Editing Montreal Canadiens (section)

===Crest and sweater design===
{{multiple image
| title = Early logos used by the Canadiens
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| total_width = 150
| image1 = Logo Canadiens de Montréal 1909-1910.png
| caption1 = Logo used from 1909 to 1910
| image2 = Montreal Canadiens 1912-1913 logo.svg
| caption2 = Logo used from 1912 to 1913
| image3 = MontrealCanadiens1918.png
| caption3 = Original design of the "CHC" logo (1917–1919, 1921–1922)
}}
One of sport's oldest and most recognizable logos, the classic 'C' and 'H' of the Montreal Canadiens was first used together in the 1917–18 season, when the club changed its name to "Club de hockey Canadien" from "Club athlétique Canadien",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=370513 |title=Ice Age: Playing the point on many issues – 02/08/2008 |last=Coffey |first=Phil |publisher=National Hockey League |date=February 8, 2008 |access-date=December 12, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719104146/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=370513 |archive-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref> before evolving to its current form in 1952–53. The "H" stands for "hockey", not "[[Habitants]]," a popular misconception.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jerseys and Logos – 1909 – 1946 |url=http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/jerseys-and-logos/1909-1946 |website=ourhistory.canadiens.com |access-date=March 10, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324212551/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/jerseys-and-logos/1909-1946 |archive-date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> According to [[About.com]], the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was American [[Tex Rickard]], owner of the [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]], in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants".<ref name="theH">{{cite web|url=https://www.liveabout.com/montreal-canadiens-called-the-habs-2778720 |title=Why are the Montreal Canadiens called the Habs?|website=[[About.com]] |year=2008 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Jamie}}</ref> In French, the "Habitants" nickname dates back to at least 1914, when it was printed in ''[[Le Devoir]]'' to report a 9–3 win over Toronto on the ninth of February.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sportetsociete.blogspot.com/2007/11/le-canadien-de-montral-les-origines-du.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503155303/http://sportetsociete.blogspot.com/2007/11/le-canadien-de-montral-les-origines-du.html |archive-date=May 3, 2008|title=Le Canadien de Montréal, les origines du terme HABITANT|last=Foisy|first=Paul|date=November 30, 2007 |website=Sport et Société Québec|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=VICTOIRE ECRASANTE DU CANADIEN SUR TORONTO |work=[[Le Devoir]] |location=Montreal |page=4 |language=fr |date=February 9, 1914| via=BAnQ numérique |url=http://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2792155?docpos=4 |access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

Since 1911, the team's primary colours are blue, white and red. The home [[Hockey jersey|sweater]] is predominantly red in colour and features four blue and white stripes: one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waistline. The main road sweater is white with a red and blue stripe across the waist, red at the end of both arm sleeves, and red shoulder yokes. The basic design has been in use since 1914 and took its current form in 1925, generally evolving as materials changed.<ref name=jerseys/> Because of the team's lengthy history and significance in Quebec, the sweater has been referred to as {{lang|fr|'La Sainte-Flanelle'}} (the holy flannel sweater).

As of 2015, the Canadiens' home red sweater is the only uniform in the league to feature the [[French language]] version of the NHL shield logo (LNH) on the neck collar, in acknowledgment of Montreal's French Canadian heritage. The road white sweater retains the English NHL shield logo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/montreal-canadiens-unveil-new-2015-16-jersey/c-771966 |title=Montreal Canadiens unveil new 2015-16 jersey |publisher=Montreal Canadiens|date=June 27, 2015|via=NHL.com |access-date=December 20, 2021}}</ref>

The Canadiens used multiple designs prior to adopting the aforementioned design in 1914. The original shirt of the 1909–10 season was blue with a white C. The second season had a red shirt featuring a green [[maple leaf]] with the C logo, and green pants. Lastly, the season before adopting the current look the Canadiens wore a "[[barber pole]]" design jersey with red, white and blue stripes, and the logo being a white maple leaf reading "CAC", "Club athlétique Canadien".<ref name=jerseys>{{cite web|url=http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/jerseys-and-logos/1909-1946 |title=Our History – Logos and Jerseys |publisher=Canadiens.com |year=2008 |access-date=February 16, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718004302/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/jerseys-and-logos/1909-1946 |archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref> All three designs were worn during the [[2009–10 NHL season|2009–10 season]] as part of the Canadiens' [[centenary]].<ref name=cent>{{cite web|url=http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=489960 |title=Habs unveil Centennial initiatives |date=September 24, 2008 |access-date=October 31, 2014 |publisher=Canadiens.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101050356/http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=489960 |archive-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

