MONTREAL, QC.– It’s a Saturday without Habs Hockey. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s just odd. I feel out of sorts all day — seems that my system has become accustomed to Saturday hockey over many years of being a fan and then covering the Montreal Canadiens.
Sure, it was fun to watch a practise earlier today — warm gear, chicken broth, eye black — but the novelty of watching the Habs skate on a chilly afternoon at McMahon Stadium doesn’t make up for the lack of Saturday Canadiens hockey. Any kind of game will do – even if it’s not a particularly good one!
Case in point is last Saturday night’s game against Toronto. No matter their place in the standings a Maple Leafs – Canadiens game is usually a hard fought contest drawing on the historical rivalry. Not this time. As we know, it was a snooze-fest.
The Leafs looked played like a team that will miss the playoffs. Montreal cruised to a 3-0 win. It wouldn’t exactly have been the most fun-filled Saturday night unless…
I was fortunate to be with more than thirty other passionate Habs fans who had gathered at McLean’s Pub in downtown Montreal, a short distance from the action at the Bell Centre. We call it a Habs Tweetup which is simply a get together of some fabulous people who follow one of the most successful teams in sports.
Some were there for the first time, others I had met many times before. From what I’ve been told, all will be back again. It was a particular treat to see those who had travelled from Quebec City, Philadelphia and Massachusetts.
The folks at McLean’s were very welcoming. Stuart Ashton had ensured a private spot on the mezzanine level was available just for us. Manager Jay Farrar brought up a free beer tower much to the enjoyment of the attendees. Adrienne (“like Rocky’s girlfriend,” she said) took very good care of us with a perfect blend of charm and sarcasm along with an uncanny knack with names.
Later on, we were treated to a visit by Montreal Hip Hop artist Annakin Slayd who stopped by to say hello. Annakin is the creative genius behind the Canadiens unofficial drive to 25 called “Feels Like ’93.”
As has become tradition, All Habs trivia was one of the intermission features. @Bantourakis was victorious winning a Patrick Roy prize package from 25Stanley.com Thanks to J.T. Utah for the donation and for coming by to meet the winner.
In addition, the most creative answers to the quiz were penned by @ladyhabs. She was the proud winner of a Canadiens scarf and mitt set courtesy of All Habs.
Attendees also had a chance to enter the All Habs Hockey Love Hurts contest sponsored by Visa. Two $50 gift cards were awarded to the fans who described their hockey heartbreak story. Following hockey can be a personal adventure of sorts and as such, each person’s story was uniquely different. Entries and winners can be found here.
A short poll was conducted online following the event. On average, the venue was rated at 9.00 out of 10. The organizers received an average rating of 9.43. One guest commented:: “I had a really great time. Can’t wait for the next one.” That sentiment seemed to be echoed by many people as they packed up after the Habs had sealed the win.
Be sure to join us at an upcoming Habs Tweetup and get a first-hand look at why people keep coming back for more. There are lots of opportunites to attend an event in the next few weeks – Habs Tweetups are scheduled in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, New York City. Be sure to visit HabsTweetup.com for details and to RSVP.
While you’re there you can read Amy’s account of the evening and check out the photos from this event. You can also meet her and the rest of the Habs Tweetup crew by checking out their “What is a Habs Tweetup?” video. It also serves as an invitation to tell the world why you enjoy Habs Tweetups and what you love about being a Habs fan by submitting a video testimonial.
So what have we learned? Habs fans like to get together and can be entertained even for a Leafs game – but hockey is just one part of the equation…the camaraderie makes it a much more complete experience.