There was a point where I never seemed to remember why the Montreal Canadians were often called the Habs, but that will never be the case after attending a Canadians vs. Avs game where I had the pleasure of sitting next to an ever vocal Canadians fan who continuously shouted “Allez Les Habitants AAAALLEEEEEEZ!” His constant billowing will forever be etched in my mind that Habs is short for Les Habitants, a term that dates back to the 17th century, where Les Habitants was the name given to the first French settlers in North America. It is now is a colloquial term for French Canadians, akin to Americans being called Yankees.
While I am currently an Avaholic Abroad, I decided I should seize the opportunity to travel to other stadiums that aren’t quite as accessible from Colorado. My first stadium of choice was an easy one. Montreal is home to the oldest continuously operating franchise in hockey, Patrick Roy won two Stanley Cups there, I am in my 33rd year (Patrick Roy’s number, of course), and it is only a six-hour drive north from my current residence in New York. So it is in this vain, that I took my father for his birthday present to watch the Avs take on the Canadians. Only hockey fans would think to vacation to Montreal in January.
Unfortunately, the game itself did not prove to be much to write about, but the time we had in Montreal, and at the game experience itself, proved to me that isn’t the blondes who have more fun, but Canadians.
We arrived on Friday night and walked the streets of Old Montreal, a charming neighborhood full of quaint shops and restaurants, but at 7pm the cobblestoned streets remained quiet. Well, it was barely above zero, so we had already drawn the conclusion that Montreal is a sleepy and cold city in the winter. Why would people want to brace subzero temperatures, when you could easily stay in the comforts of your home? As quick judgments tend to be, we were wrong. We had hastily chosen a random bar because we were too cold to venture much further, and we were some of the sole patrons there when we walked in. However, when the DJ showed up at well past 9pm, we realized perhaps we were the early ones to the party. Our inclination proved to be correct, as we shuffled, heads down against the wind and looked in to see all the restaurants that had been quiet hours before, were now fully packed. Of course the cold wouldn’t deter Canadians.
The Quebec staple, poutine, traditionally consisting of fries, gravy and cheese curds!
Since we had already had out fill of poutine for breakfast, we had a pregame meal at McKibbins Irish Pub. There, we grazed on the traditional pub fare, and arrived to the stadium an hour before puck drop, and the stadium was already filling up. Canadians don’t wait till 7pm to get to the game. There was a bit of confusion with scanning our tickets on my phone, and in the fluster we failed to grab one of the freebees that they were handing out at the door. Turns out that they were all orange hats in celebration of the Canadian’s mascot Youppi’s 40th Birthday. The Canadians have a mascot that is nearly twice as old as our franchise. I immediately realized our error in not nabbing a hat, but figured that there were bound to be surplus hats lying around. Once again, we were mistaken. Everyone, young and old was wearing their Youppi hats, and even at the end of the game, there were still no extras on the floor. If we had been in Colorado, 1/3 of the crowd would have been wearing them, and after the game, there would have been a flood of orange on the ground, most likely matted and with beer and peanut remnants mixed in. Not only did the Canadians embrace the idea, but you can now buy this celebrated hat on Ebay for as much as $29.99.
One of the things I was most looking forward to was hearing the singing of “O Canada”, as I have always admired how the stadium will always sing along to their anthem. I was once again surprised that the crowd also sang “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to their own national anthem.
While hearing the crowd sing “O Canada” did not disappoint, the highlight of the game turned out to be our Canadian neighbor seated next to us. I hated studying French in high school, but I found myself wishing that a bit more would have stuck so that I could perhaps have understood what this man was shouting. Though I am pretty confident that what he was yelling is not something they would have taught me in school. I have never heard a more boisterous man in all my life, and not only that, but he never stopped. His voice never faltered from puck drop to the final seconds of the game. I will never be able to watch a Canadians game without hearing “Allez les Habitants AAAALLLLLLEEEEEEZ!” Also, it turns out that “Let’s Go Habs” sounds exceedingly close to “Let’s Go Avs”, and was of some comfort amid the crowd of opposing fans.
The Belle Centre also has cheerleaders stationed at each section, both male and female, and was refreshing to see a cheerleader in casual black pants, a t-shirt, sneakers and a jacket. The cheerleader at our section was named Iris and was excited to tell us anything we needed to know about the stadium, but was reluctant to translate what our new friend, Frederick, was yelling. During TV timeouts, they would try to get the crowd involved and would reward the loudest fans with a drink ticket. Not only is loud and obnoxious behavior encouraged, it is also rewarded. At home, loud cheering is often balked at, and usually results in getting evicted from the game. In Canada, they let the fans have fun, and people don’t take is personal. It is all in good spirits, and everyone is there to enjoy the game.
Please note the Youppi hats at the bottom of this picture.
While the Avs blew it and there wasn’t much for us to cheer about, I can confidently say that I have never had so much fun watching the Avs lose. And I’ll admit, I kind of wish that I could be a Canadian’s fan. With their history, their fan base and overall outlook at the game, I can’t help but be slightly envious. What I can hope to bring back to Pepsi Center is the attitude that it is just a game, and we are all there to have a good time, wear a stupid hat in honor of a factious birthday, and with any luck, see a victory, but if not, that’s ok too. Even if your team loses, it is better than having gone to a baseball game. I am curious to see how the Belle Centre will hold up in comparison to other stadiums, but I am betting that they probably won’t be able to compare.
Please note, that in the unlikely event that the Avs ever face the Canadians in the Stanley Cup Finals, I retract this entire article, no offense Frederick.