Jon Cooper hopes Brandon Hagel will receive a warm welcome in Montreal

Raphael Simard
Jon Cooper hopes Brandon Hagel will receive a warm welcome in Montreal
Credit: BlueSky

Brandon Hagel briefly wore the Habs' jersey, but his time with the organization was short-lived.

Afterward, he bounced around, and it was in Chicago that he really broke out. He's been so dominant that he's currently one of the best players in the NHL, a favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy, and a member of Team Canada at the most recent Olympics and Four Nations Tournament.

In Montreal, he received a warm ovation during the Four Nations tournament when he fought with Matthew Tkachuk, among others. He won't be cheered in this series, however, contrary to what Jon Cooper thinks.

The Lightning coach, who must be living in a fantasy world, sincerely believes his forward will be cheered for his brilliance on the international stage.

Really, Jon? As Renaud Lavoie told BPM Sports, the chances of that happening are zero. Even if he hadn't knocked out Juraj Slafkovsky, even if he hadn't played the first two games of the series, no opposing player in Montreal will ever be cheered during the playoffs.

Cooper should know that.

Tomorrow, the Habs and the Lightning will play Game 3 of the series. It will be the first game at the Bell Centre during the 2026 playoffs. Cole Caufield and the guys are ready. When they found out the game would be on Friday night, everyone had a smile on their face.

There's going to be a great atmosphere, but also a lot of booing.

Nikita Kucherov, who will be playing his first playoff game in Montreal since 2021, and Hagel will likely be the main targets of the fans' boos.


In a nutshell

– Renaud Lavoie wouldn't even bet $2 on Victor Hedman returning to action in the first round.

– Stay tuned.

– Good news.

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