Habs Tweeps -- How Did You Become a Fan?

How did you become a fan of the Montreal Canadiens? Compare your answer with folks that attended Habs Tweetups last season.

Submit a response and you may get the opportunity to tell Your Story to other Habs fans.

Check out the full story at All Habs:

Your Story on All Habs -- How Did You Become a Habs Fan?

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It's a Habs Tweetup in Connecticut

by Rick Stephens, All Habs / Habs Tweetup

MONTREAL, QC -- Habs fans are everywhere. Supporters of the Montreal Canadiens who live in the New England and the New York/New Jersey greater metropolitan area will be getting together this coming weekend.

Summertime may be lacking in hockey games, but it IS the season for development camps! So why not attend a "fan camp" and come out to a Habs Tweetup to "develop" some new friendships!

The Zen Bar in Plainville, Connecticut is the place to be on Saturday, July 17th.

For more information and to RSVP, just look for the link in the Upcoming Habs Tweetup box. It's at the top of the left sidebar on this page.


For those who have been asking, the first Habs Tweetup in Montreal of the new season will be held either Thursday Oct 7 (Habs vs, Maple Leafs) or Saturday Oct 9 (Habs vs. Penguins).

Please indicate your preference in the comment section below.

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Habs in Paris: The Great Canadian Pub

By now, you should be getting the idea: Habs fans are everywhere. This season we have been pleased to receive guest submissions from Canadiens' supporters living in Brazil, Australia and the Philippines.

Its a worldwide community of people who are passionate about the bleu, blanc et rouge and All Habs is proud to be at the center of it.

Last month, we began a series of Habs-friendly venues in locations around the globe. If you would like to contribute a review, or you would like to suggest a location for a future Habs Tweetup in your city, we would love to hear from you.

This time, we head to Paris. Thanks so much to Craig for the tour!


by Craig Ostrin, Special to All Habs

“OLÉ – OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ – OLÉ – OLÉ”

PARIS, FRANCE -- The chant was deafening as I watched our Habs leap from the bench to celebrate their dominant Game 7 victory on Pittsburgh ice. The video turned to the Bell Centre and the streets of Montreal, and for a moment, I felt like I was there.

But as we trickled outside into the streets of Paris, the dead silence was a sour reminder that I was several thousand kilometers from Sainte Catherine street.

Hockey was the last thing on my mind when I arrived in France in January. My semester studying abroad was just beginning, and I was focused on seeing Paris and making new friends. Well, it turned out that a number of these new friends were university students from Montreal as well, and before long, we’d found The Great Canadian (TGC) Pub.

At the TGC, hockey sticks served as door handles, and the walls were covered in memorabilia. But most importantly, they showed each and every Habs' game and stayed open till the very end. That was important when the average match started at 1 a.m. and finished around four, Paris time.

With a 10 a.m. class the next day, I showed up at the TGC at 1 a.m. Paris time for the first Habs' playoff game against the Washington Capitals. After barely squeaking into the playoffs—with an embarrassing overtime loss against the Maple Leafs, no less, my expectations were low, but my friend Ben's relentless optimism was contagious.

Ben was born in France, but he had lived in Montreal for over a decade. We met in Paris through a mutual friend from Toronto (don't worry, she didn't root for the Leafs - I asked). At first, Ben was the guy who forced me to speak French and see French movies. It was probably a good thing, but after a full day of interacting in another language, all I wanted to do was relax in my native English when I was with friends.

But, over the course of the semester and the Canadiens' season, Ben quickly became one of my best friends. And so, the morning after the Habs went up 1-0 against the Caps, I penned an email to my professor, explaining that I'd missed his 10 a.m. class on the American Revolution because I'd been awake all night celebrating a similar revolution—a revolution on ice.

“Like the meetings of our predecessors, slogans were chanted, beer was drunk, and we all went home invigorated for the future. Our upstart rebels, the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, had defeated the imperialist scum, the top-ranked Washington Capitals, in the first game of their playoff series.”

Fortunately, my professor found the letter hilarious, and for the rest of the playoffs, nothing could stand between me and my beloved Habs. Not illness, early-morning classes, research papers due the next day—none of it mattered come game time.

Even on vacation, the night of my twenty-first birthday, I knew my priorities. It was Game 7 against the Caps, and boy did the Habs deliver one hell of a birthday gift.

I guess that's why the end was such a shock. The night the dream ended, I remember stumbling out of the pub as if in a daze.

Ben said it best: “I don’t get it. We were here every night.” I knew what he meant. The Habs let us down. We believed, and we did our part. Why couldn’t they do theirs?

The shock has worn off, leaving disappointment at what could have been. But the Habs' defeat doesn't take away from the memories they gave me or the friends I made along the way.

