On Sunday night, Montreal Canadiens star forward Cole Caufield punctuated the team's epic 2-1 victory on the road over the Winnipeg Jets in the 2026 Heritage Classic by dropping a meaningful and lasting quote.
After Montreal's win, TNT's Jackie Redmond asked the 50-goal scorer about the Montreal fans who made the trip to Winnipeg for the outdoor game.
"Best fans in the league, I think they obviously travel well but we might be Canada's favourite team, you can tell by tonight," Caufield said.
Cole Caufield just called the Habs "Canada's Favourite Team" 😳
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) October 26, 2026
2 apples for #13 in the #HeritageClassic 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z4wvLrn8al
Many took the comment as Caufield declaring the Habs "Canada's Team," a big title, but perhaps a fitting one based on recent results.
The case for the Montreal Canadiens
The Edmonton Oilers have been the country's standard-bearer in recent years, with two trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a core that still includes superstar talents like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
However, Montreal's stock is rising faster than any other Canadian club's, coming off an Eastern Conference Final appearance, going further in the playoffs than any other Canadian team. The next closest were the Oilers and the Ottawa Senators, who both failed to make it out of the first round, so on recent results alone, Caufield has a case.
The current standings do add mild intrigue as the Oilers and Senators each have two more wins than Montreal, while the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have retooled and look poised to return to the playoffs, have one more win than the Canadiens.
Toronto is also coming off a dominant 7-2 victory this past Saturday over the Oilers while on the road in Edmonton. Montreal has already beaten Toronto this season with a 3-2 win in the season opener, but it is worth noting that the Maple Leafs have seen a large overhaul of their roster and now more comfortable playing with each other, which could give the Habs a far better challenge in their second matchup.
Montreal's recent record against its Canadian rivals gives Caufield's confidence its biggest and most meaningful backing. The Habs have now beaten the Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks four straight times, the Jets three straight, and the Flames two straight, and they have dominated the Senators with wins in six of their last eight meetings.
The Oilers are the lone blemish on that record as they've split their last four matchups with two wins a piece, and add further intrigue to Montreal's matchups with Edmonton on December 14 and January 30.
The crown will also be tested once again in the near future as the Canadiens face the Jets again on November 3rd, before four days later, on Saturday, November 7, facing the Maple Leafs once again for their second matchup of the season.
It will be debated if the Habs have truly earned the title of "Canada's Team" but recent playoff success, a promising track record against almost all of its Canadian rivals and a young core of emerging star players that will be wearing Montreal red for likely the next decade give them one of, if not the best cases for the crown.
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