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From the Reds
posted by Chris Aung-Thwin at 13h07 EST on Mar 16
We arrived at the Bell Centre in time for the warm-up. My Onfirst feelings were those of awe in the face of enormity - from rinkside the place is impressively massive. From up top everything seems small, but from down below everything seems big. Somehow even the players seemed larger than life: Kostopolous was a giant, Komisarek was a tower, and even Sergei K seemed big - he had the air of a boyhood Hercules about him. Perhaps, however, everything was taking on an improvised grandeur because of the child-like thrill that was welling up deep within me.
Unfortunately, that child-like thrill was made a quick victim by a hapless Habs team out-played and out-hustled by a well-prepared Senators club. My enthusiasm for the lackluster performance was about as muted as the solidarity that I felt - or rather, didn't feel - for a fan base that was not my own. I say the Habs killed my excitement, but it may just as easily have been the lower deck fans. In my ripped jeans and blue CH longsleeve, I felt like a displaced Montrealer who was attending an away game in Corporate City. I stood out painfully in a sea of ties, lapels and polished shoes. With heckles and a thirst for a warm and sudsy Molson Ex scratching at my throat, I knew that I did not belong.
The cheers and jeers from the upper deck fell to my ears, beckoning me home. I had never been closer to the players and the sounds of their sticks and the slicing of their skates but, at heart, I was with my compatriots who were spilling their beer and taunting the Sens from way up where the air is thin.
Granted, vos Canadiens de Montreal put on a less than spectacular show, but the apathy that permeated the lower deck was, in my opinion, inexcusable. In the City that is Hockey, every seat in the house of les Glorieux should be reserved for those that bleed bleu-blanc-et-rouge.
I loved the experience of being by the ice, where the sweat and determination of the players are vividly on display, but I prefer to shed my tears and scream my joys sitting alongside the best hockey fans in the world.
So the next time I’m at a game, you’ll be able to find me back upstairs in the Blues.
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I live in Ottawa, and I get tickets to catch the odd game here. All I have to say is: Terrible. Absolutely Pathetic. Even against their biggest so-called rivals, the leafs, they have a hard time keeping the arena buzzing.
However, when the habs come to town, we always give sens fans an idea of what true dedication means. I must have screamed my lungs out for three hours straight because I couldn't speak for a week afterward. I think I was even told to be quiet by an attendant. But was I embarassed? Absolutely not. Could I be silenced? Hell no. Did we lose? Yep. But I'll still be there next game, and Gerber (Or Emery), I'll be waiting for you. GERRRRRRBEERRRR GERRRRBERRR
I just want to say that sitting in the reds isn't all that bad. As long as you're rowdy type, maybe you'll get on tv!!
I have never been able to sit that close but i have to say that the club dejardins section is deffinately worth it. This is my thrid habs bruins game where as my other two were shutouts for the habs and i just know with boston on saturday (with me and my bro's and dad cheering) im sure that any seat in the house will be an amazing experience, even if you're surrounded by the suits..
This isn't exactly the greatest thing to hear a few days before I take off for Montreal from Nova Scotia to watch my first game at the Bell Centre, the Habs- Bruins game. I am fairly certain my tickets (which I got for free from a friend, who got them through work) are very close to where you watched the game. Maybe a few rows higher. I am hoping it isn't as "corporate" down there as you have described. Either way, I'm sure this will be the trip of my life, to date.
As you can see from some of the other posts, many people have disagreed with my assessment. Help prove me wrong by cheering on the Habs Saturday night! Write back after the game and let us know what you thought.
Hey Chris, if you want to see passionless "fans" in the good seats at an arena, you should try the ACC in Toronto. Most of the folks in the platinum seats are there for business meetings, networking, and the tax write-off; heck, most of those seats are empty for a good portion of the start of each period!
The folks in the reds at the Bell Centre might not always cheer louder than their upper-deck counterparts (probably due to the fact that they actually spend more time watching the game because of the better sightlines) but at least they're there to support their team!
