 |- |5||W||November 21, 1939||2–1 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||4–0–1 |- |6||T||November 23, 1939||1–1 OT|| align="left"| New York Rangers (1939–40) ||4–0–2 |- |7||L||November 25, 1939||4–6 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||4–1–2 |- |8||L||November 30, 1939||2–5 || align="left"| @ New York Americans (1939–40) ||4–2–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 2px solid; border-bottom:#192168 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |9||W||December 3, 1939||3–1 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||5–2–2 |- |10||W||December 7, 1939||4–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||6–2–2 |- |11||L||December 9, 1939||0–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||6–3–2 |- |12||L||December 10, 1939||2–3 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||6–4–2 |- |13||W||December 14, 1939||5–3 OT|| align="left"| New York Americans (1939–40) ||7–4–2 |- |14||L||December 16, 1939||2–4 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1939–40) ||7–5–2 |- |15||L||December 19, 1939||2–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1939–40) ||7–6–2 |- |16||L||December 21, 1939||2–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||7–7–2 |- |17||L||December 25, 1939||1–3 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||7–8–2 |- |18||L||December 28, 1939||4–6 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||7–9–2 |- |19||L||December 31, 1939||1–6 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||7–10–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 2px solid; border-bottom:#192168 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |20||L||January 1, 1940||0–1 || align="left"| @ New York Americans (1939–40) ||7–11–2 |- |21||L||January 4, 1940||2–3 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||7–12–2 |- |22||L||January 6, 1940||1–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||7–13–2 |- |23||W||January 7, 1940||2–1 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||8–13–2 |- |24||L||January 9, 1940||0–2 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||8–14–2 |- |25||L||January 14, 1940||2–4 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||8–15–2 |- |26||L||January 16, 1940||1–6 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||8–16–2 |- |27||L||January 18, 1940||0–1 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1939–40) ||8–17–2 |- |28||T||January 25, 1940||2–2 OT|| align="left"| New York Americans (1939–40) ||8–17–3 |- |29||L||January 27, 1940||1–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||8–18–3 |- |30||L||January 28, 1940||1–8 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||8–19–3 |- |31||L||January 30, 1940||1–4 || align="left"| @ New York Americans (1939–40) ||8–20–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 2px solid; border-bottom:#192168 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |32||L||February 4, 1940||0–9 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1939–40) ||8–21–3 |- |33||L||February 8, 1940||1–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||8–22–3 |- |34||W||February 11, 1940||3–2 OT|| align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||9–22–3 |- |35||T||February 15, 1940||1–1 OT|| align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||9–22–4 |- |36||L||February 17, 1940||1–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||9–23–4 |- |37||L||February 18, 1940||1–2 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||9–24–4 |- |38||L||February 22, 1940||1–10 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||9–25–4 |- |39||L||February 24, 1940||0–2 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1939–40) ||9–26–4 |- |40||L||February 25, 1940||2–6 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1939–40) ||9–27–4 |- |41||L||February 29, 1940||2–4 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||9–28–4 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#AF1E2D 2px solid; border-bottom:#192168 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |42||T||March 2, 1940||3–3 OT|| align="left"| New York Americans (1939–40) ||9–28–5 |- |43||L||March 3, 1940||0–3 || align="left"| @ New York Americans (1939–40) ||9–29–5 |- |44||L||March 7, 1940||1–6 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1939–40) ||9–30–5 |- |45||W||March 9, 1940||3–0 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||10–30–5 |- |46||L||March 10, 1940||2–5 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1939–40) ||10–31–5 |- |47||L||March 14, 1940||4–8 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1939–40) ||10–32–5 |- |48||L||March 17, 1940||2–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1939–40) ||10–33–5 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Player statistics Regular season Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM Toe Blake LW 48 17 19 36 48 Charlie Sands Charlie Sands (ice hockey) C/RW 47 9 20 29 10 Ray Getliffe C/LW 46 11 12 23 29 Georges Mantha D/LW 42 9 11 20 6 Lou Trudel LW 47 12 7 19 24 Polly Drouin LW 42 4 11 15 51 Marty Barry C 30 4 10 14 2 Doug Young Doug Young (ice hockey) D 47 3 9 12 22 Red Goupille D 48 2 10 12 48 Paul Haynes Paul Haynes (ice hockey) C 23 2 8 10 8 Johnny Gagnon RW 10 4 5 9 0 Rod Lorrain RW 41 1 5 6 6 Bill Summerhill RW 13 3 2 5 24 Tony Demers RW 14 2 3 5 2 Earl Robinson ice hockey RW/C 11 1 4 5 4 William Meronek C 7 2 2 4 0 Armand Mondou LW 21 2 2 4 0 Walt Buswell D 46 1 3 4 10 Cy Wentworth D 32 1 3 4 6 John Doran John Doran (ice hockey) D 6 0 3 3 6 Armand Raymond D 11 0 1 1 0 Claude Bourque G 36 0 0 0 0 Wilf Cude G 7 0 0 0 0 Mike Karakas G 5 0 0 0 0 Gus Mancuso Gus Mancuso (ice hockey) RW 2 0 0 0 0 Gordon Poirier C 10 0 0 0 0 Rhys Thomson D 7 0 0 0 16 Goaltending PlayerMINGPW LTGAGAA SO Claude Bourque 2210 36 9 24 3 121 3.29 2 Wilf Cude 415 7 1 5 1 24 3.47 0 Mike Karakas 310 5 0 4 1 18 3.48 0 Charlie Sands Charlie Sands (ice hockey) 25 1 0 0 0 5 12.00 0 Team: 2960 48 10 33 5 168 3.41 2 hockey-reference.com 2009-05-28 1939-40 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/MTL/1940.html Awards and records All-Star teams First Team   Position  Toe Blake LW Transactions May 15, 1939 To Montreal Canadienscash To Chicago Black HawksDes SmithNHL trades for 1939-1940 http://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_season/1939-40/1 2021-07-22 NHL Trade TrackerDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 803 978-1-57243-604-6 October 10, 1939 To Boston BruinsHerb Cain To Montreal CanadiensRay GetliffeCharlie SandsDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 498, 572 & 784 978-1-57243-604-6 October 11, 1939 To Montreal CanadiensEarl Robinson To Chicago Black HawkscashDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 773 978-1-57243-604-6 November 29, 1939 To Boston BruinsGeorge Brown To Montreal CanadienscashDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 489 978-1-57243-604-6 January 4, 1940 To New York AmericansJohnny Gagnon To Montreal CanadienscashDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 567 978-1-57243-604-6 April 26, 1940 To Montreal CanadiensHerb Gardinercash To New York RangersClaude BourqueDiamond Dan Total NHL 2003 Triumph Books Chicago 868 & 878 978-1-57243-604-6 See also 1939–40 NHL season Citations References Canadiens on Hockey Database Canadiens on NHL Reference Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons Montreal Montreal Category:1930s in Montreal Category:1940s in Montreal