When it comes to top global sports, ice hockey is up there with the biggest. Of course, the NHL is still the spiritual home of hockey and the Montreal Canadiens remain one of the most popular sides to follow. As any Habs fan knows, you are always guaranteed plenty of action, passion and drama when watching the team.

The Canadiens are also a side with a knack for winning, as their 25 NHL league titles and 24 Stanley Cup victories to date show. As with any pro sporting side, though, there are times when things are not going so well or you face a side that is in better form than yours.

Over the years, this has led the Canadiens to go into some games as the underdog. Of course, this is not always a bad thing – if you like to bet online, then backing an underdog that you think can pull off an upset is wise. This is because betting on sports in this way can see you get much better odds and make more money if you are right. While backing the underdog should only be done when you think they have a chance of winning, it can pay off handsomely if you get it right.

Over the years, the Canadiens have clinched some memorable underdog wins that would have made a decent return and also made fans very happy. But which are five of the best?

Vegas Golden Knights 2 – Montreal Canadiens 3: June 16, 2021

Although you could argue that the Canadiens were underdogs in the whole 2021 Stanley Cup semi-final series against the Knights, Game 2 of that series stands out in particular. Coming into it, the Canadiens had already lost the first game 4-1 and were certainly not fancied to pick up a victory in the next match.

When you consider that this 3-2 victory was as visitors to the T-Mobile Arena, then it looks even better. With Carey Price starring in goal, with 29 saves from 31 shots, Joel Edmundson dominant in defense and Paul Byron netting a crucial third goal, it was a brilliant underdog performance.

Stanley Cup qualifiers triumph against Penguins in 2020

 Another famous Canadiens underdog victory involved them facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2020 Stanley Cup qualifiers. Many thought this would be a simple win for the Penguins, as the Canadiens were seeded twelfth going into the series, and Pittsburgh fifth! A combination of Carey Price’s dominance between the pipes, a lackluster series performance from Pittsburgh and forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s inspired play all helped.

Montreal Canadiens 5 – Boston Bruins 1: Game 5, 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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 The Habs were really up against it coming into this quarterfinal series against Boston. Many fancied Mike Sullivan’s Boston bruisers to romp home in this series and their initial drive to 3-1 seemed to confirm this. Game 5, though, proved decisive and was a famed Canadiens underdog win. The forward line of Koivu, Zednik and Kovalev were on fire that night and brought home a memorable victory.

 

Montreal Canadiens 3 – LA Kings 2: 1993 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2

 Although the Canadiens and Kings looked fairly well matched going into the seven-game 1993 Stanley Cup Final series, a 4-1 defeat in the first game at the Forum shocked many. This led a lot of people to predict a Wayne Gretzky-inspired Kings would then be favorites to take home the cup. The Canadiens, though, brushed this off in Game 2 to clinch a 3-2 win in overtime.

 

Montreal Canadiens beat Quebec Nordiques in 1984 Stanley Cup playoffs

 1984 saw these rivals meet up in the Stanley Cup playoffs in what was a very eventful series. Interestingly, the Nordiques went into the series as favorites due to a decent performance over the whole season. The Canadiens had not been great and had played .500 hockey for most of 1984. Once the action started, though, the Habs looked much better. The first four games were split evenly in terms of wins before a 4-0 romp in Game 5 put the Canadiens in charge. Trailing 2-0 in the sixth game, the Habs slotted home five goals on the spin to win 5-3 overall.

 

Canadiens’ underdog victories up there with the best

 For an NHL side with such a rich history, it seems strange to talk about underdog victories for the Habs. As with every team, though, they have had periods in their past when things have not been going so well or they have faced teams who many thought were better. As the above shows, they are not put off by this and usually rise to the occasion.