by Shannon Penfound, Staff Writer and Event Coordinator, All Habs Hockey Magazine

Earlier this week, the Montreal Canadiens faced off against the Winnipeg Jets in Montreal. While the faithful fans inside the Bell Centre cheered their team to victory, another group of die-hard Habs fans were gathered in Winnipeg making their voices of support heard as well at the city’s first All Habs Hockey Party.

Yes, believe it or not, Winnipeg has Habs fans! Sure I may be a bit biased since I live in Winnipeg, but in my opinion they’re some of the greatest fans I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Having lived around some pretty big hockey markets like Detroit and Toronto, I can sincerely say that Winnipeg is also a fantastic city for hockey.

Winnipeg lost their beloved Jets in 1996 and over the years many fans found other teams to cheer for. When the Jets returned in 2011, you could sense the excitement in the air as fans breathed a sigh of relief that their team had finally come home. However, younger generations who didn’t grow up with an NHL team in their home city still faithfully supported whichever team they became loyal to during the Jets’ absence.

Cue Canadiens fans! I moved to Winnipeg about a year ago and, much to my dismay, I saw many Boston Bruins flags hanging during the regular season. I worried that Habs fans were few and far between, but thankfully I was wrong.  Earlier this summer, I won tickets to the 2014 NHL Draft courtesy of All Habs Hockey Magazine and, soon after, joined the team.  Meeting Canadiens fans from all over North America, and learning about how the All Habs team connects Habs fans in so many different cities, inspired me to help find Habs fans in Winnipeg!

The result was this week’s first ever All Habs Hockey Party in Winnipeg, a way for Habs fans to get together, meet one another, and encourage a greater sense of community amongst the most passionate fans in the league. This city is still dominated by Jets fans, but it’s safe to say that they were out-cheered on Tuesday night!

Barley Brothers is a relatively new name in the Winnipeg pub scene, but in just a short while has made a name for itself in a city that appreciates a good brew. With over 150 taps, our group definitely did not go thirsty. Barley Brothers also boasts multiple screens and made sure that our guests had reserved seats with a prime, full view of what proved to be a great game.

Our group completed the All Habs Trivia Challenge, and some great prizes were handed out. One guest won a $25 gift certificate courtesy of Barley Brothers, while two other guests won t-shirts courtesy of our partner, True Rivalry. (By the way, if you haven’t heard of True Rivalry yet, your wardrobe is probably lacking some of the best t-shirts ever made!)

It was a great evening and a big win for the Canadiens. Drayson Bowman suited up for his first game in a Habs uniform, Jiri Sekac drove the net and set up line-mate Lars Eller for a gorgeous goal off of an unfortunate rebound for Jets goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec. And Carey Price nabbed his 26^th career shutout, rightfully etching himself even deeper into Habs history.

But the best part of the night wasn’t the win, it was getting to know some great Habs fans in Jets territory.  Everyone in our group was all smiles when the evening ended, and went home knowing they had just made a new group of friends who share their passion for hockey and the Montreal Canadiens.

Thanks to all who attended the event, and I look forward to seeing them and even more new faces at our next All Habs Hockey Party in Winnipeg!

Don’t miss out on all the fun!  RSVP early to reserve your seat at our next event!  Be sure to follow @All_Habs and @HockeyPub on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook so that you’ll be sure to receive updated announcements about upcoming Hockey Parties.  Interested in hosting a Hockey Party in your neighbourhood?  Email [email protected] for more information!