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Darren Dreger can’t believe Ivan Demidov was welcomed like that
Félix Forget
Darren Dreger can’t believe Ivan Demidov was welcomed like that
Credit: It’s now done: Ivan Demidov is officially on Canadian soil. The young man, who was greeted by fans and media (including DansLesCoulisses, as we were among the first to get images of his arrival) at Toronto airport, was quickly escorted by a security contingent to a vehicle with his girlfriend and John Sedgwick. He didn’t […]
It’s now done: Ivan Demidov is officially on Canadian soil. The young man, who was greeted by fans and media (including DansLesCoulisses, as we were among the first to get images of his arrival) at Toronto airport, was quickly escorted by a security contingent to a vehicle with his girlfriend and John Sedgwick.

He didn’t talk to people on the spot, but he still greeted them with a smile on his face. For a young man who was supposed to be surprised and tired (and who may have been told by the habs to keep quiet in front of the fans who might be waiting), it’s already good.

All this shows how much the habs fans are looking forward to seeing the kid in action. It’s been a long time since such a prospect has been part of the organization, after all… and he’s already (very) popular in town.

That being said, there are still some people who found it a bit crazy. Among them is Darren Dreger, who responded to the live broadcast of the moment of the kid’s arrival:

Is this real? Come on. – Darren Dreger

It’s true that on the surface, it’s a welcome committee that is really particular for a young hockey player. This is something that is usually seen in soccer (Didier Drogba’s arrival in Montreal is a good example), but it’s much less common in North American sports culture.

Well, there was also the case of Shohei Ohtani and his “plane to Toronto”, where the welcome committee at the Toronto airport was much more massive… but that’s the exception rather than the rule.

But what it shows, above all, is that Montreal fans are really looking forward to seeing Demidov in action. It’s a bit crazy, of course… but precisely, Montreal fans are crazy about hockey.

I imagine that the habs had warned the kid that this was a real possibility: even if he arrived in Toronto rather than Montreal, we suspected that such a situation might happen… especially since 2300 people were following the young man’s flight on FlightTracker. It was the most followed flight in the world on the site.

The good news, however, is that it’s all over now. We can focus on what will happen on the ice, now that the rest of the team will pick him up during his passage in Toronto on Saturday.

In the meantime, the young man is likely to take a rest and get used to the time difference. Then, he will have to get into the rhythm on the ice fairly quickly… because he will only have two games before the start of the playoffs.


Overtime

– The habs may have the opportunity to confirm their place in the playoffs tomorrow night.

– Indeed.

– Ah yes?

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