The Current - Are the Habs Canada's team?

Episode Date: May 6, 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be facing the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. This game comes from their win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Rougas is confident that his team will succeed in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Look, you may have noticed that it wasn't just the outfits that people were talking about when it comes to this year's Met Gala, but the politics surrounding fashion's biggest event. I'm Alameen Abdu Mahmoud, and this week on my podcast commotion, we're talking about billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, co-chairing this year's Met Gala, which managed to upset activists and fashion insiders. Check out the conversation that I had with fashion critics about how billionaire involvement changed the Met Gala. You can find and follow commotion on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is the current podcast. So fans want the Montreal Canadians to bring it home, but it is a tough matchup for Montreal,

but Montreal has just scored a goal. That it looks like up in Montreal. What a scene here in Montreal, Alex New Hook, has just scored a cold. Oh, my goodness. The Montreal Canadians are up two to one right now. It's the CBC's Kwabina-Oduro at the Bell Center in Montreal on Sunday and night. He was live on television when the Montreal Canadiens scored the go-ahead goal in that game, the game-winning goal.

And more than 20,000 people erupted after Alex Newhook, Pride of Newfoundland and Labrador, scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The game wasn't even in Montreal, and yet 20,000 people packed into the stadium, the arena, to watch that game. The Habs now move on to the second round of the playoffs. Game one is tonight against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo. Alex Rugas is the founder of Habs fan TV. Alex, good morning. Good morning, Matt. How are you? I'm well.

You were in Tampa Bay when that goal went in the net. What was it like? Probably the best feeling I've ever felt, probably in the last five years that I've been doing HFTV. I mean, it's been, to be in an away arena, when a goal like that goes in, it feels incredible. because, you know, you've got some hecklers during the whole game, and, you know, they're telling you a bunch of stuff,

oh, you guys have only taken nine shots, you guys are only at seven shots. So for a goal like that to go in, you just go and turn around and say, what's up now? And that was very much the feeling for the, you know, 2,000, 3,000 half-signs that were in the building. I think we were in Pyrrx.

We were in shock, I'll be honest. You're also in enemy territory. And then you were out, what, giving out these thousands of red towels for fans to wave in support. to the HABS in Tampa Bay? Why would you do such a thing? That seems like a dangerous thing to do.

Well, you know, you pick your spots. You know, I think it's a little bit easier to do that in Tampa Bay than it is to do in Buffalo. So that maybe gives you a pre-empt of what we're going to do in Buffalo instead. But, I mean, Tampa Bay, the idea was for game one and two, you know, there's a lot of snowbirds. There's a lot of just habs signs in general from the U.S. I mean, we met people from Ohio, Texas that flew in to come and watch the Canadians in Tampa Bay. We figured that, you know, we thought initially for game one and two they'd have some white towels going. And we figured, why don't we make ourselves visible?

Why don't we give themselves a little extra boost? So I went and I ordered 5,000 towels the Tuesday before the game. And they managed to get there on Friday. The game was on Sunday. And the first day we gave out around 2,500. And when the first goal went in, they were very visible. And it was quite the scene. And for game two, we also gave away another 2,000.

So, yeah, we spread it out a few days. And in total, we gave around 6,500 because we also brought, I bought more for game seven. I figured, like, now we already started this. We got to, we got to buy more and really continue the tradition. As I mentioned, 20,000 people cram into the Bell Center in Montreal to watch a game that's not even in Montreal because that fan base is so electric. How would you describe the scenes in Montreal for people who, we've seen them on television, but what is it like game night in Montreal? Oh, well, that's, what you saw on TV in an empty building would have been just as similar if the players were there. There's virtually no difference.

And what you also probably don't see from what you saw in these images was there's people outside. There's people outside that don't even have a ticket to the watch party that are outside watching the game through the screens of bars nearby, which is insane. Like, I remember when the goal went in, I saw footage of people outside that. It was practically just as packed as it was when they had the actual watch parties outside. So that tells you everything you need to know about the Canaanians. I mean, we're starving for success. It's been 33 years. I heard you mentioned, you know, you weren't sure if we were Canada's team.

I bet you we are. And I guess if we're not, well, that's a question for the others to think about. You have been part of these scenes outside. And on TikTok, you make these songs around some of the players, including Cole Caulfield, who has. scored, I mean, all these goals and just been a superstar for the team. Have a listen to this. It's going to start like this. Goffields on fire. Your defense is terrified.

Coffee is on fire. Your defense is terrified. Is that why Sabers fans are worried that there's going to be an invasion of Habs fans into Buffalo tonight? Well, look, I mean, you know, that's really like what we're all about. I mean, you know, it's about bringing that soccer, you know, European-type atmosphere to hockey. and I mean, Coffields on Fire was one of those songs that, you know, started two, three years ago, actually. And, you know, obviously now with Coffield scoring 50, you became, you know, an even more monumental chant that was being chanted outside the Bell Center. So, you know, the way I view HFTV and this whole thing is, you know, if we can give a little boost to the players, if we can get a little boost of the fan base, I mean, that's kind of what we're looking for. So, I mean, you know, in Buffalo, hopefully we'll be singing that song.

You know, it's neat because in Buffalo, there are also, there's this tradition of Sabres fans singing, Oh, Canada, right? And there was that scene where the anthem singers, Mike, cut out, and the fans just picked up and sang, oh, Canada. At a time when apparently we're in this tense relationship between Canada and the United States, what does that tell you about atmosphere and what atmosphere can mean? Well, look, I mean, they're kind of in a perfect position.

You know, they're pretty close to the Canadian border. So from what I understand, there's a lot of, of Canadian Buffalo Sabres fans. You know, obviously all the Leafs fans now, I mean, they've got to cheer for someone, and they're not going to cheer for us. So they're going to cheer for Buffalo. So we know that we're going to have probably double the amount of Sabers fans

than there were last week cheering them on. But I mean, Buffalo is a great hockey town. I mean, if you look traditionally, like when the Sabers teams have been successful, that building is as hard to play as any other building in the NHL. So a lot of respect for their fan base. I'm glad they finally got over the hundred. after 12 years of not making the playoffs. And, you know, hopefully we can end it one more time and that's it.

You think Leifes fans are going to cheer for Buffalo? This is Canada's team, right? Leafs fans, Oilers fans, Ottawa fans, Calgary, Vancouver. It has to be Canada's team, right? It kind of has to be. I mean, listen, at this point in time, Montreal is still a part of Canada the last time I checked. At this time. At this time, yeah, well, you know, I mean, it's funny when I hear this

conversation because I mean if the Vancouver Canucks were the last team in the last Canadian team I mean this wouldn't even be a discussion but with Montreal there's always a little something because we are we are 24 Stanley Cups we are the most successful franchise we have you know the the the Quebec culture and everything we're we're a bit special we're a bit special we're a bit unique so I guess that's why it makes it hard for them to cheer for us but that's okay if you want to join the Canaan's bandwagon that's okay if you want to win a cup that's where is that Lots of room.

I got to let you go, but are you going to win tonight, do you think? I have no choice but to say we're going to win, aren't we? I mean, we're going to win in game once. I'll tell you that. Good luck. Alex, great to talk to you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Alex Rugrasse is co-creator of Habs fan TV. Montreal Canadiens take on the Buffalo Sabres in game one of that second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight. This has been the current podcast. You can hear our show Monday to Friday on CBC Radio 1 at 830 a.m. time zones. You can also listen online at cbc.ca.ca slash the current or on the CBC Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.