![\"0919](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0919-spt-habs_305284881.jpg\")
Head coach Martin St. Louis speaks with former teammate and newly signed Chris Kreider during Canadiens training camp practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nOne of the big goals Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes had when they started a rebuilding process four years ago was to make Montreal an attractive destination for players.<\/p>\n
They have done that.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens have been able to lock up the core members of the team to long-term contracts. Zachary Bolduc and goalie Jakub Dobes are signed through the 2029-30 season, along with captain Nick Suzuki. Cole Caufield, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle and Alex Newhook are signed through 2030-31. Juraj Slafkovsky and Noah Dobson are signed through 2032-33, Lane Hutson through 2033-34 and Ivan Demidov through 2034-35.<\/p>\n
Last summer, Dobson was willing to come to Montreal in a sign-and-trade deal with the New York Islanders. This summer, Chris Kreider was willing to come to Montreal as a free agent.<\/p>\n
Head coach Martin St. Louis speaks with former teammate and newly signed Chris Kreider during Canadiens training camp practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
The Canadiens have created a culture players want to be a part of and they\u2019ve started to win. They were the youngest team to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and advanced to the Eastern Conference final last season before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n
During his more than 20 years as a player agent before becoming GM of the Canadiens, Hughes said he learned players are happy \u201cwhen hockey is going well,\u201d no matter what city they\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
Dobson is very happy in Montreal after signing an eight-year, US$76-million contract last summer and so is his wife, Alexa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think just the culture here,\u201d Dobson said during training camp. \u201cFrom ownership, management, coaching, players, it\u2019s second to none. Everyone makes the environment \u2026 we put in the work every day and we\u2019re hard on each other and we push each other, but we have fun doing it and everyone enjoys being around each other. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen many teams where even outside of the rink guys aren\u2019t sick of each other,\u201d Dobson added. \u201cGuys always want to be together on the road at all times. It just says a lot about the group of guys and how much we care for each other and love being around each other. That\u2019s awesome to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n
A memorable summer for Dobson<\/p>\n
It was a busy summer for Dobson and his wife, who is from Dover, Mass., and used to work as a NASCAR reporter. They put the finishing touches on their new home in Cape Cod and Alexa gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Veronika.<\/p>\n
Dobson also returned to his home town of Summerside, P.E.I., for the fourth annual Noah Dobson HockeyFest<\/a>, which is billed as the largest street-hockey event in the world and raises money to help support adults in the area with intellectual disabilities.<\/p>\n My column on Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson never forgetting where he came from in Prince Edward Island and becoming the Pride of Summerside #Habs<\/a>: https:\/\/t.co\/wR7Uwbrx5Z<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) August 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNot a lot of travel, really,\u201d Dobson said about his summer. \u201cMy wife was pretty pregnant in July. So we were just training and skating, getting a couple of golf games in and then the baby came. Kind of focused on that, getting ready for the season. \u2026 It\u2019s great having a nice daughter, a healthy beautiful daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had lot of help around once the baby came,\u201d Dobson added about their time in Cape Cod with his wife\u2019s family nearby. \u201cEvery mom needs their mom going through that stuff, so it was good. It\u2019s been great so far. Wife\u2019s been awesome. It\u2019s been great being a dad.\u201d<\/p>\n Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson and his wife, Alexa, recently did a baby reveal from the balcony of their downtown Montreal condo with a great view of the Leonard Cohen mural on Crescent St., which she posted on her Instagram account #Habs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8reSm7IpP7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Dobson was also able to catch up with some of his former Islanders teammates at a wedding this summer and they were asking him what it\u2019s like playing for the Canadiens.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were curious just what it\u2019s like,\u201d he said. \u201cThey saw in the playoffs just the atmosphere on the streets and in the rink. But you know, every single guy I\u2019ve played with one of their favourite road games every year is at the Bell Centre. So guys have an understanding, but I feel like you don\u2019t really know what it\u2019s like until you live it and you go through it. Especially last year through the playoffs, there\u2019s no place like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Downtown life suits Dobson<\/p>\n In Montreal, Dobson and his wife live in a high-rise downtown condo with a spectacular view that includes the giant mural of Leonard Cohen on a Crescent St. building. They also have a small Shih Tzu dog named Maxime.