Canadian Montreal Backed by Fans as Sabres Series Opens Wednesday

Canadian Montreal heads into Wednesday night with the last Canadian team still in the NHL playoff chase, and the support is already spilling in from coast to coast. The Canadiens begin their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres with a shot at keeping Canada’s Stanley Cup drought alive — and maybe ending the run that has lasted since 1993.

James Obenauer-Fossett Backs Montreal

James Obenauer-Fossett, who has an Edmonton Oilers tattoo on his shoulder and another of Hunter the Lynx, is among the fans pulling for Montreal anyway. “It’s been 30 years since the Cup has been back in Canada, and it would be nice to have it back,” he said during the Canadiens playoff run.

He added: “It doesn’t matter which Canadian team is going for it. I’ll cheer for any Canadian team.” That sentiment fits the moment around Montreal, which is carrying the country’s only remaining hope in the chase for the NHL’s Stanley Cup.

Robert Hing Feels Game 7 Lift

Robert Hing has lived in Calgary for two decades, but his loyalty to the Canadiens has not moved with him. He went to Montreal last week to watch them lose 1-0 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6, then saw the response on Sunday when they upset Tampa Bay in Game 7 despite putting only nine shots on net.

“I like to say I was born with the Habs crest on my chest,” Hing said while discussing his support for Montreal. After Alex Newhook scored the game-winning goal, he said, “The game didn’t look like it was going our way, but when [Alex] Newhook scored that [game-winning] goal, you could just feel this eruption. I didn’t sit down after that,”

Naseer Hussain Wants The Cup Home

Naseer Hussain, an Oilers fan in Edmonton, is also behind Montreal after his own team was knocked out by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round this spring. “Obviously it hurts right now,” he said after the elimination.

He tied that feeling to the bigger Canadian picture: “We want to bring that Cup home back to Canada, where the Cup began its journey. Because this is where it belongs. It’s important that we unite.” If Montreal wins this series and keeps moving, the Canadiens would be the first Canadian team to lift the Cup since Montreal beat the Los Angeles Kings in the 1993 Stanley Cup final.