Canadiens’ Lane Hutson dwarfed by 7‑Foot‑9 NCAA sensation Olivier Rioux

Record-breaking NCAA hoops sensation was in attendance for Montreal Canadiens' Game 3 win over Buffalo Sabres at Bell Centre.

Published May 11, 2026  •  2 minute read

NCAA basketball player Olivier Rioux poses for a photo with Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson on Sunday. Twitter

As one of the oldest and most storied franchises in all of sports, the Montreal Canadiens certainly have some big fans — but none are bigger than Olivier Rioux, literally.

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The 7-foot-9 NCAA basketball player was on hand for Game 3 of the Habs’ second-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, taking in the home team’s big 6-2 victory.

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Rioux was easy to spot outside of the Bell Centre, towering above the crowd. He was even interviewed by Kwabena Oduro of CBC Montreal, with the sports reporter joking about the experience in a post on X.

“Easily then tallest person I’ve ever interviewed,” he wrote. “Never felt so short in my life.”

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Oduro wasn’t the only person looking like rather small standing next to the towering Rioux — who also weighs 305 pounds, according to reports.

Rioux was photographed with Canadiens star Lane Hutson after the game, with the 5-foot-9 defenceman looking absolutely tiny compared to the record-breaking hoopster.

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Who is Olivier Rioux?

At the age of 15, Rioux already stood 7-foot-5 and was named the tallest teenager in the world by Guinness World Records.

The native of Terrebonne, Que., was recruited by the Florida Gators basketball team and played two years for the school, which captured a national title in 2025 — though Rioux was a redshirt freshman and didn’t play.

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He finally saw some action in his second season and broke several NCAA records, becoming the tallest person to ever play in a game and also the tallest to score a field goal.

After making his debut, Rioux surpassed previous NCAA record holder Paul Sturgess, who stood slightly over 7-foot-7. Rioux also out-measures several notable hoops legends, like Chinese superstar Yao Ming (7-foot-6) and both Manute Bol and Gheorge Muresan, who stood 7-foot-7.

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He played 11 games for Florida, including a brief appearance for the Gators in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Last month, Rioux opted to leave Florida to have a better chance at getting some playing time and develop as a player, transferring to UC-Irvine.

Game 4 in the series between the Atlantic Division rivals is set for Tuesday night with a start time of 7 p.m. After that, the series heads back to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday.

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