The Montreal Canadiens have managed to instantly transform a last-place team into a club ready to battle the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, many other franchises are beginning to look to Montreal as a model worth emulating. Toronto Maple Leafs president Keith Pelley admitted that he underestimated the Canadiens, and was one of the driving forces behind Toronto’s decision to fire their general manager and head coach.

However, not every organization is a fan of what’s happening in Montreal.

According to Rotowire, the Canadiens are the most hated team in the United States, with several northeastern states leading the way.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire are the states that Canadians hate the most, although there’s a good chance that some other states rank second or third.

Such is life when your fan base is much larger than everyone else’s.

nhl results

The Vegas Golden Knights were the most hated team in the NHL, with 11 states within their jurisdiction. The Colorado Avalanche finished second with eight states, while the Pittsburgh Penguins joined the Habs in third place with five states.

To be completely honest, the methodology is a bit strange. Rotowire didn’t ask real fans about their most hated rival. Instead, they based results on the most popular team in the area, proximity to other teams, and a few other factors.

The states Canadians list as ‘hating’ are Boston Bruins strongholds.

“We first identified the dominant fan base in each state based on market proximity, broadcast reach and where the real hockey culture lives. From there, we chose the team that draws the most condemnation using divisional rivalries, recent playoff history (2020 to 2025), the Original Six tradition and the universal-villain narratives that follow expansion success and dynasty fatigue. We ran this for all 50 states because hockey hatred in pro sports varies most regionally, and the answer says as much about hockey culture as it does the standings.“

The last time anyone actually polled fans, the Toronto Maple Leafs finished as the most hated organization by a wide margin, while the Canadiens were third.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

There’s a headline this week about Max Verstappen that no F1 reporter saw coming six months ago. The four-time defending world champion is seventh in the drivers’ championship. Seventh. He has 26 points. Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old who replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year, has 100.

Now Verstappen has got Montreal, which historically has not been a track where Red Bull’s problems have been small. They grow up.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is built around long straights, heavy braking zones and a pair of slow chicanes leading to the Wall of Champions. Under the 2026 rules, with new active aero and more demanding energy-deployment systems, each of those features penalizes a car that is weak in power-unit performance or low in harvesting efficiency. It’s a brutal description of where Red Bull currently sits in its first year as a full power unit constructor in partnership with Ford. The team’s DM01 engine, named after Red Bull’s late founder Dietrich Mateschitz, is its first in-house creation.

This is not going well.

Red Bull’s Formula 1 troubles and impact on Verstappen

Red Bull has scored 30 constructors’ points in the first four races. Mercedes has 180. The team’s best finish all season is a fifth place for Verstappen at Miami, where he qualified second, but spun in the opening lap and finished 40 seconds behind the race winner.

“Absolutely not,” Verstappen said in Miami when asked if the spin cost him any victory. “I lagged behind by 40 seconds. A spin is not 40 seconds.”

That’s as honest a self-assessment as you’ll hear from a driver in this sport.

Verstappen has been openly unhappy about the 2026 rules since before the season started. After the Chinese Grand Prix he called it a “joke”. He has compared racing to “Mario Kart”, noting that drivers now have to manage battery deployment, often forcing them to straighten up and coast. He has said he wants F1 to make “significant” changes for 2027. And Verstappen has openly told Dutch outlet Viaplay that he needs the next several weeks and months to figure out what he really wants from the rest of his career. He has a release clause in his Red Bull contract that is activated if he falls outside the top two in the standings after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of July, and given where he is now, the math says he will have to make a decision.

Is Verstappen focused on F1 or other interests?

This is why he keeps wandering towards other forms of racing. Last weekend, Max Verstappen made his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, and was leading the race with a few hours remaining, before a driveshaft failure took his team out of contention. He has talked about Le Mans. He talked about NASCAR. He hasn’t said he’s excited to drive the RB22 around Montreal.

Verstappen is the closest thing to generational dominance the sport has had since the Schumacher years. He has 71 Grand Prix wins, the third most in F1 history. They won four consecutive World Championships from 2021 to 2024. If he leaves the sport or continues to struggle until 2026, the entire competitive shape of F1 changes. “The next Schumacher” the legend goes. The “Verstappen vs. the field” story fades away. What you are seeing now, the rise of Antonelli, the resurgence of Mercedes, the McLaren title defence, is a game between changing eras in real time.

Montreal is where you find out how much of it is real and how much is a bad Red Bull car.

Montreal and Verstappen’s history there

Verstappen has been very good at this track recently. He won here three consecutive times from 2022 to 2024, becoming the third driver to do so after Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. He likes the rhythm of the circuit. He likes the way he punishes other drivers’ mistakes. In years when his car hasn’t been at its absolute best, Montreal has historically been a place where he can deal with the problem.

But the rules of 2026 changed the mathematics. Energy deployment matters more here than at most tracks on the calendar. The new Straight Mode aerodynamic system, which essentially flattens the wings on long straights, rewards cars that can put down clean power through deployment zones. The Red Bull is not one of those cars right now. By the admission of their own engineers, there is a chassis problem at the top of the engine learning curve. The car is heavy. It loses grip in high-speed sections. Verstappen has spent the qualifying sessions making constant steering corrections to keep things on track.

