Why are the Montreal Canadians called "Habs"?
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rawpixels (
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March 1st, 2008
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I am not 100% positive on this but “Habs” is short for <Les Habitants> which loosely translates to inhabitants.
It must have something to do with identifying the Canadiens as the “French” team from Quebec in the National Hockey League.
Prior to 1970, give or take a few years, the NHL had only six, yes six, teams: Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Boston and my hometown Rangers, also called in those days, the Broadway Blues.
There was a great identification in Eastern Canada with the Canadiens over the years, particularly for Francophones, (speakers of French).
That’s my guess
srm
the canadiens were the French settlers in quebec, also known as the habitants. btw, habs are now first in the east
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