Torch: Here’s who will carry it tonight (and it won’t be Chris Chelios)

Félix Forget
Torch: Here’s who will carry it tonight (and it won’t be Chris Chelios)
Credit: X

Tonight, the Canadiens will play a conference final game in a sold-out Bell Centre for the first time since 2014. The atmosphere is expected to be electric… and the moment is sure to be special.

After all, the last time the Habs played at home in the third round, there were far fewer fans in attendance.

And as with every game at the Bell Centre since the start of this playoff run, the team has called on a legend to carry the torch during the pregame ceremony. And even though Chris Chelios' name was mentioned today, it won't be him.

According to Tony Marinaro, it will instead be Claude Lemieux who gets the honor tonight.

So they've opted for a Quebecer who's had his share of success in the playoffs.

It's worth noting that Lemieux, who won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986, also claimed the big trophy three other times during his career. He played no fewer than 234 playoff games in his career, scoring 80 goals and 158 points in those games.

And, most notably, 529 penalty minutes.

If the Habs want to win tonight, adopting the style and mentality of a player like Lemieux wouldn't hurt. We know he played with a ton of grit and wasn't afraid of physical play, after all.

And maybe the team could put him on to defend Lane Hutson if the Hurricanes keep going after him, hehe.


Overtime

In addition to Lemieux, it's interesting to note that fans spotted Wayne Gretzky and Éléonore Lagacé in the vicinity of the Bell Centre tonight.

The former is likely there for TNT (the TV network he works for)… while the latter is a strong candidate to sing the national anthem.

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