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Habs players look tiny standing next to 7-foot-9 Quebec basketball player Olivier Rioux

Habs players look tiny standing next to 7-foot-9 Quebec basketball player Olivier Rioux

Ottawa Citizen7 days ago
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At a charity event on Saturday, Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobeš and defenceman Alexandre Carrier stood side-by-side with 7-foot-9 Quebec basketball player Olivier Rioux, and the disparity in height did not go unnoticed by Habs fans.
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The trio, along with NHL stars Maveric Lamoureux and Vincent Desharnais, were all at Complexe CN in Brossard for Kevin Raphaël's annual Classique KR hockey tournament to raise funds for the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation.
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Jakub Dobes des @CanadiensMTL qui regarde notre québécois @Oli_Rioux des @GatorsMBK à la Classique KR10 de @kevinraphael21 - Une superbe journée pour la foundation et notre communauté! @ChantalMachabee @GMolsonCHC #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/OPtxI8DCIw
— Athletes In Power Sports Management (@AthletesInPower) August 9, 2025
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At 6-foot-4, Dobeš is no shrimp. But even on skates, he had to crane his neck considerably to see Rioux's face.
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'He plays Basketball for now, but put Rioux in goal and see what happens,' commented another.
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On his Instagram stories, Rioux also posted a picture alongside Carrier, one of the shorter players on the Canadiens at 5-foot-11.
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Mammoth defenceman Lamoureux and Sharks blue liner Desharnais are two of the tallest guys in the league — at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7, respectively — and even they looked puny compared to the 19-year-old Terrebonne native.
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'It's rare that we're small,' said Lamoureux in the caption.
Rioux has taken the basketball world by storm since his early teens, with footage of him towering over players his own age. This past season, he was a redshirt freshman for the Florida Gators, meaning he didn't play in any games for the reigning NCAA men's championship school.
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