The Montreal Canadiens have had tons of magical moments during these playoffs so far. Whether it is on the ice, in the pregame ceremonies, the atmosphere inside the Bell Centre, or the crowd that gathers outside the arena, playoff hockey in Montreal just brings another level. Pregame festivities are nothing new in Montreal, but one that has been garnering a lot of attention has been the torch walk before every home game.
The Canadiens have had former captains and fan favourites walk through the Bell Centre on their way to the ice with the franchise's illustrious torch. We have seen Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Chris Nilan, Kirk Muller, and Guy Carbonneau walk out in front of 21,000 fans, making watching a game at the Bell Centre a truly unique experience. With the loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4, Canadiens fans are guaranteed at least one more legend to walk out before puck drop, but who could that player be?
Saku Koivu
Some legends have brought the Stanley Cup to Montreal, who will be beloved forever, but not everyone has to be a champion to be an icon with the Canadiens. Saku Koivu is one of those players. Arguably one of the most beloved Canadiens of all time, a player who tied with Jean Beliveau as the longest tenured captain in franchise history. Koivu never got his chance to bring Lord Stanley to Montreal, but his status as a Canadiens legend is more than what he did on the ice.
During his 14-year tenure as a member of the Canadiens, Koivu not only had to battle through a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, but also a career-threatening injury when he took a high-stick from Justin Williams, which detached his retina. Koivu has admitted that he lost some of his peripheral vision due to the injury, but he is a fighter and was never going to let that stop him. Koivu played another eight seasons after the injury, and while not all of those years were spent with the Canadiens, the love from Habs fans never wavered. He finished his Canadiens career with playing in 792 games, recording 191 goals and 641 points (10th most in franchise history), and if he were to walk out with the torch, he might get the loudest ovation we have seen to date.
Shea Weber
Shea Weber was not welcomed into the Canadiens family with open arms. June 29, 2016, will always be remembered as one of the craziest days in NHL history. There were two blockbuster trades and a free agency decision that shocked the hockey world, one of which included the Canadiens trading fan favourite and Norris Trophy-winning defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for their then captain Shea Weber. Weber had to earn the love of the Canadiens fans, and giving everything you have left in the tank to try and win the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1993 is a way to do it.
Weber is the last Canadiens captain to help bring the team to a Stanley Cup, and while Montreal came out on the losing end, it was not because of a lack of effort. Weber played through a multitude of injuries during that playoff run. He had injuries to his ankle, foot, knee, and thumb, which effectively ended his playing career. He left it all on the line to try to win the Stanley Cup, and the city of Montreal will always be grateful for that effort. Weber spent five of his 16-year career as a member of the Canadiens, three of those were as the team captain. While he might not have received the warmest welcome, he left the franchise as a legend.
Larry Robinson
While Larry Robinson never served as captain of the Canadiens, we have already seen precedent with Nilan that you do not need to have worn the C to walk out with the torch. If any player is deserving of the honour of walking out with the torch despite never being captain of the Canadiens, it is Robinson. He is a six-time Stanley Cup champion as a member of the bleu, blanc, et rouge, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 1977-78 season. He also has two Norris Trophies to go along with it.
Robinson sits first in the Canadiens' record books in goals (197) and points by a defenceman (883), while also being second all-time in franchise history for games played (1202), behind only the late great Henri Richard. He is on the Mount Rushmore of Canadiens greats and would be a surreal moment to see the camera pan up during the walkout to Robinson wearing his iconic number 19 jersey once again.
No matter who carries the torch next, the ceremony has become another reminder that in Montreal, hockey history is never far from the present.
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