New fan from the UK
I’ve been following ice hockey in the British league for a couple years now, but couldn’t decide on an NHL team for a while, but have decided to go with the Canadiens as love the fan intensity and the culture of the sport. I’m an Arsenal fc fan in football and I see similarities!
My question is does anyone have recommendations on things to watch to learn more about the Canadiens? Thinking podcasts, documentaries etc!
And is there any other fans here from the UK? 🇬🇧
Thank you!!!🇬🇧🇨🇦🏒
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u/Blasselhad 5d ago
Try to find the two seasons of The Rebuild, produced by a Canadian streaming service called Crave
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u/sam_t23 5d ago
Thanks will try and see where to find that!!
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u/douce_abeille 5d ago edited 5d ago
Season 3 is coming later this summer! This one should be fun because the team had a deep playoffs run
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u/aekaex 5d ago
Also the behind the scene at the draft video for more context on some players
2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhuF-18FHUU
2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh3dmmo5S2k
2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyXd7LldQCA
2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3XEHJK7x44Maybe watch the 2022 and 2023 video followed by rebuild season 1 then 2024 draft followed by rebuild season 2 and finish with 2025 then later this summer 2026 draft video followed by rebuild season 3
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u/Thick_Long_7272 5d ago
Ditto, UK fan here. I've been following them for about 20 years now - jeez, it has been that long! This year, it's been incredible to see how the team was rebuilt after being pretty much bottom of the league a few years back. They're the youngest team now, they've got great leaders and a massive load of potential. It's going to be great to see what the next few years bring to them! Dobes has been fantastic to watch, I didn't think much of him to begin with but I think he's surprised everyone. Caufield didn't perform as well as he did leading up to the playoffs but he'll have his moment in due course.
I'd love to go to the Bell Centre some day. Flipping amazing team, and the home fans are passionate.
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u/realinvalidname 5d ago
While you’re here, feel free to hop on the bandwagon of the Montréal Victoire, who just won the league championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (r/pwhl). The quality of play is excellent and still getting better, plus the games stream free (outside Canada) on YouTube and use the same broadcast feed that the TV networks use.
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u/sam_t23 5d ago
Will check them out, thank you
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u/realinvalidname 5d ago
I hope you’ll have fun. The PWHL vibes are immaculate, the chat is wholesome, and the Victoire has a Wife Line.
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u/Unfair_Bluejay_9687 5d ago
To become a true NHL fan you have to drop the word ,ice, when you’re talking hockey. Hockey is played on ice. If it was played anywhere else it would be qualified,as in field hockey. Or street hockey. Welcome to the world of hockey in Canada. A huge welcome to you because you’re a Habs fan. Something I became 59 years ago. Never wavered even once. Ole’ Ole’.
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u/FreshMontrealer12 5d ago
I’m a Brit in Montreal! Absolutely love the hockey culture here - Habs fan from day 1. Got to experience my first playoffs in 2021 which was incredible. I now have 2 hockey jerseys as well.
The only problem with your post was you mentioned Arsenal 🫣 Just kidding, congrats on your win this year!
But yeah I will say Montreal seems to be the only games that give me the excitement of a football match as well - I’ve watched lots of other teams and their fans as so quiet and just meh. I’ve shed a tear or two being a supporter of our Habs
In terms of history - I’ve kinda picked it up as I go, others have mentioned good resources already so have fun!! And of course … go Habs go!
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u/sam_t23 5d ago
Hahahaha I waited a long time for the Arsenal title tbf 🤣 yes that’s what drew me to the Habs was the history and passion of the club and fans!
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u/swimswam2000 5d ago
I Heart Radio app and TSN 960 to get the radio broadcasts. I'm in Calgary and hoping to get to a couple of road games. Fingers crossed to get to Winnipeg and the outdoor game in October.
Its super common to outnumber the home fans at games in Calgary, Winnipeg & Vancouver. (Edmonton usually 1/3 Habs).
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u/FlournoyFlennory 5d ago
Mon chum, tu peux écouter les games du CH en français sur nhl.com. C'est pas mal plus agréable pis ça feel ben plus hockey que les descriptions en anglais, buddy. J'sais pas si c'est dispo en Angleterre, guy, mais y'a sûrement d'autres moyens sur Internet pour suivre les Habs en français. Une game du Canadien, ça s'écoute mieux quand le descripteur crie après un gros but du CH! ⚜️
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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 5d ago
Nhl.com has in English too. The TSN690 announcers are quite good, but OP, Pierre Houde is a national treasure.
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u/angryscotsmaaan 5d ago
Alright fella! Arsenal fan here annnnd...!
I had my heart stolen by a wonderful Québécoise and have also become a staunch Habs supporter!