In the 2020–21 season, the Canadiens unveiled a "[[2022–23 NHL season #"Reverse Retro" jerseys|Reverse Retro]]" alternate uniform in collaboration with [[Adidas]]. The uniform was essentially the same as their regular red uniform, but with blue as the primary colour and red as the stripe colour.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reverse Retro alternate jerseys for all 31 teams unveiled by NHL, adidas|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-reveals-adidas-reverse-retro-jerseys/c-319633384|publisher=National Hockey League|date=December 1, 2020|access-date=December 5, 2020|last=Ledra|first=Cristina}}</ref> A second iteration was released in the 2022–23 season, again using the same template but with red relegated to the logo only and featuring a light blue base with white/dark blue/white stripes.<ref>{{cite news|title=NHL Reverse Retro jerseys for all 32 teams unveiled by adidas|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/2022-adidas-nhl-reverse-retro-jerseys-reveal/c-336511528|publisher=National Hockey League|date=October 20, 2022|access-date=October 20, 2022|last=Merola|first=Lauren}}</ref> 

This period also saw the introduction of [[National Hockey League #Corporate sponsors|corporate sponsor advertising]] across NHL-sanctioned equipment, starting with helmet ads and followed by front jersey patches on gameday uniforms. Contextually, the Canadiens' away jerseys feature the [[Air Canada]] logo<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadiens announce Air Canada as official road jersey partner|url=https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/nov-22-canadiens-announce-air-canada-as-official-road-jersey-partner|publisher=Montreal Canadiens|date=November 22, 2023|access-date=December 16, 2024}}</ref> in the upper right chest area whereas the name and shield for the [[Royal Bank of Canada]] (RBC) is stitched onto its home counterpart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadiens announce RBC as first official game jersey partner|url=https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/canadiens-announce-rbc-as-first-official-game-jersey-partner-335520044|publisher=Montreal Canadiens|date=September 12, 2022|access-date=December 16, 2024}}</ref>

The Canadiens' colours are a readily identifiable aspect of [[French Canadian]] culture. In the short story "[[The Hockey Sweater]]", [[Roch Carrier]] described the influence of the Canadiens and their jersey within rural Quebec communities during the 1940s.<ref name="Civilization-HockeySweater">{{cite web |last=Tarasoff |first=Tamara |title=Roch Carrier and ''The Hockey Sweater'' |publisher=Canadian Museum of History |date=December 10, 2004 |url=http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cpm/catalog/cat2208e.shtml |access-date=September 4, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313223451/http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cpm/catalog/cat2208e.shtml |archive-date=March 13, 2014}}</ref> The story was later made into an animated short, ''The Sweater'', narrated by Carrier.<ref name="NFB-HockeySweater">{{cite web |author=National Film Board of Canada Production |title=The Sweater |work=NFB – Collection |publisher=National Film Board of Canada Production |year=2008 |url=http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=13316 |access-date=September 4, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218103029/http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=13316 |archive-date=February 18, 2014}}</ref> A passage from the short story appears on the [[Canadian Journey Series#$5 note|2002 issuance of the Canadian five-dollar bill]].<ref name="CBC-SpiritHockey">{{cite news |publisher=CBC Archives |work=CBC.ca |title=The Spirit of Hockey |year=2008 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/hockey/the-spirit-of-hockey/the-hockey-sweater.html |access-date=September 20, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808224702/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/hockey/the-spirit-of-hockey/the-hockey-sweater.html |archive-date=August 8, 2012}}</ref><ref name="HockeyPeoplesHistory-VirtualHotStove">{{cite news |website=CBC.ca |title=The Virtual Hot Stove |year=2008 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/hockeyhistory/virtualhotstove/personalities.html |access-date=September 4, 2008 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606194954/http://www.cbc.ca/hockeyhistory/virtualhotstove/personalities.html |archive-date=June 6, 2008}}</ref>