“Worst presentation in Habs history”: Geoff Molson insulted at 2023 opening game

This morning, it’s finally the start of the Canadiens’ training camp.

What this means is that the guys are about to experience the most unpleasant day of camp: the physical tests. Rookies who did it last week won’t have to do it again, though.

Tomorrow, training begins… and next week, we’ll have preparatory games.

But today isn’t just a good day for those who want to look to the future. Those who like to look back a little also have the chance, this morning, to check out the first two episodes of the rebuilding series, on Crave.

The episodes will be available twice a week for four weeks, starting today.

I watched both episodes and it’s clear that the Habs are really taking us behind the scenes. Not only do we see aspects of the dressing room, but we also see the people who work for the Habs on other levels.

The way tickets are sold is covered, as is preparation for the 2023 home opener.

The more you watch, the more you realize that Geoff Molson isn’t on the show by chance. We see a lot of him (even at home, to a point) and we see what he wants to see from his club.

One of the aspects discussed in episode #2 is the preparation of the opening ceremonies for the game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Mr. Molson clearly wants everything to be just right.

Throughout the episode, we see him mention that he wants these to be the best ceremonies ever, and that it has to be on the dot. We see the preparations from the point of view of many of the employees who are putting in the elbow grease to make it happen.

And finally, when the time comes to talk to people after the ceremony, we see one man approach Geoff Molson to tell him it was the worst presentation in Habs history. The guys at HFTV cut out the clip, for the curious.

This scene between Geoff Molson and this “fan” in Episode 2 is so rough

: @CraveCanada pic.twitter.com/OGz3at25AP

– HFTV (@HFTVSports) September 18, 2024

We see the owner say a very unsentimental “thank you” before leaving. It almost sounded staged, such was the doggedness of the comment… even though everyone is entitled to their opinion.

So Mr. Molson didn’t achieve his goal. That night, he wanted the ceremonies to earn him rave reviews in the newspapers the next morning (as he repeated throughout episode #2), but that didn’t happen.

For the record, the opening match was the one in which Kirby Dach was injured. We see the sequence again in episode #2.

There’s more than meets the eye in this series (which is as it should be, given the title’s focus on rebuilding), and the interaction at the heart of my text is a good example. We also see a bit more of the personalities of several people in the organization. I recommend it to fans.

My review of the first 2 episodes of the Habs @CraveCanada series (no spoilers):

– Don’t love the fact that they took a whole eppy for a pre-season game vs Ottawa, but it is what it is
– Love the insight into Groupe CH as a business, pretty honest about ticket prices being… pic.twitter.com/qm0DA7VxLZ

– HFTV (@HFTVSports) September 18, 2024