The Montréal Canadiens occupy a place no different franchise within the Nationwide Hockey League occupies, and one solely shared with a choose few franchises throughout main sports activities. Alongside nice groups like baseball’s New York Yankees, soccer’s Inexperienced Bay Packers, and the good soccer groups of Europe, the Canadiens type the pantheon of legendary franchises.

This tradition comes from a mix of the ambiance of the Centre Bell, the reverence with which the franchise and the followers look upon the staff’s legends, and the position of the Canadiens in bonding collectively generations of supporters.

The Ambiance of the Centre Bell

Because it opened in 1999, the Bell Centre has acquired the fame because the most intimidating home-ice benefit within the NHL. When getting into the ice floor and trying to the rafters (as gamers do because the nationwide anthems blare) you’re greeted with the seemingly countless swathe of banners glorifying the Habs’ greats and the 24 Stanley Cup banners, reminders of a wonderful previous and the accountability that comes with sporting the bleu-blanc-rouge.

In additional sensible phrases, the Bell Centre persistently seems on the high of the listing in the case of the ambiance; the NHLPA’s varied participant polls persistently rank the Canadiens domicile as the most effective ice within the league, and the followers are all the time rabid and intimidating, creating playoff-esque climates on a nightly foundation. Jared Ebook of SBNation’s Habs Eyes on the Prize merely describes a “buzz”, nearly as if different descriptors aren’t detailed sufficient to convey what goes on.

The Well-known Discussion board

The ambiance of the Bell Centre carries over from its predecessor, a constructing among the many temples of main sports activities, the world-famous Montréal Discussion board. Dwelling to the Canadiens from 1908 to 1996, the Discussion board offered a novel mixture of intimacy and mysticism, formality and ease. Attending a recreation at this most exalted of arenas was an occasion, with followers recurrently dressing to the nines to cheer on the Tricolore.

Seemingly the one acceptable apparel to journey to a spot the place probably the most storied franchise in hockey historical past gained 22 of its 24 Stanley Cup Championships.

Legends

What units the tradition of the Canadiens aside from all the remainder, although, is how a lot they love and revere the staff’s legendary gamers. In any case, this is identical staff of Man Lafleur, Jacques Plante, Jean Béliveau, and Maurice Richard (amongst numerous others). Legendary gamers take pleasure in a cult standing basically unrivalled in all professional sports activities, as they’re welcomed again with open arms and supplied with reserved locations within the staff’s legend’s field. Former staff captain and Stanley Cup winner of file Jean Béliveau even attended each house recreation together with his spouse till his dying in 2014.

Fashionable moments of reverence have been widespread, from the Jean Béliveau memorial to the staff’s One hundredth-anniversary celebration in 2008-09. American broadcaster Keith Olbermann has repeatedly emphasised the pageantry and respect of being honoured in Montréal, a distinction he believes has no equal in American sport.

The French Connection

The Canadiens are deeply related to the material of hockey, town of Montréal, and the province of Québec. Maybe in a way in contrast to every other in sport, the Canadiens have a spot within the socio-cultural historical past of town, the province, and the nation during which they play. The attain of the staff was and is so nice that many exterior Québec have turn out to be loyal followers, together with Alan Doyle of the band Nice Huge Sea.

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Actor and Montréal native Jay Baruchel has mentioned that the tradition that surrounds being a Habs fan “hits one thing actually deep and tribal” inside an individual and the commonality of the Canadiens unites individuals who might not have anything in widespread. The Canadiens are handed down from technology to technology, from grandparents to folks to youngsters. They’ve a spot in Canadian tradition, and so they categorical a few of what we’re all about as a sporting nation.

With a tradition and historical past unrivalled in hockey and in most main sports activities, the Canadiens are the right franchise to embody the well-known epithet from John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields:

“Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau; à vous toujours de le porter bien haut.”

“To you from falling palms we throw the torch; be it yours to carry excessive.”

And maintain it excessive they’ve.