All Habs Hockey Party Kicks Off 2011 in Montreal

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Those of you who have read my articles in the past know by now that I won’t hesitate to travel far and wide for a Habs Tweetup. But for the first event of 2011 I was thrilled to see even more Habs fans packing their bags and trekking to Montreal!

More than thirty supporters of the bleu, blanc et rouge got together at McLean’s Pub on February 12th to cheer on the Montreal Canadiens as they faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs…but not everyone in attendance was a local. I represented Philly, while @smalrus traveled from Massachusetts and @emihawk arrived from Quebec City. It was a Planet Habs convergence!

Every Habs Tweetup that I attend reaffirms for me the reasons why I keep coming back for more – and this one certainly did not disappoint. There are the traditional things you look forward to like visiting with friends you haven’t seen in a while, tackling the All Habs Trivia Challenge during intermission, and cheering on the Habs with a bunch of people who are equally as crazy about hockey as you are.

But then there are things that really make a Habs Tweetup stand out…you get to meet new people and make new friends at each event, for instance. All Habs photographer @PabloJinko was on hand to snap some professional shots of everyone. (Click HERE to check out all the pictures from the night!) And, we all joined in a rousing version of “Habby Birthday” for @adzeee.

It’s things like these that, for me, transform the evening into something a lot more special and memorable than just going out somewhere to watch the game.

Another thing I enjoyed was getting to know everyone a little better by capturing our first set of Habs Tweetup testimonial videos. It was very interesting to hear the different reasons why people liked to attend these events and to also hear stories about why they became a Habs fan! (A common theme seems to be “Well I grew up in a Habs household…)

The Habs Tweetup crew looks forward to sharing our collection of video testimonials with our readers – but there is still time for you to submit your entry too! Click HERE for more details.

I heard a lot of people that night talking about how much they enjoyed themselves and that it was one of the most fun Habs Tweetups they’d been to yet. There were others asking when the next one would be held. There are actually three Habs Tweetups planned for the Heritage Classic and one scheduled for Thursday, February 24th in Toronto. Click on the RSVP For a HabsTweetup tab at the top of the page for complete details and to reserve your seat!

Montreal certainly kicked off 2011 in true Habs Tweetup style and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year has in store!

For more about this memorable evening, be sure to read Rick Stephens‘ article on AllHabs.net: “Habs Hockey: Better With Friends, Old and New“