It was some kind of a wonderful party in the park even if the hockey game was anything but fabulous.
Around 500 people gathered in N.D.G. Park on Saturday night to watch Game 2 of the Montreal Canadiens-Carolina Hurricanes Eastern Conference final series and, obviously, everyone was bummed out that the local team lost 3-2 in overtime to the squad from Raleigh, N.C.
But no one was feeling pessimistic about the team that has brought so much joy to the peuple this spring. The Habs’ loss evened the series at 1-1. Carolina’s winning goal was scored by Nikolaj Ehlers, his second marker of the game. To put it politely, Montreal didn’t have the best of games. As has happened too often in these playoffs, they followed an excellent game with a much less stellar effort on the ice.
A crowd of about 500 gathered at Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park on Saturday night to watch the Habs play. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
People in this park in N.D.G. said they were still upbeat, confident the Canadiens will win the series against the Hurricanes, and they just loved the opportunity to watch this game outside in the park. The watch party was organized by Rendez-vous NDG, a group funded by the city to provide shows in the park all summer and many there Saturday were wondering why other boroughs aren’t also holding Habs viewing parties.
Shauna Denis loved the event in the park.
“It’s great to bring the community together, to have all these people here with their families,” Denis said. “These are the memories people will have when they think of watching the playoffs. Just being together. The last time they went this deep, it was COVID so people didn’t get together.”
Maryam and her daughter Moujan were among the local residents at N.D.G. Park on Saturday. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
Dominique Robert was less upbeat.
“My heart says Canadiens in seven but my head says Hurricanes in seven,” said Robert.
Nathan Lapointe was philosophical about the loss.
“I think it would’ve been really nice to come home with a 2-0 lead, but at the same time everyone said Carolina would come out with their best game after Game 1,” Lapointe said. “We were able to show that we can stick with them when it matters most. They should be worried. I think coming back home, it should be a great two games.”
Michel Rizzoli and his dog Buddy were among the crowd taking in Game 2 on the big screen in the park. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
Dana Malowany thought it was an entertaining game to watch.
“Obviously it adds to the atmosphere watching it with a huge group of people, who are all rooting for the same team,” Malowany said. “We’ve watched a lot of games in our living room. This makes it more fun to watch. It makes it more exciting. Every emotion is bigger, whether it’s excitement or disappointment.
Darcy Malowany, Dana’s brother, was okay with the OT loss.
“You’d like to go ahead 2-0 in the road but just the fact that they split I think is a great thing for the Habs,” Darcy said. “Coming back with the series tied, I think you take that as a win. Just the fact that they took it to overtime and survived that push from the Hurricanes, who’re obviously rested, (that’s great). Now they just have to get two at home.”
Dana, left, and Darcy Malowany took Saturday’s loss in stride. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
He underlines that precisely no one thought the team would make it this far.
“We’re playing with house money, we’re ahead of schedule,” said Darcy. “The guys are learning a lot and they’re playing some good hockey. They deserve to be here for sure. But for us fans, it’s such a treat because they shouldn’t be here at this point in their rebuild.”
Anne-Julie Gratton, with son Louis Forget, react after Canadiens’ Josh Anderson tied the game in the third period with a goal from in close. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
Jonathan Beaulieu said he didn’t try to feel too high after Montreal’s win in Game 1.
“To be 1-1 I think everyone would take that,” Beaulieu said. “The Canadiens get better and more mature after every series. Obviously we want to win every single night and we think we can win the series. We’re optimistic.”
Andrew Lindsay said he was disappointed but agreed that splitting the games in Raleigh was good. But now is the time to win at home, he said.
Allison Ojerio, right, and Sabrina Roy watch nervously as overtime approaches in Game 2 between the Habs and Canes. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
“I can’t believe that the energy and the passion of the home fans is hurting them,” Lindsay said. “They’ve been dreaming about this since they were four years old. They have great chemistry. They have a real love for each other. It shows in the way they play. I just want them to keep going. They can feel it, they can smell it, they can taste it. I think they’ve got it. They’ve just got to keep their feet on the gas. So let’s keep rolling guys.”
So yes, the common wisdom is that winning one of two in the other team’s barn is an advantage for the road team. But — and it’s a gigantic but — the Canadiens have not fared well in their own rink in these playoffs. They are 2-4 at the Bell Centre and only one of those wins was in regulation.
Now might just be the time to improve that record. Clearly the local fans are going to give their heroes a raucous welcome Monday and, in theory, that should help the Habs. But up until now it hasn’t.
Philippe Bousseau, left, and Theo Adrar react after the Hurricanes scored the winning goal in overtime. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
That’s the half-empty view. The half-full take is they played a pretty poor game Saturday, mustering a measly 12 shots, and they still took the Canes to overtime and were one shot away from winning it. Back with a glass sorely lacking a nice cold Molson beer, it has to be said that they didn’t get a shot in overtime and a wise man once said you’ll never score if you don’t shoot on the net.
To quote all the fans sitting on barstools across Montreal — shoot the effing puck! And learn how to deal with the pressure of an arena full of wildly enthusiastic hometown fans. They call it “home-ice advantage” for a reason.
Aislin
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