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest with you, I wasn\u2019t much of a dog person,\u201d Dobson said. \u201cI had a family dog growing up, but I\u2019ve been away for a while. My wife grew up with Shih Tzus her whole life and she found a teacup Shih Tzu last year and thought it would be a great addition. I love it. It brings so much joy, just like a kid. When you get home, just how excited she is.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s pretty well known,\u201d Dobson added with a chuckle about Maxime. \u201cShe\u2019s out in the streets walking lots. Doesn\u2019t take much to exercise her with the small legs. But it\u2019s been a great addition \u2014 just brings a lot of joy to the household each and every day no matter how your day\u2019s going. You play a good game or a bad game, it doesn\u2019t matter. They treat you and great you the same. So it\u2019s been awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Exploring the city<\/p>\n Dobson said his wife is looking forward to getting out more this season around town with the baby and the dog.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year was tough because she didn\u2019t really get to experience much,\u201d Dobson said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re pregnant you don\u2019t feel well and you get to a point where you just kind of hunker down. She\u2019s been-super excited to be back (in Montreal). She\u2019s an awesome mom and it brings her joy each day just to have a daughter, especially. As she gets older they\u2019re going to be best friends, you can already tell.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great for her to get back in the city,\u201d Dobson added. \u201cThe weather\u2019s been awesome. She\u2019s been out, lots of walks with the stroller with the baby and enjoying life. It\u2019s been great so far.\u201d<\/p>\n It helps so many of the Canadiens\u2019 players wives have recently become moms, including the wives of Suzuki, Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault. Matheson\u2019s wife gave birth to their third child this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThey got their mom groups going on,\u201d Dobson said. \u201cThey got the music classes and all the stuff with the babies. That\u2019s important. I think especially the first-time moms to go through it together and just kind of bounce things off each other: \u2018Oh, this is what mine\u2019s doing at this age.\u2019 It\u2019s important. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s only going to bring the girls even more closer and they\u2019re really going to enjoy it and have fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kreider impressed<\/p>\n Kreider was asked after the Canadiens\u2019 final pre-season game at the Bell Centre \u2014 a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators \u2014 what has impressed him the most about his new team and teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, it\u2019s got nothing to do with the stuff on the ice,\u201d said the 35-year-old, who is in his 15th NHL season after spending 13 years with the New York Rangers and one with the Anaheim Ducks. \u201cReally good guys, really enjoy being around each other. Really good group, really good culture. That\u2019s not an easy thing to do and not something to take from granted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun, but everyone works super hard, too,\u201d Kreider added. \u201cGuys are on the ice early, (extra) touches every single day. Guys are on the ice late. They love working and they have fun doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the fun things the Canadiens do is the Circle of Friendship after victories and Kreider\u2019s new teammates are involving him in it. The veteran still isn\u2019t certain exactly what he\u2019s supposed to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no idea,\u201d he said after the final pre-season game. \u201cI just got pulled into it and, apparently, today I squated too low. Last game I didn\u2019t squat low enough. So I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m learning.\u201d<\/p>\n What does he make of the post-game celebration?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said with a chuckle. \u201cI\u2019m confused. You\u2019d have to ask someone else. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. I just work here.\u201d<\/p>\n Kreider was also asked about the importance of a team having fun.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a balancing act, but it\u2019s an enormous part of it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a game at the end of the day. If you\u2019re not having fun, what\u2019s the point, right? At the same time, winning\u2019s a whole lot more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Coach\u2019s keys to success<\/p>\n Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis believes two of the keys to a team having success are culture and continuity. He also believes his team now has both.<\/p>\n Kreider is the only new player the Canadiens added during the off-season and St. Louis said that makes his job easier since he\u2019s not starting from zero, trying to get everyone on the same page. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a big difference in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs added 12 new players during the off-season.