When it comes to the best hockey cities in the world, Montreal is easily among the top three.
Hockey provides a sense of unity for the people of Montreal. It’s not uncommon to find yourself high-fiving strangers at the Bell Centre after a goal or bonding with someone over a shared love of the Canadiens. Fans are likely to leave the rink with smiles on their faces, even if the team loses.
Hockey lovers in Montreal are very devoted to their team. Tickets can cost hundreds of dollars and merchandise can be just as expensive. Yet, game after game, season after season, the Montreal Canadiens sell out the Bell Centre’s 21,273 seats and the arena becomes a sea of red jerseys.
Even in the off-season, the importance of hockey lingers. Rarely a day goes by when Montreal media doesn’t mention something about the Canadiens—this only further emphasizes this city-wide hockey craze.
The fans give so much to the team, and it doesn’t go un-reciprocated. The Canadiens consistently give back to their fans and, more importantly, to the city itself.
They do the little things—they give fans from all over the opportunity to see their talent. Their practice facility is on the South Shore, their main arena is in the heart of downtown and, as of 2017, their minor league team will be based out of Laval. The Laval Rocket, which is the name of their minor team, was named by a public vote.
They also make much larger contributions in the form of the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation, an official organization which ties the team to the local community. According to the foundation’s website since 2000, with the help of fans, the team has donated more than $20 million to 697 organizations to help underprivileged children in and around Montreal.
This money is raised in ways which provide fans who donate opportunities to connect with the team. For example, the team sells mystery pucks for $40 at select Canadiens games. The pucks come wrapped in a thick brown paper to prevent the buyer from seeing what’s on it. Each puck is guaranteed to be autographed by either a current player or a Canadiens alumnus. Some pucks lead to bigger prizes, including sticks signed by the entire team or a meet-and-greet after the game.
If a person is the gambling type, they can gamble towards the Canadiens’ cause. At every game, fans can purchase 50/50 tickets in different packages ranging from $5 to $40. The way it works is that all the money from the ticket sales goes into a big bucket—the winner walks away with half the bucket and the foundation gets the other half. At this season’s home opener, the foundation and a lucky fan each walked away with $33,200. Considering the size of the Bell Centre, the odds are pretty good.
However, the most important contribution the team makes to the city is done during their annual blood drive. One day per year, the ice at the Bell Centre is taken over by small cots, clear tubes and nurses as hundreds of fans fill the building for something other than a hockey game.
Fans who attend the blood drive are guaranteed to meet players, alumni or media celebrities. Every player on the team usually makes about a two-hour appearance, going from cot to cot to greet the fans giving blood and hold their hands if needed. Players take the time to talk to every donor, thank them for their contribution and sign anything the fans want autographed. The players will even pose for selfies.
This year, over 800 people flocked to the Bell Centre to give blood and have the chance to meet their favorite players. According to the foundation’s website, these 800 fans will save over 3,200 lives—that’s no ordinary blood drive. It’s a major contribution to the Quebec health system and genuinely makes a difference in thousands of people’s lives. And it’s all thanks to a hockey crazy-city and its team.