The owner of the Montreal Canadiens, Geoff Molson, sent a direct message to the fans after the latest incident targeting Samuel Montembeault. With unusual candor, Molson admitted that he understands the Bell Centre’s reaction when the team underperforms, but warned that the situation becomes toxic when criticism is always directed at the same player.
“I tolerate collective grumbling, but I struggle to accept the fixation on a single target. At that point, it is no longer criticism of one game, it is a climate that takes hold and follows the player off the ice,” he declared. For Molson, that constant pressure erodes confidence and turns every mistake into an unbearable weight.
The most recent episode occurred on November 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers, when Montembeault was greeted with mocking applause after a save considered easy. Despite his 38 stops, the Canadiens fell 5-4 in the shootout. The goaltender himself downplayed the gesture, saying he understands the passion of the fans, though he admitted the situation remains uncomfortable.
Molson, however, was blunt: “When the crowd decides to be hard on a single player, it is difficult to swallow as an owner, because I care about our players. It is complicated to go out on the ice thinking you are going to be booed.”
Montembeault, 29, signed a $9.45 million contract over three seasons, with a cap hit of $3.15 million per year. His role as goaltender exposes him to every reaction from the crowd, and the repetition of boos multiplies the emotional impact.
Molson’s message does not ask for silence, but for respect of a limit: loving the CH also means knowing when to stop hammering the same nail.