by Erica, Staff Writer and Fundraising Specialist, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — This week’s episode of 24CH opened with a voice-over monologue about family. At first glance, it seemed like the episode would ultimately bring viewers to the conclusion that the Montreal Canadiens are like a family – brothers-in-arms who just happen to get paid to spend time on the ice together. Here’s what we learned instead:

A lot of hard work goes into an NHL career. Yes, even when that career includes frustrating, losing games like the one the Canadiens played against the Edmonton Oilers. After that game, strength and conditioning coach Pierre Allard went right back to work, waking up before sunrise to start his day with a workout. After his hockey career ended, Allard began to train for and participate in Iron Man triathlons. (No, an Iron Man triathlon does not involve watching three Robert Downey Jr. movies in a row.) Training has helped him improve his skills as a coach and build his career, which ultimately led to his hiring by the Canadiens. He leads the team through conditioning sessions that he has personally tested and developed in his workouts off the clock. Travis Moen says that his work ethic is “unmatchable.” Say what you will about Moen’s stats, but if anyone knows what hard work is, it’s the guy who chooses to spend his summers working on a farm.

This episode shed some light on what brought Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau to the NHL. His parents talk about a child who grew up living and breathing hockey. His coaches remember a junior player whose talent was matched only by his dedication.

But the game isn’t everything. This season of 24CH has aimed to take viewers past gametime and off the ice. What this means is that the episodes are focusing less and less on the on-ice action. In-game sequences have less narration and fewer slow-motion shots, better reflecting the speed of the game and just how quickly a goal-against can happen. As fans, it’s easy to forget that hockey players might be hockey players every day, but that games only take up a few hours in a week. The Canadiens approach their work the same way that many fans do: they put in as much effort as they can, they try to have fun to release stress and tension, and when things start to go sour, they take it personally.

Family is important. Using “family” as a metaphorical concept, rather than a literal one, was kept to a minimum in this episode. It can be easy for fans to define NHL players by their skating style or their jersey number, and forget that hockey is their career, and that they have a life outside of that career. Rather than focusing solely on the doomed Western swing, this episode served to remind fans that the Habs are just as human as anyone else: that they’re fathers and sons who go home to their families. Parenteau’s brother recounted the moment that he realized he wouldn’t have to say good-bye before training camp, because being hired by the Canadiens meant his brother would stay close to home. And as soon as the Canadiens’ flight home from Vancouver landed, Manny Malhotra went home to take his sons out trick-or-treating on Halloween. He was upset by a loss in a city that used to be his home, but he immediately let go of that as he walked to his front door and greeted his young children in their Halloween costumes. Malhotra closes off the episode carrying two of his sons out of the house, saying that he may love his career and his fans, but that the best fans are the ones he comes home to.