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______________________________________
"All bow down before the Komisaurus Rex!"
This is not entirely the case at the ACC.
Many corporate seats are given over to 'clients' who are free to take whomever they want (oftentimes families) to a game & then people like me go and cheer for the other team!! (ABTL: Anyone but the Leafs) haha.
Joking aside, I've been to quite a few games at the ACC compliments of the "corporates" and I would say its a pretty balanced mix throughout the platinums & golds-
Some business people, some families, Walter Gretzky, and die hard fans.
Chuck,
You are right about the platinum seats at the ACC. Our company has platinum season tickets and when I ask for tickets to see Montreal and Toronto, I am one of the rare ones who will not take a client but take my son or wife and enjoy the game the full 60 minutes.
My company has season tickets 5 rows above the Toronto bench so if you ever watch the Habs play the Leafs at the ACC, you may see me always wearing my Habs jersey. I've had Darcy Tucker, Mike Maurice tell me where to go where my mouth has got me in trouble being the passionate and diehard Habs fans I am.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Chris
Boo hoo, the game sucked from a Habs point of view.
Red white or blue there was no joy in Habville on that cold wintery night.
You were in the reds.
You were IN THE REDS.
YOU WERE IN THE REDS.
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
Kinda like the guy who moans about the seasoning on his #4 end cut at Magnan's, DEAF EARS BABY, deaf ears.
Question.
What's a guy from Ottawa's best bet to get some cheap seats to an upcoming game? Is there any hope?
You can try craigslist, facebook (check out their ads and also the canadiens application), the classified ads on the university websites (mcgill, concordia, uqam...), or hope that you bump into an honest scalper.
I don't think I'm going get lucky. Any advice for a good sports bar to watch a game from? I use to hear that the Peel Pub was good.
Thanks Chris
I should preface that with a disclaimer that I am a Habs fan.
Old Orchard on De La Montagne.
Big screen, good atmosphere.
Really, if you want to see passionless, unenthusiastic and most importantly uninformed fans, try senators. Have been to the Scotia Bank / Corel center a few times and it is one of the quietest arenas in the league. People make noise only when the scoreboard tells them too.
Thanks for the comments everyone. When I wrote this post I wasn't sure how well it would go over. I'm glad that so many of you are letting me have it.
I guess I noticed a few things when I was there that I didn't mention:
1)A lot of people showed up late, at least more than I'm used to in the upper deck.
2)Many people left early (granted, that was most probably due to the poor game)
3)Some of the fans that I was sitting near paid little attention to the game (I saw several people chatting and not looking at the ice, the guy in front of me was on his cell phone for most of the game trying to find his friend who was sitting somewhere else)
4)The fans in the Reds seemed to give up on the Habs before the upper deck crowd.
It being my first time down there, I was probably on the lookout for the stereotypes, which made me notice more of the bad than the good. I didn't mean to say that a tie makes you any less of a fan, but it seemed to me that many people didn't appreciate being there as much as I did. I feel that I'm a passionate fan and I like to see that same passion in others. Thanks for showing me that it's out there.
Hey man, no worries. I think it was probably just such a bad game and that made the experience of sitting in the Reds not as enjoyable. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, there is no harm in expressing yours.
And you see tons of fans in the upper decks getting wasted and paying more attention to the Molson ladies than the game... It happens in all of the sections. The fact of the matter is you're just further propagating this ridiculous stereotype that fans in the reds aren't passionate about the game or the Habs. Ridiculous.
Sat down in the reds plenty of times. . . and have to - respectfully but firmly - completely disagree. It used to be a requirement that you dressed up for the reds at the Forum - only added to the class of the organization and the city. I'm no snob but I still take great pleasure in the way people dress in Montreal and loved that look. I think you've taken a stereotype and gone along with it, even thought it doesn't fit in
Montreal. No one goes to Habs games on a whim - even corporations are selective in who they give their hard-earned seats to. Next time your brother-in-law wants to dump those seats, send me an e-mail; I'd be glad to buy them off him at 150%+ face and maybe he can pay for your blues seats - which are awesome as well - with the profit.
