MONTREAL — Mon dieu.
That just felt different.
To hear 2,500 people singing ‘O Canada’ in both official languages after 14 months of quiet was to have something stirred deep within your soul. To see the referees audibly second-guessed and Carey Price feted with chants of “Carey! Carey!” and even to have a wave of tense silence wash over the early parts of a one-sided overtime period was to watch our sport come back to life.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi restored joy by extending the Montreal Canadiens season and even that came with a strange realization: It’s almost inconceivable that Game 7 in this series against the Toronto Maple Leafs will be able to produce a scene which eclipses what went on inside the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
This was more than a hockey game — and it wound up being a hell of a hockey game. This was a tangible reminder that we’re inching ever closer to reclaiming some of the things we’ve missed most while the COVID-19 pandemic ground the country to a halt.
Brendan Gallagher viewed it as a reward for Quebecers who endured an evening curfew that ran from early January through Friday night, lifted only after case counts were brought under control. The people can now visit a terrace, gather in small groups and cheer the Canadiens on in person.
“I think the pandemic’s hit the people here as hard as anyone in our country and the people deserve this,” said Gallagher, a longtime Hab by way of Vancouver. “I think they were disciplined, they listened to what was being asked of ‘em.”
That’s the way this public-health crisis has been treated in basically all corners of the country. It’s been a grind. While the Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are both eager to follow Montreal’s lead and open their doors again, they understand the need to remain patient.
It will be authorities in Ontario and Toronto that signal when it’s safe to start socially distancing inside Scotiabank Arena, with the Leafs organization ready to pivot quickly if and when they get the green light.
So far they’re not hearing much on that front.
The Jets have prepared a return-to-venue plan and hope to eventually sort out how many fans might be allowed inside Bell MTS Place as part of discussions with the Manitoba government. However, that province extended its stay-at-home orders by another two weeks on Thursday, which means the hockey team might have to play into Round 3 before those conversations take place.
The Canadiens were granted the ability to operate at roughly 10-per-cent capacity after formulating an extensive health and safety plan. Fans used 10 different entry and exit points on Saturday and had their movements restricted on the concourse. You couldn’t go buy a beer and hot dog, either.
And still, despite the spaced-out sections and no-frills experience, they got their money’s worth. Even those that set fire to their monthly budget and spent thousands on tickets from the resale market.
There was an atmosphere before you walked through the doors. Fans were chanting on Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal three hours before puck drop and those brave enough to be strolling around in Leafs sweaters were playfully heckled.
One young man held up a sign that read: “Sorry mom, I sold my little brother to be here.”
As puck drop drew closer, heart rates picked up.
The North Division teams did a marvellous job these last few months of grinding through a 56-game regular season in empty arenas — particularly while watching highlights of more lively games south of the border each night — but you were reminded of how inferior the sanitized product was as soon as the hum returned.
There was a “Go Habs Go!” chant before warmups began and a hearty round of boos when the Leafs first hit the ice. That gave way to a roar when Price led the Canadiens out.
“We could hear ‘em before the game and going out for warmups. I had chills again,” said Montreal captain Shea Weber. “Honestly it was unbelievable. It felt like a lot more than 2,500 people, it was amazing. I can’t imagine what 20,000 people would be like right now because that was electric for that amount.”
Even the Leafs, fresh off a loss bound to set off a 48-hour firestorm back home, came away impressed. Jack Campbell said “they made the most of 2,500 people.” Auston Matthews said “we haven’t seen fans in over a year so it definitely brings a different dynamic.”
It was difficult to tell if Kotkaniemi was more excited about his overtime winner or the environment that produced it. He conflated the two during a post-game interview spilling over with glee
“We’ve all been waiting this whole year and finally we’re here,” said Kotkaniemi.
The pandemic has affected people differently, but we’ve all been granted an extra heap of perspective. Back in March 2020, could you ever imagine a coach like Sheldon Keefe saying that getting fans back into the arena was even more significant than a game where his team had a chance to clinch a playoff series for the first time in 17 years?
“It’s actually something I’ve been thinking about,” said Keefe. “It’s less about the game and our sport and the playoffs and all of that, but more just about some progress being made in the country.”
Years ago another hockey coach, Andy Murray, summed up our attachment to this sport by claiming that Canadians have a deeper emotional well when it comes to hockey than those in any other country in the world.
We’ve all dug deep here.
And on Saturday night in this hockey cathedral, we collectively returned to the well. It was glorious.
