5 key moments in Canadiens playoff history

The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, and have provided no shortage of memorable playoff moments for their fans and the hockey world at large.

For the first time since 1973, Montreal enters the playoffs as the NHL's lone Canadian team. Back then, Pierre Trudeau and Richard Nixon were the heads of their respective nations; "The Godfather" won the Oscar for best picture; "Killing me softly" was a top hit (the original version, of course); and a new band named Aerosmith burst onto the scene. 

Also that year, construction began on the CN Tower in Toronto, the World Trade Center opened in New York City, and the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.

While many are hoping the current club will manufacture a few new memories during the 2013-14 NHL postseason, here's a look back at five key moments in Canadiens playoff history.

1971 - The Year of Dryden

Faced with the prospect of matching up with the high-powered, defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens turned to rookie Ken Dryden and his six total games of NHL experience in net.

While the Bruins - led by Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, John Bucyk, and Ken Hodge - took Game 1 by a score of 3-1, the Canadiens responded with one of the NHL's greatest comebacks of all time in Game 2, erasing a 5-1 deficit en route to a 7-5 win. 

Montreal eliminated the highly-favored Bruins in seven games, propelling them to an eventual finals appearance against the Chicago Blackhawks.

There, Dryden shut down the likes of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, delivering Montreal a surprising Stanley Cup championship. Dryden had 3.00 goals-against average while posting a record of 12-8, and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.

1979 - Lafleur saves season with goal vs. Bruins

In Game 7 of the 1979 Stanley Cup semifinals, the Boston Bruins took a 3-1 lead into the third period with the hopes of knocking off the three-time defending Cup champion Canadiens. After Montreal scored two goals to tie it up, the Bruins added a fourth to take a late lead.

With 2:34 remaining, the Bruins - coached by Don Cherry - infamously drew a too many men on the ice penalty, setting up this spectacular game-tying goal by Guy Lafleur.

Montreal went on to beat the Bruins in overtime, and subsequently knocked off the New York Rangers in the finals in order to win a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. 

1986 - The emergence of St. Patrick

Continuing the tradition of rookie goalies coming up big in the playoffs, 20-year-old Patrick Roy was handed the starting job in advance of the 1986 NHL playoffs and never looked back.

A third-round pick of the Canadiens in 1984, Roy became an instant legend on May 5, 1986, delivering one of the greatest performances in NHL history in a 4-3 overtime victory over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the conference finals.

Roy stopped 44 shots in the game, including 13 in overtime alone.

Montreal went on to defeat the Calgary Flames in the finals, and Roy - who allowed only 39 goals in 20 playoff games - became the youngest player to be named playoff MVP.

1993 - The 24th Stanley Cup

The Canadiens won their 24th Stanley Cup in a most memorable fashion, defeating Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in five games.

Montreal's playoff campaign got off to a rocky start, as the Canadiens lost two straight games to the rival Quebec Nordiques in round one, after some less than stellar play from Patrick Roy. The team rebounded in a big way, however, partly due to Roy's .929 playoff save percentage.

While the Kings boasted a lineup featuring Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Rob Blake, and Paul Coffey, the Canadiens responded with a less flashy but more effective lineup, built around the likes of Guy Carbonneau, Vincent Damphousse, Brian Bellows, Kirk Muller, Denis Savard, and, of course, Roy.

The series brought with it a plethora of memorable moments, including an illegal stick call on Kings defenseman Marty McSorley and a hat trick from Canadiens' defenseman Eric Desjardins in Game 2, and Patrick Roy's all-knowing "wink" in overtime of Game 4, Montreal's 10th extra-frame win in the playoffs.

Roy would go on to win another Conn Smythe Trophy after a Cup-clinching 4-1 win in Game 5, while the win infamously triggered a significant riot in the streets of Montreal.

2010 - A Halak of a run

Channelling the aforementioned Dryden and Roy, Jaroslav Halak's performance during the 2010 playoffs spurred the Canadiens to an unlikely appearance in the Eastern Conference finals.

After having split duties in net with Carey Price during the regular season, Halak took the reins in the playoffs, helping Montreal knock off the high-powered and heavily-favored Washington Capitals (the 2009-10 President's Trophy winners) and Pittsburgh Penguins (the defending Cup champions) in the first two rounds.

Perhaps his most impressive performance came in Game 6 of the Washington series, when Halak made 53 saves in the overtime victory.

Montreal's run - also aided by 13 goals in 19 games from Mike Cammalleri - ended in the conference finals at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, but Halak finished with a very impressive .923 save percentage in 18 games.

The 2014 Canadiens are set to begin their first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. A '3 things you need to know' preview can be read here.