Montreal continues to make history

Last night, with a 4-2 loss to the powerhouse Philadelphia Flyers, the Montreal Canadiens got into their favorite pastime: chasing history:

The Canadiens' 5-19-1 record since December 3rd is the team's worst 25 game stretch since the 1939-40 season.

— Chantal Desjardins (@ChantalOnAir) February 3, 2016

It's a pretty mean feat to have the worst 25-game stretch since the days when Toe Blake, who coached for 13 years, was coming off a Hart Trophy season and in the prime of his career at 27 years old. The 1939-40 habs had a similar arc to the current team - They had 10 wins in their 48-game season, and they had 7 of them by mid-December. They missed the playoffs entirely, finishing seventh. This is especially noteworthy because it was in the original six era.

This year's habs? 23 wins through 51 games. Much better than 10 in 48, but they also got the 19th on December 1st. They looked pretty unstoppable in those first few months before Carey Price got hurt, though. Pundits everywhere, were saying such nice things about them and so was local Hockey expert (just ask Stanley Cup Champion Patrick Beverly) Bill Simmons:

Just send the Stanley Cup to Montreal right now. No way this team is losing next spring, the season is over.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 25, 2015