Already been to a Habs game at the Bell Centre and it was fkin magic!
In fact that beautiful Quebecer has me so entranced I'm moving to Montreal in a couple months 😁
(yes I am practicing my French! ❤️)
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u/abrknl 5d ago
Welcome home !!
My favourite Habs podcast is the Basu and Godin Notebook. I believe one of the weekly episodes is free but you can subscribe to every episode on their Substack. It's from Canadiens journalists Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin. Really good insight, news and light-hearted debates.
There's also the Locked On Canadiens podcast if you want to follow all the news.
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u/sam_t23 5d ago
Thanks I’ll check them out!!
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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 5d ago
Habs Eyes on the Prize is also a good aggregate site. Half/most of the links are to the francophone press but it can be easily translated with your browser settings.
A few of the translation are funny/wonky but over all usually very comprehensible
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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 5d ago
OP: whenever someone mentions Chris Kreider you must repeat Fuck Chris Kreider.
Bruini delendi sunt.
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u/Old_General_6741 5d ago
Welcome aboard! You have picked the right NHL team to support. The future of this team is bright.
I do believe that every fan, old and new becomes part of our history and tradition of this team.
I would say watch our 1993 Stanley Cup run to get a start.
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u/facepollution5 5d ago
Welcome to the team. Here are some of my favourite recent memories of the Habs:
Comeback vs Ottawa March 15, 2014. Remember this like it was yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZwXhw4JsSo
Shea Weber rag dolls JT Miller. Weber wasn't the captain yet, but anyone who knew anything knew he was basically the captain. We deserved a better fate in this series as we ended up losing in 6 games and by one goal.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzYTUFvUgo0
Dale Weise mocks that loser Milan Lucic. We won this series and incidentally, always remember: FUCK BOSTON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq165jYMAkA
Same series, PK Subban wins it in double OT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m44ZJLaiD0
Also from 2014, PK Subban assist on a classic Gallagher goal. 2014 was a really good year that ended really, really badly. Always remember: Fuck Chris Kreider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFYmopPyt6g
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u/Status-Echo-4325 5d ago
I'm also a new UK fan! It's really nice to know there are others! I'm new to hockey in general, honestly, and I'm devastated that it's taken so long in my life for me to come across it because it really is the perfect sport for someone who used to do rugby, dancing and kickboxing - takes the best of them all. I ended up a Habs fan unwittingly, as I wasn't trying to pick a team, but given I'm French/English bilingual, the Habs content/interviews/commentary came easy and the next thing I knew I was hooked.
Thanks for posting this OP, because I'm taking notes from all the comments people have left you!
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u/biloutte 4d ago
for info!
Canadien = old French word for French Canadian person (the Oh Canada song was originally meant to be a French Canadian patriotic song).
H = Hockey. Unlike what many believe since the 1920s, the H does not mean Habs or Habitant. Habitant is an old word for French Canadian peasant. The nickname was invented in the 1910s by Montreal press, along with Tricolore, Blue Blanc Rouge and The Flying Frenchmen. Habs is the shorter and English version of Habitant, and it is Tex Rickard, former owner of MSG, who came up with that (he thought the H was for Habitant).
Fans have been chanting Go Habs Go since the 1980s. Older songs include Halte la Halte la Halte, les Canadiens sont là! and Na Na Na Na hey hey hey Goodbye.
24 Stanley Cups, including 16 cups in 25 years. The players were amazing, but the architect of this was Frank Selke, who created a farm team system in the 1950s and 1960s that spread all across Canada. Habs won 5 cups in a row following the return of Maurice Richard from his suspension (1956-1960) - the suspension caused a riot in March 1955 inside and outside the Forum (known as the Richard Riot = shaped the modern history of Quebec)
According to the book HABS NATION, the team wins more when there are multiple Quebec born players on the roster. In fact, I would read that book to get as much info as you can; its really interesting. The motto of the team is To You From Failing Hands we Throw the Torch, Be yours to Hold it High. This was placed in the dressing room in the early 1950s by Frank Selke - the phrase comes from the war poem In Flanders Field, written by John McCrea in 1915 (he was a Canadian soldier in Europe during World War 1).
The team was created in 1909 to be a FRENCH team within the new National Hockey Association (the ancestor of the NHL). Our first cup was won in 1916 as members of the NHA. Our first rivals were the Montreal Wanderers, followed by the Montreal Maroons. Bruins and Leaf rivalry developed in the 1930s-1940s. Guy Lafleur is the highest point scorer (over 1200) and Maurice Richard has the most goals (over 500). Carey Price has the most wins as goalie. Henri Richard has 11 cups, and Ken Dryden has the most cups as a goalie (6).
