MONT TREMBLANT | The Canadian’s popularity is unlikely to ever wane. Whether in Lac-Mégantic, Bouctouche, Gander or Mont-Tremblant, every trip the team takes away from Brossard and Montreal draws crowds. On Thursday morning, more than 500 people gathered at Gilles Cadieux Arena to watch the Habs players at work.
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The vast majority were young teenagers who had skipped their morning classes at the Curé-Mercure secondary school directly across the parking lot.
“My mother was the reason for my absence in the first two hours. She was the one who said yes,” said Éloi Duplessis under her father’s amused eyes.
For the occasion, the secondary school boy was accompanied by his brother Liam and his friend Zack Paquette.
“I like pretty much all of the Canadiens players, but my favorites are Josh Anderson and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. But before that, Jonathan Drouin was the one I loved,” said Pee Wee A, player of the Montagnards de Mont-Tremblant.
A few steps away from them was another trio of boys, stunned by the presence of their idols.
“I’m a big Canadian fan and I’m really happy to be here. “I’ve watched a few games at the Bell Center before, but this is the first time I’ve seen them up close,” said Nathaniel Provost.
The boy and his buddies, Lucas Jacob and Loric Jacob, made sure to get there early to see their favorites before entering the arena.
“We were able to take photos with Nick (Suzuki) and Cole (Caufield),” he said, proudly holding out his phone.
Photo Jonathan Bernier
The Caufield Show
Caufield was without a doubt the most popular player on the field. Every time No. 22 ran with the puck, the young fans held their breath hoping to see him score. His breath turned into a howl of joy every time he hit the target, much to the dismay of Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau.
“At one point, Nick and Cole made three passes before shooting into the net. I was with Éric Raymond (the goalkeeping coach). We looked at each other and he said to me: ‘Yeah, they didn’t do that for the goalkeeper. It was more for the audience,'” said Samuel Montembeault, who kept the audience laughing. Fans pretended to fall while entering the rink.
Caufield was thrilled by his screams and gave it his best shot. There is no question of giving your masked teammates a chance with a harmless shot on the pads or in the mitt. The top corner was the goal every time.
“I hope you enjoyed the show!” “I am aware that this is possibly one of the best days of your life for you,” said the striker, whose smile seemed even more intense than usual.
“I told them to go back to school, but they didn’t want to go,” he added with a grin.
Slowly but surely, Caufield is becoming aware of the influence he has on the Canadiens supporters. Experiencing this type of event made him realize that Montreal, and therefore Quebec, is a market completely different from others.
“You can’t know it until you experience it.” My friends aren’t so lucky. Playing for the Canadian is really special. I am grateful every day to be part of this organization,” said the 22-year-old American.
A first defeat for Gallagher
Since Carey Price’s departure, Brendan Gallagher has been the Canadian’s most senior player. He has participated in all of the team’s events of this type for the past 10 years. The Albertan still can’t believe the excitement the Canadian inspires year after year in the small communities he and his teammates visit.
“I think there were as many smiles on the players’ faces as there were in the stands. It’s nice to visit these small communities where the passion for the team is as strong as anywhere else. We don’t take that lightly,” said the 31-year-old veteran.
But the goal of this multi-day trip is primarily to strengthen the bond between the players before the season begins on October 11 in Toronto. Team dinners, rounds of golf and some other activities are on the program until Saturday. On that day, the Habs will continue their journey to Ottawa to play their final preseason game.
“We like trips like this because we don’t have many opportunities to spend so much time together. This season is the right time. We laugh a lot. “It’s a very tight-knit group,” said Gallagher, who was already ready to hit a few balls.
“I play with Arber (Xhekaj). “I better be good,” he added. It was Suzie who formed the teams. I think I got the short end of the stick. »