The most discouraging aspect of the Montreal Canadiens' rebuild was the lack of meaningful games at the Bell Centre. The good news for the Canadiens is that the lack of meaningful games has created a desire among fans to reach that level again, and we are starting to see that the Bell Centre could be the most critical factor in the stretch run of the 2024-25 season. Tuesday night's win over the Ottawa Senators created one of the most incredible atmospheres of the season.
Habs GM Kent Hughes should show this clip to every potential free agent target
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/PdpmksYUKR
The Bell Centre was absolutely rocking after the Canadiens win over the Senators. The crowd got so loud after the game during Josh Anderson's interview that the heart and soul forward had to wait for them to stop chanting to answer his question. It was reminiscent of a WWE promo where the wrestler pauses to let the crowd's chants breathe and add extra emphasis to his words. We can only imagine the decibel levels the crowd will reach if this happens in a playoff game this season.
"“It’s pretty amazing. Obviously this is the best crowd you can get in the NHL. We’re so lucky to play in front of you each and every night. We’re making a push. We wanna play meaningful games and we are. We wanna be in the playoffs. We wanna play in front of you guys.” "Josh Anderson
Lane Hutson is also getting his first taste of meaningful games at the Bell Centre. He is no stranger to hostile environments after his time in front of student sections in the NCAA, but it's an entirely different animal at the Bell Centre. Hutson is using the crowd to feed off their energy and propel the Canadiens to the playoffs and hopefully a personal Calder Trophy.
Lane Hutson est l'invité de Pierre Houde en avant-match du duel Sénateurs - Canadiens 👇 pic.twitter.com/le1gGdfoj7
— RDS (@RDSca) March 18, 2025
"“It gives us a lot of life on the bench. It really makes us hungry to do it the right way, do it for each other, and do it for the fans.”"Lane Hutson
The Canadiens aren't the only ones singing the praises of the hockey atmosphere in Montreal. We saw what happened earlier this year during the 4 Nations Face-Off when the Team Canada players talked about the energy the fans brought at those tournament games. We can only hope the Habs players will get to play some of their own "tournament" games at the Bell Centre through April, May, and (hopefully) June.