What the Puck: Canadiens fans transform St Jax Church into house of Habs worship

It is often said that the real religion for Quebecers is the Canadiens, so it was only fitting that more than 100 hockey fans gathered at St Jax Church in downtown Montreal Thursday night for a Habs viewing party.

The faithful were there to watch Game 5 of the second-round playoff series, and their belief in the bleu-blanc-rouge was rewarded with a big victory, as Montreal downed the Sabres 6-3 in Buffalo to take a 3-2 series lead.

French Quebec used to be a society dominated by the Catholic Church, but francophones ici deserted the churches during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s and ’70s. However, they never lost their faith in the Canadiens.

Montreal circus artists often perform at the St Jax Church, under the auspices of Le Monastère, an organization devoted to helping the local circus community. So on Thursday, three circus artists performed throughout the evening, singing comic versions of the national anthems, making quite a scene on stage after each Canadiens goal, and Marjorie Nantel even performed a few acrobatic acts high in the air.

Patrick Léonard, one of the founders of the local circus group Les 7 Doigts, was also performing, roller-skating around the church in a Habs T-shirt. Léonard adores the idea of watching a Habs game in a church.

“Doing this brings to life the idea of La Sainte-Flanelle,” said Léonard, referring to the classic nickname for the Canadiens.

Habs fans gather to watch Game 5 between the Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres action at St Jax Church in downtown Montreal on Thursday night. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette

Mark Abley wrote in the Gazette several years back that La Sainte-Flanelle translates as “the holy flannel, or by extension, the holy sweater — suggesting the religious quality of fandom that makes the Bell Centre a de facto cathedral. “

“The Canadiens is the only religion we didn’t drop,” said Léonard. “And it’s coming back. There’s something happening. The team has been strong in the last couple of years and it’s a young team. It’s interesting how it gathers together so many people. Yes, the youth, but also newcomers, immigrants. We forget the war! At least this brings us together.”

People certainly came together Thursday at Le Monastère in St Jax. It was almost spiritual to watch the Canadiens battle it out — and they battled hard — as we watched in the beautiful, ornately designed church with sky-high ceilings and stained-glass windows.

It was a rough start to the game for the Canadiens, with Jakub Dobes, the star of these playoffs, allowing three goals on the first four shots he faced. Head coach Martin St. Louis clearly gave some thought to pulling Dobes and putting in backup goalie Jacob Fowler. But he didn’t, and it was a genius move. Dobes then stopped the next 32 shots, making a few highlight-reel stops.

The Habs once again showed they’re remarkably resilient and that they just never give up. They believe. And so do the fans. Yeah, the team and the fans know how to keep the faith.

Ata Czaja and Clara Alex said they’re confident Montreal will close it out Saturday night, “and the city is going to go wild,” said Alex. “I want it so bad.”

“We’ve never witnessed this kind of team in Montreal, we’ve been craving it,” said Czaja.

They have been out every game night to watch the Habs. It turns out they met and began dating at the start of the Canadiens’ run — so it’s a playoff romance!

Alex’s favourite player is Dobes, saying, “Oh my God, I want to marry him.”

Alex only got into the Habs and hockey at the beginning of these playoffs.

“I said, ‘There’s big energy downtown in Montreal tonight; we’ve gotta go.’ And I went with my friend, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is electric; the energy.’ And I’ve just been watching every game since,” said Alex, who is studying at the École nationale du cirque.

She loved coming to Le Monastère to see the Habs game.

“It’s bringing together my two favourite worlds,” she said.

“She’s become a super fan. She’s following all the players on Instagram. She’s learning about the lore,” said Czaja. “A run like this creates fans like her.”

Francisco Cruz watches Game 5 between the Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres action at St Jax Church in downtown Montreal on Thursday night.

Partners Lara Barclay and Bonnie Thomson have also gotten caught up in the Habs fever gripping Montreal. They came over from Glasgow last year, and soon enough, their new friends got them into hockey. And they’re loving this playoff run.

Barclay said the hockey culture here seems quite different from the soccer culture in Glasgow.

“I think it’s more all-encompassing here, like everyone is into the hockey, no matter your gender or age or anything,” said Barclay.

Added Thomson: “It’s so easy to get on board with it because the energy is so infectious. You can just get swept up in it. It’s so amazing.”

“I also think we’re more used to football and it’s a much slower sport, compared to hockey,” said Barclay. “They’re gliding on the ice. There’s a lot more action. It’s faster.”

They also said they’d been to see a Montreal Victoire game, and then Léonard rushed up to us to say that the Victoire had just won their first game in the PWHL final in dramatic fashion. They tied the game against the Ottawa Charge with just over two seconds left and then scored early in overtime.

We all started cheering and, yeah, there was some shouting. Maybe some high-fives.

It was that kind of evening. Inspiring. It was all about keeping the faith.

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