LAS VEGAS | Die-hard supporters of the Canadian since their infancy have flocked to Nevada from all corners of the United States in large numbers to cheer on their Glorious.
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“We don’t know when the next time the Canadian will travel this far will be. It’s just the experience of a lifetime. So we didn’t even think about it and we booked a flight to Vegas, ”says with excitement to the Journal Jeff Montesano, 44, who made the trip from Austin, Texas.
“It was simply an opportunity not to be missed, we would have blamed ourselves for not coming. We have been fans since we were very young, we have never let go, ”adds his friend Dixit Gandhi, who flew to him from Chicago.
They were easy to spot in the crowd heading for the T-Mobile Arena, proudly wearing their Sainte-Flanelle jerseys.
And the duo were far from being the only ones to have had the idea of buying tickets to come and show their support for the CH.
On the esplanade in front of the amphitheater, the life jackets bearing the effigy of the Habs numbered in the dozen.
Expats from everywhere
The newspaper had the opportunity to speak with several of them: New Jersey, Florida, California, New Hampshire and even expatriates living in Las Vegas were at the rendezvous not to be missed.
Everyone agreed on one thing: the Canadian must win the first match if he wants to give himself a chance for the rest of the Stanley Cup semi-final series.
“The Golden Knights are a great team. They are powerful, it will be hard to pass them, but it is impossible to bet against them, I have always supported them, ”said Eric Boudreault, 58, a resident of North Carolina. ==
He was supposed to be in Las Vegas to play poker with friends, but decided not to take the game scheduled for Monday to watch the first game.
“But I had already won enough to repay my first ticket, I think I will go to the second,” he says with a wink.
“Marc Bergevin can be proud of the club he is building. He went to get all the songs, so we owe him a lot for what is happening to us. I did not hesitate for a moment to take time off to come here, ”said Brett Mullin, 32, a doctor from Los Angeles, but a native of Montreal.
We put on the show
In preparation for the inaugural part of this series, a stage was set up right next to the T-Mobile Arena and the celebrations were impressive, as thousands of spectators poured in.
But nothing to accost the deployment inside. We are in Vegas, the entertainment capital, everything is in place to wow the eye and give people value for their money.
There, the pre-game spectacle must have given shivers to anyone with any interest in hockey.
Nothing was left to chance, giant screen animations telling the story of the original six NHL teams, spectacular light shows and more than catchy music.
And finally, a knight dressed in full and detailed armor disembarks theatrically and challenges the visiting team.
“Here is our fortress!” »He exclaims with power.
Hostilities are thus initiated.
Loud spectators
And what about the crowd? While the room is packed, nearly 18,000 people make their presence felt to the fullest at the Canadian. The vast majority not wearing face coverings, thanks to the relaxation of the rules since June 1 in Nevada, they have no difficulty in making themselves heard.
It’s noisy, we react to the slightest action, we strongly encourage the local team, which is clearly the favorite.
Despite the presence of several supporters in the blue-white-red sweater, we can say that the CH is completely surrounded by the enemy.
“Used” to only 2,500 fans at the Bell Center, hard to say if the Habs were taken by surprise by so much intensity, while more than a year has passed since the Canadiens’ players played in front of so many people.
But clearly, they will have to redouble their efforts to manage to communicate with each other, while the screams bury the action on the ice without any harm.
Montrealers will have to manage to ignore the constant hubbub if they hope to triumph in the Fortress and advance to the final.
“With a Canadian jersey, you make lots of friends”
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Jean-Philippe Dupuis left on a whim, alone, to come and watch the Canadiens’ games in Vegas. But quickly, he found himself surrounded by strangers. They all had one thing in common: a Habs jersey. “With a Canadiens jersey, you make lots of friends. It’s just amazing! Says the 30-year-old who has lived in Florida for five years.
A roadtrip father-son from San Diego
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As soon as he knew that CH would face the Golden Knights, Donald Spark did not hesitate to book hotel and tickets with his son, Landon, to whom he passed on his passion for his childhood team. “It allows both to have a good time. We drove from San Diego, it’s five hours, but it’s worth it, ”says the father, established in California as an airplane pilot.
Two friends come to support their youth team
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Jeff Montesano and Dixit Gandhi, two friends who respectively reside in Austin, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, absolutely wanted to come and cheer on the Habs in Las Vegas.
The pride of being a supporter of the CH
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In the middle of a sea of supporters of the Las Vegas team, only one supporter of the Montreal club had the courage to wave a Canadian flag, gently taunting the opponent. “It’s just a pride for me, I am proud to be from the South Shore of Montreal and to show it”, maintains the one who now lives in California.
“We were going to go to Denver or Vegas”
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For the Rhéaume family, who have lived in New Hampshire for more than twenty years, it was decided even before the end of the series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Knights: they would attend a game of the half. -final. “For us it was clear, we were going to Denver or Vegas. We wanted to experience it everyone, ”explains Steve Rhéaume, accompanied by his wife Julie and his two boys, Brandon and Ryan.
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