Canadiens superfans attempt red-towel takeover in Tampa for playoff opener | Canada Voices

A sea of blue and white filled the seats inside Benchmark International Arena as the puck dropped for Game 1 of the NHL playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

There was also a healthy dose of red – with a group of Canadiens diehards attempting to tilt the balance in favour of the visitors.

Superfan Alexander Rougas, the founder of popular supporter-run channel Habs Fan TV, ordered 5,000 red towels to Tampa as part of what he calls “Operation Red Bay,” a planned takeover effort for the playoffs.

“I brought it down from 10,000,” said Rougas, a Montreal native. “That was a bit too ambitious.”

Rougas, partner Cédrik Séguin and several other Canadiens supporters ran from block to block in the 30 C Florida heat hours before game time to distribute the generic red towels, acquired in partnership with Loto-Québec sports betting site “Mise-o-jeu.”

The dyed-in-the-wool fans even drove a golf cart through the heart of enemy territory to ensure every Canadiens fan in sight walked through the gates with a splash of red.

“We know how many Habs fans live in Florida, and if not, there are so many Habs fans that love to travel,” Rougas said. “We’ve noticed that throughout the years and we said to ourselves, ’Why don’t we turn Tampa Bay into Red Bay?’”

Canadiens fan Jean Trudel, also involved in the project, added: “This is our opportunity to show that the Habs Nation is way bigger than Tampa Bay thinks.”

So how do Lightning fans feel about the so-called Habs invasion?

“Thank you for bringing your money when you came to see us. We appreciate it,” said Lightning season-ticket holder Bill Richard, who dyed his beard blue for the playoffs. “I’m sorry you’re going home with a frown on your face.”

Rougas, who has managed the channel while studying to become a lawyer, founded Habs Fan TV – or HFTV – after watching fans fill the streets of Montreal during the Canadiens’ run to the 2021 Stanley Cup final, fittingly a loss to the Lightning.

Drawing inspiration from post-match reaction channels in British soccer, notably Arsenal Fan TV, he hoped to fill what he saw as a void within one of hockey’s most passionate fan bases.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m surprised no one has ever brought this to Montreal,’ which is as close to a European soccer city as you’re going to get in hockey,” Rougas said.

He and Séguin set up shop for livestreams outside the Bell Centre after every home game, with hundreds of fans joining them at the corner of Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal and Drummond Street.

The HFTV page has taken off on social media, with more than 17 million likes and 215,000 followers on TikTok.

“Eventually our crowds outside the Bell Centre grew bigger and bigger, and it led to what you see on social media every day – hundreds of Habs fans after games coming in and giving their opinions,” Rougas said. “When it’s coming from the fans, it’s as pure as it gets and as raw as it gets.”

The post-match scenes feature rowdy, unfiltered fan reactions. And viral chants.

Rougas, Séguin and other fans can often be heard belting “Caufield’s on fire, your defence is terrified!” in a nod to 50-goal scorer Cole Caufield. The chant is set to the tune of 1997 hit Freed from Desire and borrows from the Wigan Athletic F.C. chant Will Grigg’s on Fire.

“It’s a pretty catchy tune,” Caufield said after practice this week. “They’ve grown a lot over the past couple of years. It’s hard to miss those clips, and they’re passionate about the team.

“They haven’t missed a second of any game this year, so obviously their energy is exactly what we want and hopefully they can cheer us on for a lot more.”

On Saturday in Tampa, Séguin stood outside the Lightning’s practice facility in a Lightning jersey to intercept players and ask for autographs. Lightning forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brayden Point happily obliged, only to notice the words “Habs in 4” stitched across the back.

“Well, you paid for our jersey,” Bjorkstrand quipped in a video posted to social media.

Rougas said more than half the 5,000 towels were gone more than an hour before Game 1 puck drop. The remainder, he said, would be handed out ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday.