Atlantic Canada well represented as Canadiens head to Eastern Conference Finals

Habs fans and family celebrate as the Montreal Canadiens move closer to Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The Montreal Canadiens are headed to the Eastern Conference finals thanks to a Game 7 overtime winning goal by Newfoundland’s Alex Newhook.

“I’m still not over it. I can’t even, I can believe it because he’s so awesome. But at the same time, it’s still kind of setting in,” said Abby Newhook, Alex’s sister and PWHL player for the Boston Fleet.

“The first time it happened, I was like, this is crazy. How did he just do that? And now to do it twice is just unbelievable”

Like most Montreal Canadiens fans, Abby was locked into Game 7 of the Buffalo Sabres series on Monday.

“He’s an unbelievable player. And he’s had that Stanley Cup experience where I think he’s the only guy actually on his team who has won a cup. So to have that experience I think goes a long way in playoffs, especially when you get into the later round,” she added.

After the game, Alex said in a press conference he is proud to be from Newfoundland, something Abby and her family echo.

“I’m really looking forward to watching them in the Eastern Conference finals and I’m going to make my way to Montreal,” she told CTV News of going to Games 3 and 4 in the city.

For Andrew Dobson, that pride is infectious when he watches his son, Noah, defenceman for the Habs, play.

“It was nerve racking for sure. Jumping out for two, taking the lead and kind of sitting back a little bit and hoping everything goes the way you want it to. But obviously Buffalo is a great team and they came back… when you get to overtime you want to obviously win,” laughed Noah Dobson’s father in a Zoom call with CTV.

Andrew, like Abby, plans to head to Montreal this next series to watch his son play in person, having gone to the first series against the Tampa Bay Lightening.

The support from Atlantic Canada means the world to the Summerside, P.E.I., natives.

“We’ve been very fortunate we’ve been supported all along the way. I know they say it takes a village to raise a family, but it takes a community to raise a hockey player to that level. And we’ve been very gracious for everybody’s support of Noah along this journey and obviously supporting the Montreal Canadiens now,” Dobson said.

Support for the Canadiens can be felt throughout the East Coast, especially for do-or-die fans, like actor-singer Geordie Brown and his parents.

“Well, the day before Game 7, I was sitting in Dartmouth out at a rink, watching my nephew playing hockey, and my parents were with me. And at the end of the game, around two in the afternoon, I just jokingly said, ‘Well, if we left now, we could probably make it halfway to Buffalo tonight’,” Brown laughed.

“And an hour later we were on the road on our way. We didn’t have tickets, we didn’t have a place to stay. We figured all of that out on the road. So we drove 10 hours that first night, about 2 a.m., rolled into a hotel, and we then drove a little over six hours the next day. And we seemed to time it right and we ended up with tickets.”

Brown said it was the experience of a lifetime seeing Newhook score his second game winner in a Game 7 these playoffs.

“It’s incredible. I don’t know what kind of fire has gotten into him, but it’s unreal. And I will say the goal gets scored at the opposite end of the rink,” Brown explained.

“And when you’re cheering for the away team, the goals aren’t quite as obvious. There’s not this big horn blaring when they score. So you got to really pay attention, and we didn’t know who scored the goal. It didn’t matter at first. We were just like, ‘Oh my God, we won.’ But we had about six Habs fans right in front of us, they were there from Quebec, and then we had four to our left, and one of them knew that it was Newhook.”

There are diehard fans all over the East Coast.

“Pretty proud. Alex Newhook, Game 7 hero, both rounds,” said superfan Peter Crouse.

“Making the Maritimes proud. And obviously Noah Dobson, a new player on the team and just shutting people down, all their top lines. So, it’s just the beginning for the Habs.”

Dobson said his son had the perfect place to grow up playing hockey in P.E.I.

“Playing throughout the Maritimes, you see some elite talent, everybody, I mean everybody, loves the game in the Atlantic provinces,” said Dobson.

“Sidney Crosby well represents the Atlantic pride I would say. But we’re just excited. It’s nice to see other kids doing well too from the region. There’s so many opportunities for kids now compared to back in the day as well. So Major Junior to Junior A, it’s a great opportunity for a young kid that wants to pursue his dream playing in the National Hockey League.”

“Obviously, it’s not an easy task to get to,” he added. “But you don’t have to leave home too often. And there’s a lot of opportunity here too, to develop and grow as a hockey player.”

That’s something Abby Newhook also knows well.

“I started playing hockey because I was always at the rink, kind of running around, chasing Alex’s friends I guess around the rink,” she laughed. “And I was like, ‘You know what? Why not just throw the skates on myself?’ And then kind of since then, I’ve always just looked up to him and tried to follow in his footsteps as much as I could.”

“He’s always checking in on our games, so supportive of the PWHL,” she added. “Always offering advice. And I think it’s cool too because he asked me my perspective of it, which is it’s not just a one-way street where he’s in the NHL and thinks he knows everything.”

Luckily for Abby, she has always been a Habs fan.

“I was the Montreal fan. Believe it or not, a lot of Newfoundlanders are Montreal fans, which is even better,” she laughed. “My parents and Alex, we all were different teams. I was Montreal, Alex’s Calgary, my dad was the Oilers and my mom was Philly, which we think that she just chose just so she could have her own team as well.”

Andrew Dobson grew up a Washington Capitals fan but has since changed directions a bit.

“It’s a different level over there in Montreal. They just love the Canadiens. And the fans are so passionate,” he said. “It’s a cathedral for hockey for sure to say the least. What you see on TV, it doesn’t do it justice.”

Brown says he’s been a Habs fan his whole life.

“I didn’t really have any say in the matter. I was raised to be a Habs fan, but I will say this past year or so I have definitely chosen to lean in to being a Habs fan because there’s just so much momentum right now.”

Crouse says he’ll go to the finals, if the Habs make it.

“Inside the building, or outside, it’s going to be incredible. They lined up when we were there five hours before the game and it’s just a party all night long. So I’m going to go down, going to make the drive again and it’ll be well worth it,” he said.

The Canadiens face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday in North Carolina.