{"id":434832,"date":"2026-05-10T13:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T13:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/434832\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T13:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T13:28:11","slug":"what-the-montreal-canadiens-hockey-playoff-run-reveals-about-faith-belonging-and-the-sacred","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/434832\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Montreal Canadiens\u2019 hockey playoff run reveals about faith, belonging and the sacred"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Montreal Canadiens now competing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>, their fans, often described as les fid\u00e8les<\/a> (the faithful), continue to show devotion for their beloved team, les Glorieux<\/a>, in perhaps surprising ways. <\/p>\n

One rabbi posted a prayer for the Canadiens on his Facebook page<\/a>. A church in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., hosted watch parties<\/a> for every playoff game. Some fans in Habs jerseys were even seen crawling up the steps to St. Joseph\u2019s Oratory in the past<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The jerseys are called la sainte flanelle<\/a> (the holy cloth), while some players wearing them are given otherworldly nicknames. Former NHL goaltenders Patrick Roy<\/a> and Carey Price<\/a> are called \u201cSt. Patrick\u201d and \u201cJesus Price.\u201d The late great Guy Lafleur was known as le d\u00e9mon blond.<\/p>\n

These acts might look strange to outsiders. But as scholars of religion, we think they reveal something about why hockey matters so much to fans. People often find the religious or spiritual in everyday life<\/a>, and hockey is no different.<\/p>\n

\"Fans<\/p>\n

Fans cheer as they watch the Montreal Canadiens win 3-2 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning during NHL playoff hockey action in the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-l’\u00c9vang\u00e9liste in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., on April 24, 2026.
\n THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Edouard Desroches<\/p>\n

We have written books about connections among sport, spirituality and religion<\/a>, and told the story of \u201cHockey Priest\u201d Father David Bauer<\/a>, who sought higher ideals in the game. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re currently drafting a book about what matters most in hockey, centred around three things: beauty, belonging and believing. Together, these explain what is so out-of-the-ordinary and enchanting about hockey<\/a>, and why it can move people so deeply.<\/p>\n

Beauty<\/p>\n

Plato, writing in the Phaedrus, described beauty as<\/a> the thing that \u201ccauses the soul to grow wings.\u201d He meant there is something transcendent about beauty, and that our appreciation of beautiful things carries us to higher truths.<\/p>\n

Beauty lies at the heart of our attraction to hockey. Skilful displays on the ice \u2014 like stickhandling, booming shots and toe-drags \u2014 can lift our spirits. Seeing beauty come alive on the ice takes people beyond the humdrum of regular life and toward something transcendent or special. <\/p>\n

Players like Lane Hutson<\/a> stir a sense of wonder. Hutson\u2019s skating and spatial intelligence have been exceptional in the playoffs. In Game 3 of the first round against Tampa Bay, he fielded a pass from Alexandre Texier and scored on a slap shot to win it for the Canadiens in overtime<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens\u2019 Lane Hutson delivers a game-winning slap shot in overtime during Game 3 against Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Beauty is also seen in hockey\u2019s personalities and unforgettable stories. In March 2025, after Brendan Gallagher\u2019s mother died from a battle with Stage 4 brain cancer, a fan reached out to him on social media<\/a>. <\/p>\n

She had won his 2022 Hockey Fights Cancer jersey \u2014 the one on which he had written \u201cI Fight For Mom\u201d \u2014 at a Canadiens Children\u2019s Foundation auction, and offered to give it back. He accepted, and in April 2025, the two met on the Bell Centre ice for a jersey swap.<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful moment of humanity between the two.<\/p>\n

Belonging<\/p>\n

Belonging is a core spiritual need<\/a>. When people feel part of a community, they have a greater sense of meaning, self-worth and hope. Hockey, at its best, enhances that sense of belonging<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Even the Canadiens\u2019 nickname, the Habs (or les Habitants), refers to the early French settlers of Qu\u00e9bec. The team has always carried a community\u2019s identity, for better or for worse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This playoff run has provided striking examples of the sport bridging real divides. On May 5, just before Game 1 of the Sabres-Canadiens series, Niagara Falls, on the Canada-U.S. border<\/a>, glowed in the colours of both teams: the Horseshoe Falls in red and white for the Canadiens, the American Falls in blue and gold for the Sabres. Hockey has the power to unite even amid bitter political division. <\/p>\n

The falls were not the only example of this. A week earlier, during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round between the Sabres and the Boston Bruins, the microphone cut out for singer Cami Clune during \u201cO Canada.\u201d Immediately, the crowd at Buffalo\u2019s KeyBank Center stepped in<\/a> themselves. <\/p>\n

As a border city, Buffalo is the only NHL team to play both national anthems before every home game<\/a> regardless of opponent as a sign of respect and connection. <\/p>\n

This mattered more than it might have in another year and in a different political context. Just months earlier, during the 4 Nations Face-Off, fans jeered opposing anthems on both sides of the border<\/a>. The Buffalo moment was a different kind of answer.<\/p>\n

Believing<\/p>\n

Researchers have shown<\/a> that people find the sacred in many different things, including religion, gardening, music and sport. Wherever people find the sacred, they experience a sense of the extraordinary, ineffability and deeper meaning. <\/p>\n

Psychologist Kenneth I. Pargament, in fact, defines spirituality as \u201cthe search for the sacred<\/a>.\u201d Philosophers Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly<\/a> argue that many people have lost the ability to experience the sacred in this secular age, and that sport is one of the few places where people still encounter wonder and beauty. <\/p>\n

Read more:
\n Why sport is a spiritual experience \u2013 and failure can help<\/a><\/p>\n

The thirst for meaning, beauty and wonder doesn\u2019t go away. Hockey is one place where many seem to find a sense of mystery and uplifting hope, passion and awe. Discovering the sacred in hockey helps fans feel a part of something bigger than themselves; something that has meaning beyond the ordinary minutia. Intense moments in sport can bring fans an implicit sense of meaning. <\/p>\n

The answer to meaning and happiness may not be a complicated big picture but in these smaller moments of discovering the sacred. But a word of caution: as Paragament and his team have found, when we discover the sacred in something, there are implications for our everyday lives.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens players celebrate after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on May 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla.
\n (AP Photo\/Chris O’Meara)<\/p>\n

Fans organize their schedules around game time. They invest in the team by buying jerseys, tickets and merchandise. They defend their teams fiercely against criticism. And when their team loses, particularly in an elimination game, the grief can be devastating<\/a>. <\/p>\n

That deep sense of loss is intensified for those who experience a sense of the sacred in hockey and their team. This intersection of spirituality with the meaning of hockey can explain why a loss can be more devastating that might seem understandable. For many people, hockey is more than just a game.<\/p>\n

Right now, two Montr\u00e9al teams are competing for championships. The Canadiens and the Sabres are tied after two games<\/a>. The Victoire \u2014 Montr\u00e9al\u2019s PWHL team \u2014 are tied 1-1 with the Minnesota Frost in their semifinal, after captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored a triple-overtime winner on May 6<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether either team manages to bring a trophy home, the devotion surrounding both is already extraordinary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Montreal Canadiens now competing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-434832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}