A sea of red, thousands of fans cheering in both English and French while keeping the same rowdy energy for around three hours. 240226 Practice Tourigny English These are the sights and sounds of the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. The Arizona Coyotes are set to take on Montreal at the Bell Centre tonight. The Canadiens played at The Forum for 71 years where they won 22 Stanley Cups. It was a place that opposing teams feared to play in due to the some of the legendary players that used to put on the Canadiens’ sweater including Guy Lafleur, Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Patrock Roy just to name a few. While the players helped build the Canadiens brand into what it is today, it was the fans who truly created this great hockey movement in the city of Montreal. The Canadiens’ fans are known for their intense yet passionate nature. In 1955 when the NHL suspended Richard, there were protests on the street of about 6,000 before their game against the Detroit Red Wings which even led to riots later on. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUOepDz8At4[/embed] When the Canadiens moved to the Bell Centre in 1996, the level of their success at The Forum did not carry into this new building, but the energy of the fans did. During the 2022-23 season, the Canadiens led the entire NHL with an average of 21,078 fans in attendance per game despite being one of the worst statistical teams in the league. That just shows no matter how bad Montreal actually is on the ice, fans will always show up to support their beloved Canadiens. Many Coyotes’ players understand the magnitude of what it means to play at this historic arena. “It's just the energy that the fans create and also that they're in it with all their heart and you can really feel that that is almost like a religion up here, hockey,” J.J. Moser said. “So that's just how you feel. It makes a difference when you play on the ice and then obviously, when they score a goal. It's a special atmosphere.” In 18 games, the Coyotes have a 6-9-1 record with two ties at the Bell Centre, so they are looking to flip the script tonight. When thinking about the sport of hockey, for many players Montreal is the first city that comes to mind. “It's pretty cool,” Dylan Guenther said about playing in Montreal. “I mean, this is like, kind of the capital of hockey I guess. It is the Canadians and in this building, so yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun to play and I'm looking forward to it.” Coyotes coach André Tourigny grew up in the Quebec area and he is very much aware of the hockey madness in Montreal that takes place and what sort of energy the fans bring to a game at the Bell Centre. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwXpSSEIjng[/embed] “It’s a fun building to play in,” Tourigny said. “You will see before the puck drops, there will already be a lot of emotion in the building and when they will say ‘Accueillons nos Canadiens', you will see the vibe will be unreal.’’’ When walking through the Bell Centre, it’s almost like reliving those historical moments that took place so long ago. There are 24 Stanley Cup banners, 18 Canadiens’ jerseys in the rafters and a lot more history that lives in the Bell Centre today. “I think there's a buzz around it is pretty exciting and I think a lot of that comes from the history…” Sean Durzi said. “You look up in the rafters and there's so much history, so it's a pretty special place.”
