Canadians cheering on Canadiens in Stanley Cup bid - BERITAJA

EDMONTON – James Obenauer-Fossett whitethorn person an Edmonton Oilers tattoo connected his shoulder, but for this playoff tally the Habs person his allegiance.

He and different lucky fans crossed Canada are rallying down the Montreal Canadiens, the past squad opinionated northbound of the separator successful the hunt for the NHL’s Stanley Cup.

Montreal’s second-round bid against the Buffalo Sabres originates Wednesday night. If they triumph it all, they would beryllium the first Canadian squad to seizure the Cup since 1993, erstwhile Montreal defeated the Los Angeles Kings successful the final.

That would beryllium conscionable good pinch Obenauer-Fossett, whose loyalty to the Oilers is dipped successful ink — he has a tattoo of Oilers mascot Hunter the Lynx.

“It’s been 30 years since the Cup has been backmost successful Canada, and it would beryllium bully to person it back,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter which Canadian squad is going for it. I’ll cheer for immoderate Canadian team.”

The displacement hits difficult successful Edmonton, wherever the Oilers came ohio truthful adjacent to the Cup successful the past 2 years, only to get dispatched successful the first information this outpouring by the Anaheim Ducks.

“Obviously it hurts correct now,” said 22-year-old instrumentality Naseer Hussain successful Edmonton.

He’s usually an Oilers instrumentality but said it’s only adjacent he gets down Montreal, for illustration truthful galore Canadians did for the Oilers successful their caller back-to-back runs successful the Cup final.

“We want to bring that Cup location backmost to Canada, wherever the Cup began its journey. Because this is wherever it belongs. It’s important that we unite.”

In Canada, making the leap from cheering for the hometown squad to the Canadiens is not, for some, a gigantic displacement successful allegiance. NHL rinks crossed the state are regularly inundated pinch fans cheering for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.

Robert Hing has lived successful Calgary for 2 decades, but the 49-year-old has yet to adopt the hometown Flames arsenic his team.

“I for illustration to opportunity I was calved pinch the Habs crest connected my chest,” said the Canadiens fan. Born successful Ontario, he considered Montreal a 2nd location until he was drawn to Calgary by a woman who has maintained her title arsenic a Flames fan.

Hing went to Montreal past week to watch successful personification arsenic the Habs mislaid a 1-0 overtime heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Lightning successful Game 6 of their first-round series.

On Sunday, he hung about the metropolis to watch Montreal put only 9 shots connected nett yet still upset the Lightning to triumph Game 7.

“The crippled didn’t look for illustration it was going our way, but erstwhile (Alex) Newhook scored that (game-winning) goal, you could conscionable consciousness this eruption. I didn’t beryllium down aft that,” Hing said.

“There’s only about 8 minutes near successful the game, everybody watching was conscionable surviving and dying connected each azygous play.

“So overmuch hostility but truthful overmuch joyousness astatine the extremity of it.”

Winnipeg is besides location to galore Canadiens fans who make their beingness known. They filled truthful galore of the seats for a Canadiens-Jets crippled successful Winnipeg successful February, Jets coach Scott Arniel said he was disappointed astatine the ample number of reddish jerseys successful the seats.

In the city’s mostly francophone St. Boniface neighbourhood, Habs games make for engaged nights astatine the Pregame Sports Bar and Lounge.

“We get Canadiens fans. We are successful a French community. We get a batch of them, but everybody should stake connected the Canadiens correct now,” proprietor Tyler Evans said.

The barroom is chiefly focused connected the Jets, Evans said, but Winnipeg didn’t make the playoffs, truthful the barroom has been offering discounts, including $5 drinks, during playoff games involving Canadian teams. The consequence successful the first information during Oilers, Senators and Canadiens games was strong, Evans said.

The happy-hour pricing runs arsenic agelong arsenic the games do, and only erstwhile a squad based successful Canada is connected the ice. With Edmonton and Ottawa eliminated, that leaves Montreal games.

“If we spell to triple overtime, we tally that $5 drinks each the measurement through,” Evans said.

This study by BERITAJA was first published May 6, 2026.

— With files from Steve Lambert successful Winnipeg and Dayne Patterson successful Calgary