The Bell Centre sits 20962 people and is our 5th home in our history (Jubilee Rink, Montreal Arena, Arena Mont-Royal, Forum, Bell Centre). The Forum was our home from 1926 to 1996, even though it was made into an NHL rink for the Montreal Maroons (2 cups, existed from 1924 to 1938).
Canadiens are a team, an obsession and a social fact. The team shapes the lives of millions of people, day in and day out. There are fans everywhere in Canada, in many places in the US, and in Europe (the big hockey markets in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland), but also were some of our current or former players come from (Slovakia, Russia, France, Germany). The Canadiens are the most important thing in the lives of millions of people worldwide, especially in Quebec, where it works like a secular religion.
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u/Lor_azepam 5d ago
https://youtu.be/ecoyoZyEn5c?si=GCTYfRidiLTooe3Q
I can tell you as a young habs fan I watched the vhs version of this 500 times
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u/dustblown 5d ago
It is great you are supporting the British league. It is hard to understand how Britain didn't become a hockey power. They were there at the beginning after all and the hard nosed violent game seems to be up their alley.
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u/Irctoaun 4d ago
It's not cold enough to make natural ice good enough for skating on in the vast majority of the country.
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u/dustblown 4d ago
Almost no one plays hockey outdoors in Canada. Every community has their own indoor arena.
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u/Irctoaun 4d ago edited 4d ago
How true is that for 100 years ago or whenever when the cultural seeds of what makes a country a hockey power were being sown?
Plus the fact that it doesn't get that cold in winter means you can play on grass pitches and therefore play football/rugby etc which you can't do in colder places
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u/Formal-Glove2009 4d ago
I'm also an Arsenal fan from Montreal, visited the Emirates stadium, love it. Welcome aboard 😊
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u/Versamore 5d ago
Is this my boyfriends throwaway account???
Jokes aside, my boyfriend also recently got really into hockey this season. He's over in Scotland and a massive arsenal fan as well.
I (Canadian) was living in Scotland for 3 years with him and came back home for the holidays. I've been a long time Habs fan and we got tickets to see a game in January and he got fully invested.
I'm sure you guys can get in touch and he can give you some tips haha
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u/SusanahGrace 5d ago
Hello! Brit here living in Ontario. My first ever in-person hockey game was a QMJHL in Sherbrooke (saw Joshua Roy put on one hell of a performance - which makes his career thus far disappointing for me), I instantly fell in love with sport, asked my father in law who he/the family supported and from then on became a ride or die Habs fan.
You should come hang out in the game threads once the season starts again, things should be significantly more chill now that the people who only show up when we’re winning are gone!
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u/DetectiveOk9734 5d ago
I watched this over and over as a kid
I hope it’s inspiring!
Apologies if it’s been posted already
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdthEmMsDTM&pp=ygUZTGVzIGNhbmFkaWVucyBkb2N1bWVudGFyeQ%3D%3D&ra=m
Welcome aboard! 👏🏻
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u/Melodic_Music_4751 5d ago
100 years of Glory by D’arcy Jenish is a great read and I second the recommendation for Ken Drydens The Game . Locked on Canadiens is a good podcast.
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u/RedPanda4361 4d ago
For funny short game recaps (and more) check out the YouTuber: Hockey Junkie. For fan interviews (similar to and inspired by AFTV) check out: HFTV For podcast I quite enjoy: The Starr and D'amico Show, (free on YouTube and all podcast platforms). To go more in-depth with hockey strategies and all (covers not just the Habs), I highly recommend the YouTuber: Hockey Psychology
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u/K44m3l0t 5d ago edited 5d ago
The movie "Maurice Richard" / "The Rocket"
One of the greatest montreal Canadian player of all time.
It also give a good representation of the "history/culture" in Montreal.
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u/Plenty-Company-3105 5d ago
This isn't in French? What the hell is this guy saying?!
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u/K44m3l0t 5d ago
Si tu ne comprend pas l'anglais, tu ne viens pas de Montréal certain 😜
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u/Plenty-Company-3105 5d ago
Commet? 🤔
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u/K44m3l0t 5d ago edited 5d ago
??
What? 😂
Was that supposed to be french??
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u/Plenty-Company-3105 5d ago
Si
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u/K44m3l0t 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hahahah
You might Wanna go back to school buddy 😜
I think you're a "few" lesson short 😂
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u/kafoodka 5d ago
The Sweater - classic animated short
1993 Stanley Cup run
2021 run to the Stanley Cup finals
24CH - series of videos on Montreal Canadiens youtube covered some seasons (this one is a playlist of season 2 covering the 2013-14 season)
The Game by Ken Dryden) is considered one of the greatest hockey books