Fans feed off Canadiens’ energy in Montreal
People are starting to believe this playoff run could be an actual thing.
Okay, we get it. The Canadiens grabbed a 3-2 series lead, and they’re in the driver’s seat after beating the Lightning 3-2 in Tampa on Wednesday night. But this series has been even-steven since it started. Every game has been won by one goal, and three of the five games have gone to overtime.
But at the Plateau sports bar Champs on Wednesday, fans were feeling the good vibrations before the game, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that they were downright ecstatic afterward. When the Habs survived the 6-on-5 at the end after the Lightning pulled goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the place just erupted. And everyone was thinking the same thing — the Canadiens are going to finish this thing off Friday night in Montreal at the Bell Centre, and we’re all going to party like it’s 1999.
Before you say I’m jinxing it, let me add this caveat: obviously, the series is far from over. Both teams finished the regular season with 106 points, and player for player, they’re in a dead heat. I never understood why Montreal was considered the underdog in this series. They have as much talent as Tampa and they’re faster and younger. The Bolts won Game 4 because they’re better at diving than the Canadiens. In fact, the Habs don’t do that because, well, they have some self-respect. But there is little margin between the two teams.
“We’re going to win in Montreal Friday,” said Kat Anderson, the bartender/manager at Champs who is a fan-fini of the Habs. “That was the plan. We lost the last game so we could win in Tampa and then we come back and we win the series in Montreal.”
I asked about the tension level in the third period. Montreal had made it 3-2 early in the period with a beauty of a goal from Alexandre Texier.
“My heart was in my throat,” said Anderson. “We were all there holding the table. I could’ve broken a glass in my hand. But they played an amazing game. They do everything for the city. They want to win for the fan base. They care about the fans more than any other franchise in hockey. And they know how much we love them. They love us because we actually care about them.”
Maria Le Basri felt the same way, but underlined that it was a tough game to watch. She said she felt relieved.
“That last minute seemed like forever,” said Le Basri. “I felt like I was on the ice with them. So many shots were fired at the goalie. I think a lot of the talk was about if the goalie could withstand the stress of the series. And I think he did a really good job. His teammates have his back.”
It was quite a scene at Champs. It’s a home for LGBTQ+ sports fans, but for Habs games, everyone comes out regardless of their orientation, and it just has such a welcoming vibe. When it came time for the American national anthem, the bar turned the sound down on the TVs and blasted The Tragically Hip’s early hit New Orleans Is Sinking. When I posted that on social media, some said it was petty. That’s not the way I saw it. I just take it as an affirmation of our Canadian heritage via the ultimate Canadian band. There’s a U.S. president threatening to annex our country, and to play the Hip is to say: “Hey, man, elbows up; that ain’t happening, and by the way, our Canadian team is gonna win this game against their Florida opponent.”
After the good guys won, the bar’s sound system blasted The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army, then Le But by Loco Locass, followed by Stompin’ Tom Connors’ The Hockey Song. Honestly, there was nowhere I’d rather be.
Darren Curtis said he doesn’t get out to bars often because he has young kids, but Wednesday night made him realize it was a pretty special moment.
“Montreal in the playoffs is the best city in the world,” said Curtis.
And he noted that Champs was the perfect place to see this game.
“This is the next wave. This is the future of hockey in Montreal,” said Curtis. “It’s open to everybody. Everybody can have a good time.”
Stephanie Pabst also loved the Champs vibe.
“The energy, everyone was feeding off it,” said Pabst.
Borice Sellers nailed the feeling of Montreal fans when he said, “People thought we were pretenders, but we’ve proven to be contenders.”
Like I said, the good vibrations were happening.