I will never forget standing on a chair at the end of the Penguins series, singing OLÉ at the top of my lungs with Ben and 40 wonderful strangers, as if by the sheer power of our voices, we'd created a bubble of Montreal in Paris.

Related article: Habs-friendly Venues: Blue Moon Cafe in NYC

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Habs in NYC: Blue Moon Cafe

by Rocket, All Habs

MONTREAL, QC -- Habs fans are everywhere.

No other NHL franchise has such committed supporters scattered around the planet. During this year's playoffs, I've heard from fans within Quebec and across Canada in places such as Coquitlam, Lethbridge, Moncton, Regina, Sault Ste. Marie, Peterborough, and many more.

Habs' fans celebrated the first round playoff victory and sent messages from the U.S., Australia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the U.K. and Brazil.

Discussions of a goaltender controversy and Canadiens' hiring policy take place not only in Montreal, but also in Sarasota, Florida, Allentown, Pennslyvania, and Northampton, Massachusetts.

When Habs' fans want to get together to enjoy a game, there are many places in Montreal. One of our favorites is Ye Olde Orchard on de la Montagne. It's a block from the Bell Centre and has an ideal combination of hockey atmosphere, good pub food, and friendly staff.

But with so many Canadiens' fans across North America, and worldwide, where do they gather to follow their favorite team?

This is the first of a series of articles that will look at Habs-friendly venues in locations around the globe. If you would like to contribute a review, or you would like to suggest a location for a future Habs Tweetup in your city, we would love to hear from you.

Today, we go to New York City.

For quite some time now, I have heard good things about a sports bar on the Upper East Side called the Blue Moon. When it opened in 1989, it had direct links with former NHL'ers. A short time ago, I asked a friend to take a look. He readily agreed as it was a place already on his radar.

Chris Brown made his first visit to the Blue Moon Cafe last week, and below he graciously shares his impressions with All Habs readers. Thanks Chris!


by Chris Brown, Special to All Habs

BROOKLYN, NY -- First of all, Carlos is the best thing about the bar. He plays hockey, clearly loves the sport, and is doing everything he can to make the Blue Moon Cafe the No. 1 New York City hockey bar. A couple of Habs fan friends and I came in last night and he immediately recognized me, introduced himself, and told me the story that he has below in writing.

I had contacted him through Facebook and told him that I was looking for the best NYC hockey bar. He immediately got back to me and told me they show all games throughout the season, rather than just Ranger's or Islander's.

As a bar, it is just fine. It has a Mexican theme and you can get a good feel for the place through their website, http://bluemoonnyc.com/. Beer selection is typical. I am a Belgian beer fan but I settled for Labatt's Blue. They immediately came out with tortilla chips and salsa and we ordered wings, which were good.

The place filled up for the game and two thirds of us were supporting the Habs. Carlos was proud that they will turn off the music and put the game's sound on rather than play music like most bars.

The staff was great. The bartender, Spencer, had 'Rangers' tattooed on his arm. He immediately started talking hockey and bought us a round. It's as if Carlos only hired hockey fanatics and told the whole staff that their biggest goal is to make the Blue Moon NYC's No. 1 hockey bar.

Carlos is trying to get Sean Avery to invest. If he gets that cash infusion, he will 'spruce' up the place. I'm hoping that means adding a couple of Belgian beers to the menu.

After, too often in New York, having to beg, bargain, plead bartenders to put on playoff hockey games rather than early season Yankee's games, I am an immediate fan of the Blue Moon. It's a very good Upper East Bar that is made outstanding for hockey fans by the owner and staff's love for the sport. I have been searching for a couple of years and haven't found a bar with anywhere near their great attitude toward hockey and it fans.

For all the reasons mentioned, but particularly due to Carlos and his staff, the Blue Moon is now my favorite place in NYC to watch the Habs.


Text provided by: The Blue Moon Cafe

The Blue Moon Mexican Cafe opened in 1989. The original partners were George McPhee, Ron Greschner, and James Patrick. Needless to say that having three active professional hockey players on board was great for business . The publicity was great and business was even better.

As the players were traded or retired they got out of the business and sold back their interest to those of us that actually ran the business.

Hockey has always been our primary sport, we have had that reputation for 21 years. Over the years we have had The Stanley Cup in here along with countless players and NHL personnel that have come to call this home.

During the Rangers '94 season we were the post game home for fans and players alike, Mess, Leetchie, Gravey, Richter...all of them.

Many fans were just floored when The Great One ...yes Gretz...became a regular. Many great stories are around about that era.

When they are in town, I always get visits from George, Gresch and James. They are usually are accompanied by another player or by management people.