However, there is a way. If it rains in Montreal this weekend, and the forecast says it might, none of the above will matter much. Verstappen is one of the best wet-weather drivers in modern F1 history. The cooler conditions may also ease some of the tire and energy management issues that are hitting Red Bull on Sunday. If qualifying goes weird, if a safety car comes out at the right time, if the sprint race order gets thrown around, Verstappen suddenly becomes the most dangerous floater.

Longtime Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said after Miami that he saw “light at the end of the tunnel” with the team’s Miami upgrade package. Whether that light is real or just the headlights of another freight train will be answered later this week.

Verstappen has previously said that he does not get frustrated for the sake of being disappointed. After Suzuka, where he finished eighth at his favorite circuit, he was asked how he was dealing with the whole situation. “When he came up to me again I just waved at him,” he said, referring to Antonelli. “It’s not going the way it should, but being upset about it all the time won’t help. I’m just trying to laugh about it.”

The four-time world champion, in a car he can’t push, waves as a teenager laps it up.

Montreal is going to tell us if Max Verstappen has anything left to laugh about in 2026.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

The NHL has announced the winner of the Calder Trophy, given annually to the first-year player who makes the most impact, and although a few Montreal Canadiens players were in the running, the trophy was awarded to New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

It’s a fair decision, considering that Schaefer is an 18-year-old defenseman who somehow managed to score 23 goals. Full marks to the young blueliner for a fantastic year in an incredibly difficult situation.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Ivan Demidov was the runner-up for the award, having a remarkable rookie season where he recorded 62 points in 82 games, leading all rookies in scoring in the process.

That being said, it was not a close vote. Schaefer won every first-place vote, leaving Demidov to receive the majority of second-place votes.

Demidov was given 120 votes in second place, while Beckett Seneca (Anaheim Ducks) was given just 41 votes.

Interestingly, Canadiens netminder Jacob Dobbs received the fourth-most second-place votes, enough to finish fourth in all Calder Trophy voting.

Coming into the season, there was no guarantee that Dobbs would play more than a handful of games, and yet, he not only managed to take over as the team’s de facto starter, but he has also been their most valuable player in the playoffs.

Full voting table for the Calder Trophy for Best Rookie, won unanimously #island Defender Matthew Schaefer. pic.twitter.com/mlxsfErw9v

– NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) 13 May 2026

We should also note that Oliver Kapanen received some votes, and despite the fact that he is currently in the playoffs, it cannot be denied that he was the surprise story of the season for the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing the majority of the season alongside Ivan Demidov, Kapanen scored 22 goals in 82 games. Yes, Demidov gave them plenty of high-end scoring chances, but Canadiens history is littered with players who failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, while Kapanen did a great job of complementing the team’s offense during his first season in the league.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Formula 1 descends on Montreal for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix this weekend with a championship picture that seemed impossible to imagine three months ago. The 19-year-old Italian player is on top with 20 points. The four-time defending champion is in seventh place. McLaren is retreating. And somewhere in the middle of all this, a frustrated Scuderia Ferrari is trying to figure out how a major upgrade package produced a 10-point weekend.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a way of breaking everything. It rewards braking confidence, punishes over-aggressiveness and serves safety cars on cue. This is the kind of place where the championship story can turn in 70 laps.

Can Kimi Antonelli win the Canadian Grand Prix? Here are five stories that will shape the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix.

1. Kimi Antonelli moves into Wall of Champions conversation

With three Grand Prix wins, three poles and 100 points, Kimi Antonelli arrives in Montreal as the first driver in F1 history to win his first three races from pole position, and based on the evidence so far, the Mercedes is the fastest car in the field.

But the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a long memory for young drivers who think they have the game figured out. The Wall of Champions did not get its name by chance. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all left paint on it in 1999. Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado have all kissed it since then.

Antonelli has been close to being blameless. Their starts have been terrible, their comebacks have been brutal. Montreal will test whether the rookie can manage a low-downforce circuit with a 20-point lead in his pocket and teammates breathing down his neck.

This is where the championship story either rests or breaks.

2. George Russell’s time is running out

Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, is 20 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship standings and has really shown no inclination to fight for the lead despite having the same car. He will be looking for a spark at the track where he won in 2025 after holding off a fired-up Verstappen.

Russell has finished on the podium in two of the last three rounds, while his rookie teammate is on his way to victory. Britain has not complained publicly, but the math is starting to look ugly. If Antonelli wins again in Montreal, Russell will blow away the Canadian in just five rounds and be meaningfully out of a championship fight he should have won.

Montreal favors him. He won the pole and race there in 2025. They like the layout, if the weight comes in they are good at it and it is late.

If Russell doesn’t perform this weekend, Toto Wolff will have a tougher conversation than anyone expected.

