Canadiens: the youngest team to reach a conference final since the 1993 Canadiens

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Canadiens: the youngest team to reach a conference final since the 1993 Canadiens
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The Canadiens are halfway to the Stanley Cup.

Will the rest of the way be easy? No. Because after managing to knock out two big teams from the division, the next challenge is the Carolina Hurricanes.

And those Canes finished second in the NHL.

Yes, that's partly because the Metropolitan wasn't exactly the toughest division in the sports world. But let's give credit where credit is due: the Hurricanes finished second in the NHL.

And they haven't lost a playoff game yet in 2026.

Will the lack of experience among several players on the team (few have played in the third round before) work against the Canadiens? Maybe.

But at the same time, being young might just give the Canadiens the stamina they need to take on the Hurricanes.

Because it's worth noting that at 25.8 years old, the Canadiens are not only the youngest team still in the playoffs, but they're also the youngest team to reach the conference finals since the 1993 Canadiens.

Well, well. But what happened that year?

Believe it or not, seeing the Canadiens back in the final four right now is a major achievement. Since their last appearance in the (Western) Conference Finals in 2021, 23 teams haven't made it past the second round.

Phillip Danault had time to eat pizza, leave, come back… and eat pizza again.

And the Habs, with a roster quite different from the 2021 one, are already back. And for the fourth time since 2010, the Habs are among the final four teams still in the running.

That's pretty crazy.


overtime

There were only two Game 7s in the 2026 playoffs. And in both games, Martin St-Louis's team came out on top. That's no small feat.

It's worth noting that as a player, St-Louis also had a strong batting average in such games.

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