Ivan Demidov made his highly anticipated debut with the Montreal Canadiens tonight — and man, it did not disappoint.
The Ivan Demidov Canadiens debut had all the energy you’d hoped for. He started the game exactly where we expected: on the second line, wearing number 93. And just like that, he buried the second goal for the Habs in the first period. Before the night was halfway done, Demidov already had a goal and an assist to his name.
Midway through the second period, he began to earn his name against the Blackhawks on the power play. Every time he touched the puck, the crowd absolutely throbbed — not just cheered, throbbed. You could feel it. It was special to watch, and as a fan of the passionate crowd we’ve assembled in Montreal, I felt this overwhelming sense of togetherness.
About 15 minutes into the second, Monty made a huge save, and the Bell Centre erupted in “MONTY! MONTY!” chants. Shortly after, Demidov nearly added another on the same powerplay. Gallagher almost batted one in out of mid-air too — a wild sequence.
During the intermission, Lane Hutson stole the spotlight with his second-period performance and a live chat. He’s now just one assist shy of tying the all-time rookie assist record — that’s real history in the making.
To kick off the third, Newhook got stoned on a beauty feed from Demidov during the powerplay. You could feel the heat when Ivan had the puck — this kid is a smooth criminal.
Then: Brendan Gallagher — the soul of this team — took a chip to the mouth and skated off bloodied. Just classic Gally. True warrior.
Shortly after, Chicago took the lead. 3–2.
But with under 4 minutes left, the Canadiens got one last powerplay — and they made it count.
Hutson kept the puck in on a near-clear, fed Caufield, who fired it on net. Slafkovsky gave it a last-second chop and buried the equalizer.
We forced overtime. One point secured.
With one second left, Monty made a massive blocker save to send it to the shootout.
Unfortunately, the Habs fell in the shootout, 3-2.
For official stats from the game, check the NHL Game Summary.
What Did You Think of Demidov’s Debut?
Did Ivan Demidov live up to the hype in his first game with the Canadiens?
Drop your thoughts in the comments — I want to hear if you think he’s the real deal, or if we’re just getting started.