Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Well Received in Return to Bell Centre

The Montreal Canadiens held their annual Red vs White scrimmage game yesterday with the red team taking a 5-2 victory over the white team.

The score really didn’t matter as it is just a nice, fun game for the 7,500 fans who were allowed to attend to enjoy an afternoon at the Bell Centre and catch their first glimpse of the newest iteration of the Canadiens.

There was a nice bonus to this game though.

Jonathan Drouin was playing his first “game” at the Bell Centre since he stepped away from hockey late last season. Drouin took a leave of absence to focus on his mental health and recently revealed that he was dealing with anxiety and insomnia and decided the safest and healthiest thing to do was stop playing hockey for a while.

He is back now, and the Red vs White game provided a great backdrop for his return to playing in front of Habs fans.

Drouin was quite well received at the game, with fans cheering for him every time he touched the puck and showing their appreciation for the skilled winger.

Drouin was one of the players taking part in the shootout at the end of the game and he received a large ovation from the fans in attendance as he was getting ready to go in one on one on Canadiens prospect netminder Cayden Primeau.

For a player that missed lots of time last season, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final due to anxiety, it must have felt great for Drouin to hear the roar of the crowd again. While every player in the league will have their detractors, the majority of Habs fans can see that Drouin is a highly skilled winger and probably the best playmaker on the team.

The Canadiens had a lot of success in the postseason without Drouin last year, but there is no question they need him in the lineup to be successful this season. To see him skating so well and hearing cheers from the fans was a nice moment from yesterday’s Red vs White Scrimmage game.

Let’s hope Drouin keeps lifting fans out of their seats all season long.