Canadiens fans upset after team ditches iconic torch ceremony
The Montreal Canadiens came up victorious in their home opener on Saturday night, but fans weren’t completely thrilled with how the team opened up their home schedule.
Habs fans have come to expect the whole nine yards from the Canadiens when it comes to the team’s home opener ceremonies. Yet, it appears that the club took a different approach this year, ditching their long-standing tradition of passing a torch on the ice and including team alumni.
Bon match!
Enjoy the game!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/qloRPWrRPS
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 14, 2023
The change in direction has not been a hit with fans as many took to social media to voice their displeasure with the new ceremony format. The absence of the torch was the main concern, but some fans were disappointed with the lack of hype, something that seemed to also bother Maple Leafs fans at their home opener last week.
What’s everyone’s take on the home opener ceremony? I felt like it was a miss. No torch passing, no legends, and as they skated out for their intro there wasn’t any music or anything to build hype. #GoHabsGo
— Habs 4 Life (@newfster) October 15, 2023
The torch passing ceremony has been a fixture of the team’s opening night ceremony for a number of years and has been involved in some of the franchise’s most iconic moments.
Perhaps the most famous moment involving the torch came in 1996 when the team celebrated the closing of the Montreal Forum. This included every living Habs captain at the time, including Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau, passing the torch around the ice.
For Canadiens fans, the tradition is among the most sacred that the franchise has. Its origins stem from a line in the famous WW1 poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ that reads: “The torch; be yours to hold it high.”
That line was first introduced to the team by Canadien’s head coach Dick Irvin, who was with the team from 1940 to 1955. The line has been incorporated into the Canadiens dressing room wall ever since.
Where was the torch for Montreal Canadiens opening game ?!?!? @CanadiensMTL
— Antoiny31 (@LechasseurAnto1) October 14, 2023
Though the team decided to abandon the tradition, it doesn’t seem to have affected their play on the ice. The Canadiens defeated Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in exciting fashion, sending the crowd home to celebrate a 3-2 victory.
Montreal will stay home as they are set to host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, with puck drop set for 7 pm ET.