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Simon Nemec not impressed by NHL crowds
Credit: Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images

It’s well known throughout the National Hockey League, but Montreal Canadiens fans are the most intense.

And it’s not just for hockey, but Montreal crowds in general are very frenetic.

In short, the vast majority of players who have played at the Bell Centre have always enjoyed their time in Montreal.

Of course, there are pluses and minuses to everything, and we know that some players, those who don’t handle pressure as well, find it hard to cope with the intensity.

As for the rest of the NHL, the crowds vary greatly, but there’s nothing to hold the Habs fans back.

However, some players are indifferent, especially the rookies.

For example, young Slovakian Simon Nemec doesn’t seem at all impressed by NHL crowds.

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The 20-year-old rookie has just 60 NHL games under his belt and has played just one game at the Bell Centre, playing for the New Jersey Devils.

He may not have had the best possible experience in Montreal, but the fact remains that Nemec strongly believes that European hockey crowds are superior, especially on the international stage.

He even says that anyone who has been to an NHL game knows that the atmosphere at the World Hockey Championships is great.

With the World Championship currently underway, and Nemec representing his country alongside Juraj Slafkovsky, it’s easy to say that.

In the middle of an international tournament, the crowds, especially in Europe, can get pretty extreme.

It has to be said that in New Jersey, hockey isn’t nearly as important as it is in Canada, specifically Quebec.

Nemec probably wouldn’t say that if he played for the Sainte-Flanelle, which is renowned for having the most intense fans in the entire NHL.

How much a playoff game at the Bell Centre rivals an international game is hard to say from my point of view, as I’ve never experienced a European crowd.

On the other hand, I don’t think he’s in the right place to say such a thing.

Slafkovsky may well have a few words to say about Montreal in response to this statement.

Even Serbian Nikola Jokic, who plays for the Denver Nuggets and was recently named NBA MVP, mentioned that the crowds at Colorado Avalanche games are incredible.

Nemec’s comments may be due to a lack of NHL experience and the fact that New Jersey isn’t the most partisan city in hockey.


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