A suit and tie doesn't make you any less of a fan.
I've been going with my Dad to hockey games since I was just a little girl, we picks me up right from work, and makes sure he's there for every second. He's been a Habs fan since way before you or I were born. He taught me all about the highs and lows of following the Habs.
Oh and he wears a suit. A nice suit at that. And now, that I am working...I were a suit. I'm also no less a fan than you are.
I have watched from the first row, as well as from the last (and anything in between), I wouldn't trade first row experience with anything except with watching the Habs at the forum.
Watching them that close (first raw) makes you appreciate how fast and how physical the game is, I'm at awe as how do they manage to play that well that fast when they don't even have a split second to think or act.
However for me, the ultimate fan experience was at the old forum, the sheer power of the fans (specially so during playoffs) was so enormous, it makes Bell Center look like a quiet church in comparison.
Here's hoping that one day I'll have a forum experience at the Bell Center.
A winning and exciting team like this years is the first step in that direction.
I was at that game too, in the reds behind the Montreal net. I agree the atmosphere wasn't wild except for a couple of jackass sens fans behind me who were swearing and jeering the whole game. I was last at a game two years ago to see Habs beat Boston 2-0.(reds, corner of Habs end) The atmosphere then was much more raucous - I think it was quiet Thursday because of the game - my 2 boys sat there the whole time and took it in, but not once did they jump to their feet to cheer since there was nothing to cheer about. Don't give up on the reds just yet.
To be honest the next game I go to I think I'll buy blues or maybe whites, so I can experience the wilder atmosphere up there. But I don't think reds are quiet because of the type of people sitting there, it was because of the game. Your argument would fly for the acc though.
What was there to cheer about during the sens game anyway? Was one of the most boring and frustrating games ever seen.
I've never been to the Bell Centre (and never made it to the Forum before it closed, for that matter).
Only Maple Leaf Gardens...
Sad, I know... :(
Go Habs!
Just cause some can afford a seat in the reds doesn't mean they aren't as passionate. Personally, I refuse to spend more than $60 on a hockey ticket and hence rarely get to sit in reds, but if you ask where I would rather watch a game from I would definitely have to say - RED SEATS with all these "smugs and snobs"...
Give me a break.
Let me understand this, you're complaining about the intensity and passion of fans at the Bell Centre, about the attire of attendees who've decided to dress up (even though my understanding is that at one point suits were the standard clothing for gentlemen at the Forum), and about whether you feel like you "fit in" with those in the Reds?
You may be more comfortable in the upper deck, but just because the people in the Reds don't cheer as loudly or openly doesn't mean they don't have a real interest in our club. The difference in behavior between the upper and lower decks is common in many sporting arenas, with the more boisterous fans in the nosebleeds and the more affluent crowd in the choice seats. The Bell Centre is no different in this regard.
I had the pleasure of sitting in the Reds for a game, and it was absolutely amazing. Sure, the upper tier would have been more energetic, but not for one second did I question whether those around me supported the team.
My guess is that you would have had a better experience if the Habs played a stronger game.
I have to disagree as well. I've also had the good fortune of sitting in the Reds and I enjoyed the game very much. There were plenty of down to earth fans like me around and I didn't feel out of place at all. The guys in suits and sportcoats seemed just as involved in the game as any other fan. Maybe everyone was just quiet because the game was so poorly played by the home team. I don't mind sitting up in the Blues, but sitting in the Reds is more than fine for me.
You know I've been lucky enough to sit in a bunch of different spots in the Bell Centre, and I must say that I whole-heartedly disagree with your commentary. That's absolute bogus. Let me take you to my tickets in the reds and tell anyone around they're not real Habs fans and just see what happens... Just because a guy is there in a suit doesn't mean he's not into the game and that he's not a huge fan
never been blessed to sit so close :P but sounds very smug and snobby...but i can live with those kind of people.