Stu Cowan: Canadiens embrace small-town vibe on special day in Gander

GANDER, N.L. — Gander is a special place — and Thursday was a very special day for this town in the northeastern part of Newfoundland with a population around 12,000.

The Canadiens and Ottawa Senators were in town to play in a Kraft Hockeyville preseason game at the Steele Community Centre Arena, which only seats 1,110.

“It’s an honour to be here,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said after his team’s morning skate. “It’s a city we learned a lot about after Sept. 11 with 6,000 or 7,000 people who were here with the flights that arrived here. You see it’s an atmosphere like a village, where everyone knows everyone. We’ve been well welcomed and I’m happy to spend 36 hours in this region and give them an opportunity to see the Canadiens.”

Gander made international headlines following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, when 38 planes carrying approximately 7,000 passengers were ordered to land unexpectedly at tiny Gander International Airport. Residents here took in stranded travellers and housed and fed them during the week following the attacks. The heartwarming story was turned into a documentary titled You Are Here and a hit Broadway musical titled Come From Away.

The Canadiens arrived in Gander Wednesday afternoon and will play their final preseason game Saturday in a second Kraft Hockeyville game against the Senators in Bouctouche, N.B.

“It’s different from what we’re used to,” St. Louis said about the team staying in a Quality Inn hotel and playing in such a small arena. “But you get to know how much the people here are happy to see us and take the time meet people and sign autographs. But once the game starts, I know the arena is different, but the ice is the same. It will be frozen, there will be a red line, two blue lines, two nets. So we need to respect the game and go play hockey.”

When asked if playing in such a small arena brings back memories of his days playing youth hockey, St. Louis chuckled and said: “This brings back memories of about a year ago. I was talking to my team in a lot of those (small) locker rooms.”

Before being hired by the Canadiens last February to replace Dominique Ducharme, St. Louis was coaching his son’s bantam team in Connecticut.

“When you step in those rinks like that, I remember in the NHL sometimes you go for a practice in a local rink and it brings back memories of your childhood and brings you back to when you were chasing your dream,” said St. Louis, who was a Hall of Fame player. “So it’s kind of cool.”

Captain Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia didn’t make the trip because of upper-body injuries, but St. Louis believes they will be ready for the regular-season opener next Wednesday night at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Suzuki also missed the start of training camp with a lower-body injury.

“It’s not ideal, obviously,” St. Louis said about the new captain. “The time away from the team, as much as you’re going to do stuff in the gym or whatever, you can’t replicate the game. So you’re behind physically, there’s no doubt about it.”

The Canadiens are using this trip to do some team bonding and Brendan Gallagher said the players enjoyed a good meal Wednesday night at the Mystic Dining Room and then went bowling at Andy’s Alleys.

Who’s the best bowler on the team?

“(Rafaël) Harvey-Pinard … very good bowler,” Gallagher said.

Who’s the worst?

“Slaf!” Gallagher responded with a chuckle, taking a friendly shot at Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 overall pick at this year’s NHL draft.

Gallagher was one of the most popular players when the Canadiens got off the bus for their morning skate and were greeted by fans standing behind barricades on both sides of the entrance to the arena. Gallagher spent a lot of time signing autographs and posing for photos, along with the other players.

“It’s exciting for all of us,” he said. “When you step off the bus, and you see all the excitement in the kids’ faces, it takes you back to when you were that age and going through this experience as well. So you try to embrace it as much as you can, involve them in the experience because we’re having a lot of fun. The game’s going to be a lot of fun, it will be a great atmosphere and you never know when you’re going to be back in Gander. So it’s been fun for us.

“It’s a long grind, the 82-game season,” Gallagher added. “So for us to bond, get as close as possible. We’re going to have to go through a lot together, ups and downs, and handle it all and you want to be as close as possible. So these trips are always nice.”

This special game is something the people of Gander deserve.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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