While there are people making a lot of money selling Montreal Canadiens tickets on the market, one American hockey fan decided to use his tickets for a greater purpose.
With ticket prices rising in the playoffs, many Montreal Canadiens fans were priced out of the Bell Centre. In contrast, others, who were lucky enough to get tickets in the general sale, decided to cash in on their luck by selling them on at an even more astronomical price. Others, like Scott Bezsylko, who isn’t even a Habs fan, were just glad to have managed to buy tickets and were eagerly awaiting Saturday night’s game to experience the electric atmosphere of the Bell Center.
Unfortunately for Bezsylko, an educator who spends part of his year in New York and the other part in Pennsylvania, an emergency occurred at one of the schools he directs, and he couldn’t make the trip. Although he’s a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, he grew up listening to the Sainte-Flanelle’s game on the radio and admired the likes of Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, and Larry Robinson. On Saturday, he had hoped to catch the Canadiens live in their home barn for the first time, and when he found out he couldn’t make the trip, he decided to give the tickets away for the love of the game.
Bezsylko reached out to me on Blue Sky, asking if I knew a young Canadiens fan who had never experienced a playoff game at the Bell Centre, as he had a pair of tickets he wished to give away. He figured that if he couldn’t get his first time, someone else might as well. Being in the USA, laws prevented him from selling the tickets across the border, but chances are, he could have found a way to cash in. He wasn’t interested in that though; he wanted to make a kid’s day. In this day and age, when most people are looking out for themselves and no one else, I felt the gesture deserved to be acknowledged and celebrated.
So, on Saturday night, while Bezsylko watched the Canadiens suffer an embarrassing defeat on TV, eight-year-old Jayden Simon headed to the Bell Centre to live his baptism of fire in the playoffs with his mother, Ruth. The pair had an amazing night despite the game's result. Their benefactor didn’t just give them any old tickets; he gave them Club Desjardins seats, which also include unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages.
They arrived early to soak up the atmosphere. As was to be expected, the youngster marveled at the opening video montage and at the moment when torchbearer Larry Robinson lit up the Bell Centre ice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the result they had hoped for, but they still got to experience a high-octane first frame in which the Canadiens gave them three opportunities to cheer, and they didn’t hold back. Thanks to Scott’s generosity, young Jayden now has memories that he’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.