I’m back home. Back in Montreal once again. It’s been over 25 years since I left Montreal but every time I come back it still feels like home.
Since I left, and every time I come home, I started a tradition on the flight into Montreal. I wait for the pilot to announce we’re coming in for landing, I put on my headphones and I play a song by The Tragically Hip called Vapour Trails.
It’s a deep cut but that song holds a special place in my heart as it happened to be what I was listening to the first time I touched down back home after leaving for my first job out of university and one of the lyrics has always stuck with me.
Right now I’m flying over
Yeah, right now I’m flying home.
I still get goosebumps listening to it because I know I’m coming back to a very special place.
I’m reminded of how special my hometown is, particularly at this time of year. There may be no more magical time to be in Montreal than when the Canadiens are in the playoffs.
It is when the city comes alive and unites around one glorious cause, our beloved Habs.
The streets are filled with electricity and optimism. I felt it last year for the first time in a long time when the Canadiens defied the odds and made the playoffs signalling that the years-long rebuild was ahead of schedule.
This homecoming has become a ritual for me and my friends who all converge on Montreal every playoffs to catch whatever game we can.
Last year we had the unbelievable luck to see Game 3 against the Washington Capitals. The excitement was at an all-time high and the Canadiens rewarded their fans with their best outing, and only win of the series, in what was one of the most memorable playoff games I’ve ever seen. Bench brawls, both goalies get injured, Habs put up six goals. I mean, come on!
The Canadiens fell in five games in that series but it wasn’t the result that mattered. It was what making the playoffs signalled, a very bright future wasn’t just on the horizon. It was here.
Flash forward to this season and that hope turned into the realization that this team is to be reckoned with.
Of course there were the long list of individual achievements that we haven’t seen in two generations that couldn't be ignored. Cole Caufield, the first 50 goal scorer in 36 years. Nick Suzuki, the first Canadiens Captain to hit the 100 point mark (how is that even possible?). Lane Hutson tied the team record for most assists by a defenceman in a season. I could keep going. How about Juraj Slafkovsky hitting the 30-goal plateau. Ivan Demidov leading all rookies in scoring. Jakub Dobes making his case for rookie of the year with an incredible finish to the season.
But this team is more than the individuals. It’s about the team and their collective success. All of that embodied by their leader, Martin St. Louis.
Which leads me here. I’m home. I’m surrounded by 13 friends as we get prepped for one more night with Nos Glorieux.
It’s a sea of Bleu, Blanc et Rouge as we get closer to the Bell Centre and we’re all riding the wave of excitement before the game.
After making it through the security gauntlet we’re off to our seats right at the top of the cavernous barn. It’s the largest arena in the NHL and in a few minutes it is going to become the loudest too.
If there is one thing no NHL fan can deny is the Canadiens know how to put on a show and Friday night was no different as Hall of Famer Yvan Cournoyer carried the torch into the rink.
Announcer Michel Lacroix can barely be heard as he utters his famous words,
“Accueillons nos Canadiens!”. The crowd is deafening as the Habs hit the ice and get ready for a Friday night showdown with Tampa.
The puck drops and we’re off. The Habs are buzzing early and the newly formed line of of Kirby Dach, Alexandre Texier and Zachary Bolduc, who have all faced a heap of criticism throughout the series, make Martin St. Louis look like a genius as they strike first five minutes into the opening frame with Texier wiring a shot into the top corner. 1-0 Canadiens!
After Tampa ties it on a powerplay, we head into the first intermission all knotted up at 1-1. The feeling around our section is still positive but there is some anxiety and stress creeping in.
Canadiens overtime win brought this Montreal homecoming full circle
The second period gets underway and we’re ready to blow the roof off the building. Sadly, someone forgot to tell Tampa’s Brandon Hagel that this was supposed to be a joyous Habs runaway win. He pots his fourth goal of the series to take the air out of the Bell Centre for a few minutes. 2-1 Bad guys.
We’re down but not out and the unlikely hero to drag us back into the fight is Kirby Dach. In a week where Dach faced criticism for his costly errors in Game 2 and was then attacked on social media, Martin St. Louis stuck by Dach and he delivered for his coach and the fans, tying it up at two apiece. The chants of “KIR-BY, KIR-BY!” rain down from the stands.
The game rolls along through the second and into the third period. The Habs have glorious chances to take control with three breakaways during the game but Ivan Demidov and Josh Anderson get stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy and 50-goal scorer Cole Caufield whiffs on his shot. Let’s hope the hockey gods don’t punish us for these missed opportunities.
The stress is at an all-time high as regulation ends and we head to overtime for the third straight game. Me and my friends can barely hold it together as we and the 21,000 other fans are all hoping for the same thing, to repeat what happened in Game 1 and come out firing and close this out quickly.
Just three minutes later, Texier is wheeling down low trying to find an open man and spots Lane Hutson calling for it at the point. Hutson, not known for having a heavy shot, steps into a slaphot and buries the OT winner! HABS WIN! HABS WIN!
The stress is wiped away and replaced with full fledged joy. We’re jumping and hugging and celebrating the moment we all had hoped would happen. Olé, Olé is sung at the top of our lungs. Lane Hutson has delivered a moment that we will never forget.
As the crowd begins to head for the exits, we hang back and soak it all in for a few minutes. Just enjoy a quiet moment knowing this night was worth it.
We make our way down to the street and the celebration that awaits. Our Habs homecoming is complete.
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