[1] Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a wealthy brewing family (father was Colonel Herbert Molson), Hartland Molson was educated at Selwyn House School in Montreal, Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec and Charterhouse School in England before attending the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, Ontario arriving in 1924,[2][3] there he played ice hockey for the Kingston Juniors team that made it to 1926 Memorial Cup finals.

An all-around athlete, Molson also played first string football, made it to the college's boxing finals twice, and was a member of the track and field team.

In accord with his arrangement with the service following military college, Molson served as a reserve officer in the Militia for five years.

Molson enlisted in Montreal, Quebec on 21 September 1939 within weeks of the onset of World War II becoming a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

[5] Arriving in England in June 1940, the squadron underwent rapid training in Royal Air Force (RAF) procedures before being thrown into the desperate battles in the skies over the UK.

Molson was shot down during combat with enemy fighters over Canterbury on 5 October, bailed out, wounded, and was admitted to Chartham Hospital.

In March 1944 Molson, now a Group Captain, was given command of RCAF Station St-Hubert after a very short stay back in Moncton.

On 7 June 1945, Molson was transferred to RCAF Headquarters in Ottawa where he would work at the Directorate of Personnel for the remainder of his time in uniform.

At home in Montreal, in 1948 Hartland Molson was named Governor of McGill University, a position he held for the next twenty years.

As head of the Montreal Canadiens team, he helped develop the personnel to end the Detroit Red Wings dominance, building one of the greatest dynasties in all of sport.

After winning the 1968 Stanley Cup Hartland retired, and David, Peter, and William Molson took over control of the Canadiens.

Molson's high-profile image made him a prime target for the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), a terrorist organization dedicated to Quebec sovereignty.

In 1995, Molson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2000, the Ordre national du Québec, the highest civilian honor of his country and his native province.