The Montreal Canadiens are having a great season on the road, where they have a 16-6-7 record, and it may partly be because they are getting an incredible amount of support everywhere they go.

On Wednesday, however, that was made particularly obvious when the Canadiens visited the Winnipeg Jets. When Brendan Gallagher scored the Habs’ fourth goal nearly 11 minutes into the final frame, the Canada Life Centre came alive, but not in the way the home team would have liked. The bulk of the fans who were supporting the visitor broke into a “Ole, Ole, Ole” chant worthy of a Bell Centre crowd.

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Speaking after the game, Jets’ coach Scott Arniel was asked if it was weird to play in an environment at home when there are so many (Habs fans celebrating when MTL scores?), and he replied:

That’s pretty disappointing. That’s probably the worst I’ve seen in my 4 years here. That was really disappointing.

If the overwhelming support the Canadiens receive in other buildings is getting to coaches, it may very well be getting to opposing players as well. It’s not surprising to hear Arniel say it’s the worst it has been in his four years in Manitoba, as the Habs are turning the corner out of a rebuild and have once again become a competitive team.

#NHLJets head coach Scott Arniel was asked what it's like to play in front of that many fans of the opposing team while at home:

"Yeah, that's pretty disappointing. That's probably the worst that I've seen it in my 4 years back here tonight. That was really disappointing." pic.twitter.com/K9dHefau3e

— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) February 5, 2026

Arniel joins Rasmus Dahlin and Jake Sanderson, who have also commented on the support the Habs are getting as visitors. The Buffalo Sabres defenseman said he didn't want to see that much red in the future, while the Ottawa Senators blueliner stated that his team is used to playing an away game at home. 

They are currently sixth in the league standings and are the third-highest scoring team with 197 goals, just one behind the Edmonton Oilers, who have 198, and 14 behind the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, who have 211.

The days when the Canadiens were relying on spectacular goaltending and hope and a prayer are long gone. The young Habs are playing an exciting brand of hockey, making it easy for them to acquire new fans across the league. It’s no longer just about the franchise’s glorious past; it’s finally about the now and the future.

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