This past Monday night we had Sean Avery and Brad Richards in attendance, they found us by calling The NHL offices to find out where they could catch the playoffs on The Upper East Side....The League sent them here....nuff said !

So today in 2010, we still continue to be NYC's # 1 place to watch NHL Hockey.

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#habstweetup – zOMG the @pplz from the interwebs are realz

#habstweetup – zOMG the @pplz from the interwebs are realz
by The Active Stick, special to All Habs

excerpt:

I’m normally a ridiculously shy person. It’s not that I don’t like people, it’s that I’m afraid of them. So you’d think the idea of meeting a whole bunch of people I only know of from Twitter to watch Habs game would scare the crap out of me. And it did. But hey, 50 of them were doing it, why couldn’t I? Besides, I’ve met people from the interwebs before and I didn’t die that time, so I figured, why not?

Continue reading here

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Habs Tweetup Fever

by Flyers Rule, All Habs


PHILADELPHIA, PA -- If you had told me a year ago that by signing up for an account on this new-fangled Twitter thing I had started hearing about I would end up spending subsequent months planning numerous road trips to cities in Canada to meet groups of fellow "tweeps" just because we all love hockey - I would have laughed out loud and told you that you're crazy.

But the laugh is on me, because that's exactly what I've done! After taking the plunge and attending my first Tweetup last June in Montreal for the NHL Draft I have never looked back. I was introduced to a beautiful new city, met wonderful new people - frankly, it changed my life...and I'm not just being melodramatic :) In fact, it touched me so much that I'm also proud to say I'm now part of the #Habstweetup crew - such an honor! I can tell you first-hand that these people are a ton of fun and always make hockey gatherings a great time.

The last Habs Tweetup I attended was in Toronto and was very memorable (be sure to read my review of it HERE) but now I'm so excited to return to the city of Montreal! The game, a rivalry matchup between the Habs and the Leafs, promises to be very entertaining - accompanied by good food, good drink, good atmosphere and great friends at the tried and true watering hole, Ye Olde Orchard. This quaint Irish pub just mere blocks away from the Bell Centre tends to be home base for the Habs Tweetup crew and events...a perfect venue!

In addition, I'm greatly anticipating the arrival of a very special guest @chile_pepper who will be flying in from Vancouver! (after all, this IS the "West meets East" tweetup!) It's a true testament to how real the friendships forged on Twitter can be - in what other situation would folks from Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and yes - Philadelphia, all converge in one place just for the sake of meeting each other and sharing their passion for hockey?

Now I know that perhaps for some of you out there, the idea of a Tweetup could be a bit intimidating...believe me, that's normal! Rest assured that the organizers work very hard to make every event welcoming, fun, memorable and safe for all attendees. And I know that I speak for many others when I say that once you've attended a Habs Tweetup, you'll be hooked! It's a truly great experience - don't miss out on the fun!

So @chile_pepper have a safe flight from British Columbia, everyone traveling by car have a safe drive...and those of you already in Montreal get ready! It's almost time for the West Coast to meet the East Coast! See you there!


You say you haven't RSVP'ed yet? Your next click should be here


Habs Tweetup - West Meets East
Saturday March 20 - Canadiens vs Leafs
Ye Olde Orchard (de la Montagne)

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Tales From The Toronto Tweetup

by Flyers Rule, Habs Tweetup

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- The travel bug has officially bitten me - hard. This year I finally had a real reason to make my debut visit to our neighbor to the north, Canada, for the very first time. I was not disappointed - and that's an understatement!

In June I trekked to Montreal for the NHL Draft Tweetup sponsored by @All_Habs, @metricjulie, @amandafortier, and @kyleroussel...it was a weekend I'll never forget thanks to a superior Montreal Tweetup crew and all of the fun-loving, friendly hockey tweeps I met (never mind the fact that Montreal is a truly beautiful city!).

It was then that Habs Tweetup was born - hockey fans from far and wide coming together to celebrate the Habs (or whatever your team of choice is...ahem..Flyers!) and have a spectacular time doing it. I knew after that weekend that nothing would keep me from Canada or anywhere else a Habs tweetup was organized...I may be a loyal, dedicated Flyers fan, but I now foster a great love for the bleu, blanc et rouge in Montreal :)

Sure enough, @All_Habs and @kuyaz decided that a Habs tweetup should take place in Toronto during a Habs/Leafs game - how else to better celebrate this storied rivalry? And with no arm-twisting needed, I circled the date on my calendar and packed my bags for Toronto!

Toronto, although quite a different city from Montreal, is equally as beautiful - with a hometown neighborhood-like charm. I decided to drive up to Ontario a day early to give myself time to sightsee and play tourist...a decision I do not regret! There is so much to see and do in Toronto - I have quite a list compiled of more things that I need to do there!

