The Montreal Canadiens have several nicknames. They are called le Tricolore, le Bleu-blanc-rouge, and, most famously, the Habs.
That last nickname may seem strange. There is no H in Canadiens, so where does Habs come from?
The answer lies in an old word connected to the history of Quebec: les habitants.
Who were the habitants?
Under French rule, the word habitant was used for settlers who lived and farmed land in New France, particularly in the St. Lawrence Valley.
Over time, habitant became closely associated with French Canadians and rural life in Quebec.
The nickname Habs comes from this word. Habs is a shortened form of Habitants.
Today, the word is best known in this context because of hockey. When a fan talks about the Habs, they mean the Montreal Canadiens.
Why the Canadiens?
The club was founded in Montreal in 1909 under the name Club de hockey Canadien.
At the time, Montreal had several hockey teams associated with different communities in the city. The new club was intended to represent Montreal's French Canadian population.
The name Canadien had an important historical and cultural meaning. Before Canadian came to refer primarily to all citizens of Canada, Canadien had long been used for the French-speaking descendants of the settlers of New France.
The team's name reflects this history.
What about the H in the logo?
The Canadiens' famous logo contains a large red C, a white H, and a smaller C.
A popular explanation claims that the H stands for Habitants. It does not.
The H stands for hockey. The letters in the logo represent Club de hockey Canadien.
The connection between Habs and Habitants is real, but it does not explain the H in the logo.
Other nicknames
Habs is not the Canadiens' only nickname.
| Nickname | Origin |
|---|---|
| les Habs | shortened form of Habitants |
| le Tricolore | the team's three colors |
| le Bleu-blanc-rouge | the blue, white, and red of the team's jersey |
You will also hear simply le Canadien when people talk about the team.
These nicknames are part of the vocabulary of hockey in Quebec. In the media and in conversations between fans, people do not always need to say les Canadiens de Montréal.
A nickname that lives on
More than a century after the club was founded, Habs remains one of its best-known nicknames.
The club itself regularly uses the word in both English and French. You will see it in expressions such as Go Habs Go and in the team's official communications.
A four-letter nickname therefore connects a modern hockey team with a much older word from the history of Quebec.
Before you go
If you hear les Habs during a hockey game, you now know that it refers to the Montreal Canadiens and that the nickname comes from the word Habitants.
But don't let the logo fool you: the H in the center stands for hockey.