MONTREAL - Stephane Vallieres remembers going to the old Montreal Forum at age 12 to watch the Canadiens play the Quebec Nordiques like it was yesterday.
On Tuesday night, he was among about two dozen people in the cafeteria of the Old Brewery Mission homelessness resource centre, near Montreal’s Chinatown, tuning in to watch Game 4 of the Canadiens’ second-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.
Vallieres, 57, was evicted from his apartment two years ago and got a room at the Mission in September while waiting for social housing approval. He said the playoff games help take his mind off things.
“It makes you temporarily forget that you’re here, which is a gorgeous thing right there,” said Allen Hayward, a friend and fellow Habs fan who has been at the Mission for four years after losing his job in construction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Canadiens took the lead in the first period, those gathered broke into chants of “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!”
James Hughes, director of the Mission, said the playoffs bring up the mood in a place that can be dark. “For a few hours, they share a common experience and love of the sport - and maybe even get to win.”
The phenomenon is not limited to the Old Brewery Mission. Other shelters across Montreal, including CAP St-Barnabé and Welcome Hall Mission, have hosted viewing parties and extended curfews to accommodate overtime games.
“People who don’t have a permanent address are possibly even more passionate about the Habs than I am,” said Sam Watts, CEO of Welcome Hall Mission.