You know hockey season is coming when the kids start going back to school, players start flocking in droves to the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the Montreal Canadiens post their annual update about the Bell Centre ice being painted.
Last season, the Habs made a major change to center ice, painting the logo on a solid red background. It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it received numerous criticisms, including the fact that it made it hard to spot the puck when it was going through this area. Clearly, the Canadiens took the criticism on board, and the solid red background is now a thing of the past.
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This year, the Habs have painted the logo so it looks like it’s really popping out of the ice with some relief. The bright red logo really comes out well on the white ice. The shading around the H makes it look like it’s popping out of the ice, and the font and blue contour on the letters give it a crisp look.
Unlike the last few seasons, in which a new Jumbotron was introduced (2024) and a new premium seating section (le parterre) was created, it looks like the center ice logo will be the main change at the Bell Centre this season, and no one will complain.
The first home game will take place on September 19, as the Canadiens will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a split-squad game, meaning half the roster will play in Montreal while the other half will play in Toronto. Hopefully, local fans will see the top-of-the-lineup players skating on home ice rather than heading to Scotiabank Arena. The Habs will play another split-quad game in Montreal on September 26, this time against the Ottawa Senators. As for the September 21 preseason tilt against the Sens, it will take place in Trois-Rivières at the Colisée Vidéotron, the home of the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Trois-Rivières Lions, as part of the Kraft Hockeyville celebration.
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Fans will have to wait until October 6 to see the first regular-season game on home ice, when the Habs will try to avenge their elimination at the hands of the Stanley Cup champions-to-be Carolina Hurricanes.
According to the plans the team released to members of the media earlier this week, rookie camp is scheduled to kick off on September 9, the annual golf tournament will take place on September 14, and main training camp should get underway on September 16. Those dates should be confirmed soon in official press releases, along with the list of players invited to rookie camp.
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