I decided to hit 3 major "sights" in the city - Casa Loma, the CN Tower and the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). Yes, I like to pack a lot into my vacations :)

Casa Loma appealed to the history-loving education geek in me - a majestic castle built by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt (a prominent Canadian financier and military officer) in the early twentieth century. The castle is what Sir Henry and his wife called home and is now open to the public.

Complete with gardens, a Conservatory, turrets and towers to climb, secret passageways to unveil and underground tunnels to explore, Casa Loma was the perfect way to spend a cold and rainy afternoon. Most rooms of the castle have been preserved and restored to their breathtaking original splendor. I highly recommend adding this to your list of places to see in Toronto.

I felt that I'd be pretty silly if I skipped visiting the most prominent landmark in Toronto - the CN Tower (which also happens to be the world's tallest building). Unfortunately, it was REALLY windy that day so no one was allowed to go outside on the observation deck, and the Skypod was also closed because of the gusts. But no amount of wind can take away the breathtaking views of the city and of Lake Ontario from that height. I think I could've spent hours just getting lost in the landscape...it's very peaceful up there. One other cool feature is the Glass Floor - one small section of the observation deck that you can stand on and look allllllll the way down to the ground. *gulp* YIKES! Thanks, but I prefer concrete under my feet :)

So now we get to the good stuff - the Hockey Hall of Fame! In order to get pumped up for the Tweetup, I waited to visit the HHOF til Saturday (Halloween!!) and got the grand tour with @All_Habs. Let me just say, if you've never been to the HHOF, put down what you're doing and go there RIGHT NOW! It's quite honestly the most amazing place a hockey enthusiast could ever visit.

From the antique equipment and sweaters used by the forefathers of our favored game, to the collection of trophies large and small (the pièce de résistance being the Stanley Cup of course!), to the abstract teams no longer in existence (the Trail Smoke Eaters...really?!), to the replica of the Habs dressing room in the Forum - this place has it all, and then some. You can find gear from every team in the NHL and just about every other well-known league in the world.

Of course, we made it a point to check out tons of Habs displays - but a Flyers fan like me was especially pleased to find the Philly display, Mike Richards' Memorial Cup photograph, a Quakers jersey (the Philadelphia NHL team from 1930-1936), and an official helmet from Dave "The Hammer" Schultz's Army (CONGRATS DAVE! He's being inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on Monday, November 16th, 2009! I've had the pleasure of meeting Dave on a few occasions - a very nice guy and a legendary hockey player. Broad Street Bullies forever!)

If you know me well enough, you don't have to think very hard to guess who my favorite hockey player is - Martin Biron. And yes, goaltending is my most loved hockey position. So I was challenged to channel a bit of Marty and get padded up in the interactive exhibit section of the HHOF. Sure enough, there I was in goal, suited up in very incomplete padding, while Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier fired weighted sponge pucks at me through five different mechanically-fed openings in a giant video screen. I humbly chose the "Rookie" setting and managed to stop 4 out of 5 shots. Think I'm ready for the NHL? :)

So after much ado and plenty of sightseeing, it was finally Saturday night and time for the REAL reason for this trip...the Habs Tweetup!! The location was set downtown on lively Bloor Street and THE Habs-friendly bar in the city, Kilgours. What an oasis in a sea of Leafs-happy watering holes! This cozy, friendly pub has Habs memorabilia everywhere you look - with awesome food and super-nice bartenders and servers.

Our group of about 13 people had a ton of fun (even though we were infiltrated by some die-hard Leafs fans...@Nock4Six!! lol - luckily she's a great girl, despite her insistence upon yelling "Go Leafs Go" all the time! lol) - made up mostly of folks from Toronto...some of whom aren't even on Twitter YET...and @sabotek with @sexyaccentguy who were in from Ottawa. Before the end of the night, other Habs fans in the bar were even pulling up a chair to join in the fun at our tables. Thank you @All_Habs and @kuyaz for organizing such a fantastic event!


All in all, the Toronto Habs tweetup was well worth the trip - quite a memorable weekend! And you can bet that I'm doing my best to make plans to be at the Habs/Sens tweetup @sabotek is sponsoring in Ottawa on November 21st!

Stay tuned to Habs Tweetup for more info on that event and many more - before you know it, they're gonna turn this into Habs Nation! :) Except when all of you finally come to Philly, that is!!! LOL

Happy Travels! See ya at the next #HABSTWEETUP - Ottawa here we come!!


Check out more photos from the Habs Tweetup in Toronto here. Do you have any photos to share? Please send them to habstweetup@gmail.com

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