In Hainsight: Demidov's arrival
On Saturday's Barn Burner podcast, NHL insider Darren Dreger criticized the fact that a livestream was made of Ivan Demidov's arrival at Toronto Pearson's airport on Thursday night. If you didn't see it, there was live footage of Montreal Canadiens' prospect's arrival on Canadian soil on BPM Sports and Sick Podcast broadcaster Tony Marinaro's X account. The post generated nearly 800,000 impressions and was very popular with Habs fans.
Granted, filming a 19-year-old's arrival at the airport is a bit intense, but this fan base is intense. This fan base wants to see everything related to their team, and why shouldn't it be given to them? Every year, the Canadiens are one of the biggest money-makers for the NHL, and that's down to one thing: their passionate fanbase.
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The fact that so many people watched the stream is proof that it was a good idea. In the end, media members need to adapt to the times they live in. Last week, there was also talk that the excitement for Demidov was too intense and that it was even higher than when Guy Lafleur and Jean Beliveau joined the team.
Today, fans are more informed; they know what's coming. Thanks to social media, we had a regular source of highlights from the KHL all season long. Every time Demidov made a great play, everyone saw the footage. Back when Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur were coming up the junior ranks, there was no social media, and their games weren't broadcast on TV.
For the most recent generation of Habs fans that has been starved for offensive stars for years, Demidov looks like one of the missing pieces to bring the once offensively powerful Canadiens franchise back in the fold of the offensive juggernauts. Of course, they loved seeing Carey Price make save after save and keep them in games, but you need to score goals to win hockey games and eventually hoist the Stanley Cup. These young fans didn't see the 1970s dynasty, which had fantastic goaltending with Ken Dryden, defending with the big three (Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, and Larry Robinson), and attacking (Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, and Steve Shutt to name a few).
Will it be too much pressure for the youngster? Some argue it will be, but I don't think so. The way players are drafted these days after interviews designed to assess, among other things, their suitability for the market they would be going to, I'm convinced the Canadiens picked a player with the tools necessary to cope with both the pressure and the scrutiny Demidov will have to deal with.
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He didn't look scared or shocked when he saw the crowd at the airport; he smiled and waved, taking it all in stride. On Monday morning, Montreal woke up to find 93 'Ivan Demidov Is there for the Canadiens' signs on lampposts throughout the city, a fantastic marketing initiative from Warrior that is sure to make the fans even more excited. Let them enjoy it; they waited long enough.
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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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