It’s hard not to smile when you hear the Canadiens’ youngsters talk about how they had the chills after the first game at the Bell Centre.

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• Also read: “I broke my neck looking into the stands” – Logan Mailloux

Young goalkeeper Jakub Dobes said it was a dream come true. Logan Mailloux mentioned that he tried not to look around the stands during warmups because it was too impressive. Xavier Simoneau emphasized that he was grateful and that it was a childhood dream that he also played two friendly matches last year. Joshua Roy called the fans “incredible.”

It’s an often overused term, but in this case it’s perfect. The fans are truly incredible.

It often annoys those who don’t care about CH.

This means that Montreal is often categorized not as a sports city or a hockey city, but as a Canadian city.

That means sports media can talk about the team’s fourth lineup for two hours in mid-July. And it will be one of the most listened to shows of the summer.

On the one hand, it’s discouraging for other sports and other athletes who are fighting for attention.

On the other hand, it is important to recognize how “incredible” Canadian fans are and how much they love their team.

These fans know very well that they are intensely, dependently or unconditionally attached to their team. They don’t care and take responsibility.

The best supporters

I’ve written it many times, but I’ve played multiple NHL arenas. The best place to watch a game in my opinion is Montreal. This is where we find the best supporters. We experience the excitement of the game with the audience. People hold their breath during a fumble, they applaud loudly after a big outnumbered defensive play, they scream in front of the referee when the other team has one too many players on the ice… in short, something we don’t see everywhere an NHL arena. Especially not in Vegas.

And if all those young people said they were living a childhood dream when they jumped on the ice Monday night, the Canadian dream, it’s thanks to these “incredible” fans. They are the ones who have demonstrated this almost unwavering passion for their team over the decades. A passion that is passed on from generation to generation to the youngest and that becomes a dream to be part of this team.

100 years ago, it was the dream of many young Montrealers to one day play for the Canadiens.

Today, many young Montrealers dream of one day playing for the Canadian.

There aren’t many sports organizations in North America that can boast such influence among their fans.

Fascinating

However, a lot has happened in 100 years. Maintaining this strong place in society over time is fascinating. Yes, Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur in particular helped. The organization has also worked hard to maintain its position.

But in my opinion this is all thanks to the “incredible” supporters.

On Sunday there were more than 21,000 spectators at an intrasquad game. Yes, some can say that they are “Fafans”, hectic, strict, impatient, too patient, demanding, unyielding. First of all, I think they’re great and we’re lucky to experience all of this in Montreal. Especially when the team is still in danger of not making the playoffs this year.