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re at a total different stage,\u201d St. Louis said about the Canadiens\u2019 rebuilding process. \u201cAll the stages have been fun to go through. There\u2019s challenges in all of them. When you\u2019re trying to build a team, develop young players, there\u2019s challenges all the time. Not necessarily wins, losses, expectations. We\u2019re aware there\u2019s more that\u2019s expected from us and we\u2019ve earned that. And we know the kind of responsibility that comes with that and I feel like we come in each and every day living up to our own standards that we\u2019ve built.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s going to be challenges,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cWe know \u2014 we just don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to be. But there will be and we\u2019re ready. We\u2019re good at repairing usually. \u2026 I don\u2019t think we\u2019re reinventing anything. There was a good foundation of it, but we really defined it and we were able to build an environment that allowed the culture to grow. And the only reason why the culture has grown is because of the individuals inside that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Knuckles Xhekaj<\/p>\n Florian Xhekaj is used to having cuts and scrapes on his knuckles from fighting.<\/p>\n He has yet to play a regular-season game for the Canadiens this season, but Xhekaj\u2019s knuckles are already banged up from a fight he had with the Toronto Maple Leafs\u2019 Marshall Rifai during his first pre-season game. It was the only fight Xhekaj had during three pre-season games as the 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward looked to show management he can do a lot more than just drop the gloves.<\/p>\n Xhekaj succeeded and made the team to start the season, but was a healthy scratch for the first game \u2014 a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the first (pre-season) game I was kind of getting into it and they were upset when I was hitting some of their top guys,\u201d Xhekaj said. \u201cThey were upset with me. The guy (Rifai) kind of had to do something about it, I feel, to show (up) and I was all for it. And then after that not too many fights were there, I guess. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really go around looking for them, but the way I play, obviously, they\u2019re going to come,\u201d Xhekaj added. \u201cIt was good to have one fight. But, yeah, my knuckles are pretty banged up anyways. They get cut every other game. That\u2019s fine, though.\u201d<\/p>\n I asked Xhekaj if he had seen the video clip of him battling with Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews in the first pre-season game, which led to Rifai challenging him.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I did see that,\u201d Xhekaj said with a chuckle. \u201cThat was funny. I just looked to the net and I was just going to box him out and then he was kind of slashing me and giving it back to me. I mean, I liked it. I was like, this is great.\u201d<\/p>\n Xhekaj was penalized for cross-checking Matthews.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how I got a penalty for that and he didn\u2019t, to be honest,\u201d Xhekaj said. \u201cBut if I can get under the skin of better players then it makes me more impactful. So I think that\u2019s huge in my game.\u201d<\/p>\n Xhekaj realizes he will have to build a relationship with NHL referees because of his reputation.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when you\u2019re out there just skating laps around the rink (in warmup), just go up to the refs, ask: \u2018How\u2019s it going?\u2019 They obviously know before the game what type of player we are and kind of what we\u2019re going to do out there. They talk to me, too. They always talk to me, like: \u2018You\u2019re doing good, you\u2019re hitting clean,\u2019 stuff like that. And if I\u2019m doing anything a little late or doing something after the whistle they don\u2019t like, they\u2019ll always talk to me. You kind of just build that relationship with them. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously, you don\u2019t yell at them,\u201d Xhekaj added. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever yelled at a ref, honestly. It\u2019s not something I do and it\u2019s not something I want to do because I know if I yell at them them they\u2019re going to end up maybe keeping a tighter eye on what I do and penalize me for questionable things.\u201d<\/p>\n Knuckles Nilan<\/p>\n Former Canadien Chris (Knuckles) Nilan, not surprisingly, is a big fan of the Xhekaj brothers \u2014 Florian and Arber.<\/p>\n Nilan holds the Canadiens\u2019 record for most career penalty minutes with 2,248. Lyle Odelein ranks second with 1,367.<\/p>\n![\"0526](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0526-spt-habs_303369914.jpg\")
Canadiens\u2019 Noah Dobson, right, and Juraj Slafkovsky celebrate Dobson\u2019s goal that was called back because the play was off-side in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes in Montreal on May 25, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n![\"0919](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0919-spt-habs-mailbag-this.jpg\")
Florian Xhekaj, right, fights for position with Braden Hache in front of goalie Sam Montembeault during Canadiens training camp practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Sept. 18, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n