EDMONTON — James Obenauer-Fossett could have an Edmonton Oilers tattoo on his shoulder, however for this playoff run the Habs have his allegiance.
He and different hockey followers throughout Canada are rallying behind the Montreal Canadiens, the final staff standing north of the border within the hunt for the NHL’s Stanley Cup.
Montreal’s second-round collection in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres begins Wednesday night time. In the event that they win all of it, they might be the primary Canadian staff to seize the Cup since 1993, when Montreal defeated the Los Angeles Kings within the remaining.
That will be simply positive with Obenauer-Fossett, whose loyalty to the Oilers is dipped in ink — he has a tattoo of Oilers mascot Hunter the Lynx.
“It’s been 30 years for the reason that Cup has been again in Canada, and it could be good to have it again,” he mentioned.
“It doesn’t matter which Canadian staff goes for it. I’ll cheer for any Canadian staff.”
The shift hits exhausting in Edmonton, the place the Oilers got here oh so near the Cup within the final two years, solely to get dispatched within the first spherical this spring by the Anaheim Geese.
“Clearly it hurts proper now,” mentioned 22-year-old fan Naseer Hussain in Edmonton.
He’s normally an Oilers fan however mentioned it’s solely honest he will get behind Montreal, like so many Canadians did for the Oilers of their latest back-to-back runs within the Cup remaining.
“We wish to convey that Cup house again to Canada, the place the Cup started its journey. As a result of that is the place it belongs. It’s necessary that we unite.”
In Canada, making the leap from cheering for the hometown staff to the Canadiens is just not, for some, a huge shift in allegiance. NHL rinks throughout the nation are frequently inundated with followers cheering for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.
Robert Hing has lived in Calgary for 20 years, however the 49-year-old has but to undertake the hometown Flames as his staff.
“I prefer to say I used to be born with the Habs crest on my chest,” mentioned the Canadiens fan. Born in Ontario, he thought of Montreal a second house till he was drawn to Calgary by a lady who has maintained her title as a Flames fan.
Hing went to Montreal final week to observe in individual because the Habs misplaced a 1-0 time beyond regulation heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Recreation 6 of their first-round collection.
On Sunday, he hung across the metropolis to observe Montreal put solely 9 photographs on internet but nonetheless upset the Lightning to win Recreation 7.
“The sport didn’t appear like it was going our method, however when (Alex) Newhook scored that (game-winning) aim, you may simply really feel this eruption. I didn’t sit down after that,” Hing mentioned.
“There’s solely about eight minutes left within the sport, all people watching was simply dwelling and dying on each single play.
“A lot pressure however a lot pleasure on the finish of it.”
Winnipeg can be house to many Canadiens followers who make their presence recognized. They crammed so most of the seats for a Canadiens-Jets sport in Winnipeg in February, Jets coach Scott Arniel mentioned he was upset on the massive variety of pink jerseys within the seats.
Within the metropolis’s largely francophone St. Boniface neighbourhood, Habs video games make for busy nights on the Pregame Sports activities Bar and Lounge.
“We get Canadiens followers. We’re in a French group. We get lots of them, however all people ought to guess on the Canadiens proper now,” proprietor Tyler Evans mentioned.
The bar is primarily centered on the Jets, Evans mentioned, however Winnipeg didn’t make the playoffs, so the bar has been providing reductions, together with $5 drinks, throughout playoff video games involving Canadian groups. The response within the first spherical throughout Oilers, Senators and Canadiens video games was sturdy, Evans mentioned.
The happy-hour pricing runs so long as the video games do, and solely when a staff primarily based in Canada is on the ice. With Edmonton and Ottawa eradicated, that leaves Montreal video games.
“If we go to triple time beyond regulation, we run that $5 drinks during,” Evans mentioned.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Might 6, 2026.
— With information from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Dayne Patterson in Calgary
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