RELATED: F1’s Mr Saturday, Meet Sunday: Is 2026 finally George Russell’s year?

3. Max Verstappen finally has something to work with

The 2026 season has been a public, ugly humiliation for four-time champion Max Verstappen. He is seventh in the championship with 26 points. Verstappen has openly questioned whether he wants to continue racing under the new rules, calling the cars a “joke”. Red Bull principal Laurent Mackies admitted that the team had “significant shortcomings” after the Chinese Grand Prix.

Then the Miami Grand Prix happened.

Verstappen kept Red Bull on the front row with Antonelli and fought hard for the podium, before a first lap spin compromised his race. He nevertheless recovered and raced towards P5. Makeys has since been careful with his words, but the message from Milton Keynes is clear: the corner has been turned.

Montreal is proof point for Red Bull and Verstappen. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a more traditional layout than Miami’s street circuit and will tell us whether Red Bull’s Miami Speed ​​was a one-off or the start of something real. If Verstappen is on the podium on Sunday, the rest of the grid has a problem. If he returns to midfield, discussion of his release clause and his October decision window becomes very intense.

4. McLaren is back in the conversation

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second in Miami and his teammate Oscar Piastri third, indicating a real resurgence for McLaren in 2026. The Papaya Cars looked like a team that had finally sorted out the package issues that had ruined their first three rounds.

Norris now sits fourth in the championship with 51 points and still looks to be alive in this title fight and Miami suggests he is starting to climb back into it.

The Canadian Grand Prix has historically been favorable to McLaren. Both cars needed to be on the podium to confirm that Miami is not a one-track outlier. Andrea Stella’s team has talent and resources. What they didn’t have in 2026 was a clean weekend with both cars in the top three.

Get it in Montreal and the championship picture will change.

5. Ferrari needed an answer and it still needs it

Ferrari entered the 2026 Miami Grand Prix with 11 upgrades on the SF-26, including floor changes, suspension geometry and changes to the rear wing. After a five-week break Fred Vasseur’s Scuderia had the most aggressive development effort of any team on the grid.

They walked away with 10 marks and more questions than answers.

Charles Leclerc led the opening lap, slid to the rear during the race, then reached the podium on the final lap with a spin at Turn 3. A subsequent 20-second penalty dropped him to eighth behind the Alpines of teammate Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto. “It’s all on me,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1. he was right. He was also calling for an internal investigation into the drop in car speed on the medium compound by the end of the weekend.

Hamilton remained a few tenths behind his teammate throughout the weekend and finished outside the top five in every session. Nico Rosberg called the Scuderia’s weekend on Sky “clumsy”. He was polite.

This is the big problem. Mercedes withheld its major upgrade package for Canada. McLaren brought him to Miami and dominated the sprint. Ferrari spent its development plans in Florida and got nothing back. If the SF-26 cannot find race pace in Montreal with a fresh package already on the car, the Scuderia is no longer fighting for the championship. It is struggling to hold on to third place in the constructors’ list.

Leclerc has won in Montreal before. Hamilton has won there seven times. The history is there. The car, right now, is not there.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Three members of the Montreal Canadiens will have a chance to medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

Gold Medal Game, Team Canada vs. Team USA, Sunday, Feb. 22, 8:10 a.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT

Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will face the Americans in the gold medal game, a repeat of the final in the 4-Nation Faceoff Tournament. Canada somehow failed to make it through the elimination games, requiring the heroics of Suzuki and Mitch Marner to defeat Czechia in the quarter-finals.

In the semi-finals, it looked like Finland, a team that always performs well in international games, was going to ruin Canada’s gold medal aspirations, but a late-game push resulting in goals by Nathan MacKinnon, Shea Theodore and Sam Reinhart was enough to ensure the victory for the Canadians.

As for the Americans, they suffered a major setback in the semifinals, however, as superstar Quinn Hughes scored in a 2–1 overtime win against Sweden. This led to a relatively easy semi-final match, in which the Americans easily defeated Team Slovakia.

Bronze Medal Game, Team Slovakia vs. Team Finland, Saturday, February 21, 2:20 PM ET/ 11:20 AM PT

While most predicted Canada and the USA to meet in the final, few expected Slovakia to challenge for another Olympic medal. Yes, they won a bronze medal at the last Olympic Games, but that tournament did not include NHL players.

This time, Slovakia is impressing against the world’s best players, and Montreal Canadiens star forward Juraj Slafkowski is leading the way.

Like most Slovaks, Slafkovsky faced a tough time in the semi-finals against the Americans, a team loaded with NHL superstars. But in the grand scheme of things, Slafkovsky has clearly emerged as one of the most impressive players at the Olympics, with three goals and four assists to his name.

It remains to be seen whether Oliver Kapanen will be in uniform for the Finns, and if so, whether he will actually be given a shift. As one of the youngest players at the Olympics, Kapanen has spent more time watching hockey than playing hockey, and although he dressed in the semi-finals against Canada, Antti Pennanen stuck him to the bench.

Either way, it’s certainly been a unique experience for Montreal’s second-line centre.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont