The Montreal Canadiens had a day off yesterday, but they still spent it with their extended family at the Bell Center.
Fresh off a three-game road trip out west, the Montreal Canadiens had a day off on Sunday, but they still spent it together. There was no practice or coaching, but it was the team’s family skate at the Bell Centre, with a very special guest: Santa Claus, who made an appearance for the team’s young families. Those are the kind of little things that make the organization popular with the players.
Most new parents love to take their kids to see Santa Claus. Still, if a Habs player attempted to do that in a shopping center, they’d immediately be surrounded by fans, taking away from their kid’s first meeting with the mythical characters. Yesterday, Jake and Emily Evans got to introduce their twins to Santa in the safety of the Bell Center. Josh and Paola Anderson also enjoyed the skate with their daughter and published a cute picture of the event. Cole Caufield posed with Evans and one of his twins.
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With so many youngsters on the team, not everyone has kids; some players have furry babies and took them to the event instead. Lane Hutson introduced his dog to Noah Dobson, Ivan Demidov took a spin with Celine on the Bell Centre ice, and the pooch even got to walk around the dressing room. Did Celine respect the number one unwritten rule, or did she step on the Sainte-Flanelle’s logo? The pictures show she wasn't let off her leash and avoided the logo. Alexa Dobson even spent some time passing the puck with Mike Matheson's son.
After a 7-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night, it must have been nice for the players to take a day to focus on their families and have some fun with their extended family, because this is what this group is, they behave like a family and spend the kind of time one does with their family.
On Monday morning, they’ll all be back to work on the CN Sports Complex ice in Brossard, getting ready for their tilt with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday evening. The Ontarian outfit was taking on the Dallas Stars Sunday night in Texas and suffered a 6-1 defeat, which means that just like the Canadiens’ they’ll be hoping to bounce back on Tuesday night.
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