Patrik Laine feels the love from the Bell Centre at home opener

The Montreal Canadiens welcomed Patrik Laine to the team with a reception that I'm not sure he was prepared for.

Energy-wise, the arena noise sent waves of chills through the television to my living room. Laine had to have felt some warmth and was filled with adrenaline when the crowd gave him such a loud welcome. There were cheers for everybody, but the cheers for Laine were among the loudest of all.

Martin St. Louis could be seen patting him on the back, and the feels in the locker room resonated with the noise from the crowd. Montreal has welcomed Laine with open arms, and the city knows that what Laine is going through is very tough. But the one thing they know how to do is welcome a player to the team, and Laine I think proved himself right in coming to Montreal.

Welcome to Montreal, Patrik, you are so loved by the city and fans.

It will be a hard road, but he has the support in Montreal

The Canadiens organization is world-class, and the way they treat their players only solidifies that. It will be tough for Laine to battle back. Anytime an injury or setback happens, it is a battle personally and as an athlete. He will need to ease up on his training and be a step behind what he is used to while trying to get back to the level he is used to.

Being close with the team, as I mentioned before, so was Kirby Dach - will be huge for Laine. But I think that he will benefit from what the city of Montreal does for their own. He has his wife and his support circle, but he has his second family and they will be there the entire way to ease him through the rehab period.

If Laine had any doubts, which I doubt he did, the team and fans have welcomed him and are so ready to have him around. It will be tough, but I think the reward that he will feel when he touches the ice again in Montreal, will be unmatched. Laine fell back in love with hockey and I think he will love what happens when he scores his first goal with the Habs.