Canadiens receive a very warm welcome from fans in Gander

Habs' Cole Caufield experiences a first by signing his autograph on the forehead of a young fan ahead of Kraft Hockeyville game.

Author of the article:

Stu Cowan  •  Montreal Gazette

GANDER, N.L. — The Canadiens’ Cole Caufield experience a first Thursday morning.

He autographed the forehead of a young fan.

“That was a first,” Caufield said with a laugh when he met with the media following the Canadiens’ morning skate at the Steele Community Centre Arena ahead of a Kraft Hockeyville preseason game against the Ottawa Senators.

“You signed his forehead?” teammate Brendan Gallagher said to Caufield.

“I told him it’s a Sharpie … that’s permanent,” Caufield said. “So it’s going to take a while to get off. But he insisted.”

One reporter noted that the young fan was talking about getting Caufield’s autograph tattooed on his forehead.

“That’s a tough life decision,” Gallagher responded. “Hopefully the parents step in there.”

It was a special morning outside the arena as fans — young and old — stood behind barricades on both sides of the entrance to get a close-up look at the NHL players they normally only get to see on TV. Their passion for the Canadiens came through loud and clear.

Derek Ford made the hour-long drive from his home in Bishop’s Falls with his son Andrew, who was hoping to get Juraj Slafkovsky’s autograph — but not on his forehead.

Andrew brought a mini hockey stick he was hoping to get signed and also made a sign for the No. 1 overall pick at the NHL draft that read: “Ahoj Juraj” — Hi Juraj in Slovak.

“This is huge,” Andrew’s father said. “This might be the only chance a lot of people have to see these guys in real life and it’s been a long time delayed because of COVID. So there’s a real sense of excitement all throughout central Newfoundland.”

The small fishing village of Twillingate — located just over 100 kilometres from Gander — won the 2020 Kraft Hockeyville contest, bringing the NHL preseason game to Newfoundland.

Derek and Andrew weren’t able to get tickets for the game at the Steele Community Centre, which only seats 1,100 people, “but we’re here to make the best of the morning,” the father said.

Dillan Lush brought his whole family to see the Canadiens players arrive, including wife Meghan, daughter Reya and son Kai.

“This is a pretty massive deal,” Dillan said while wearing a St. John’s IceCaps sweater from the Canadiens’ old AHL farm team before it was moved to Laval five years ago. “We’re hardcore Habs fans. So to have them right here in our hometown and get to see them is a pretty big deal.”

Craig Loder and his two sons, Max and Charlie, weren’t able to get tickets to the game, but they did have tickets to watch the morning skate. After the skate, they got a chance to meet Caufield in the lobby of the arena following his interview with the media.

Craig stood 4-year-old Charlie up on a table so Caufield could sign the back of his small Canadiens sweater with Caufield’s name and No. 22.

“They watch a lot of hockey,” Craig said about his two sons. “They’re a little disappointed they’re not going to the game tonight. But for them to get to meet an NHL player of that calibre, that means more to me probably than to them.

“Being in Newfoundland, it’s not something that we get the privilege to see,” the father added. “If we want to go see an NHL game, it’s $3,000 or $4,000 in flights and everything. So just to have them here in our community — some of these kids look up to these guys as role models — it’s really amazing.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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