"Rather stab myself in the eye than watch this": NHL fans react to Montreal Canadiens' opening night ceremony with orchestra

NHL fans on social media reacted to the Montreal Canadiens opening night ceremony, which featured an orchestra performing on the ice. On Wednesday, the Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Centre Bell for their season opener.

The team introduced their players and coaches with live orchestra music, creating a memorable atmosphere for the event in front of a sellout crowd.

Here's how fans on X/Twitter reacted to the Montreal Canadiens opening night ceremony featuring an orchestra. One said:

"Rather stab myself in the eyes then watch this - my old man."

Another chimed in:

"Imagine they put as much effort into playing hockey as they do introducing their players.... They'd might actually be able to compete for a wildcard sot."

One commenter told a story about Canadiens CEO Geoff Molson that could have been the reason for the grand opener.

"Believe it or not, a season ticket holder approached owner @GMolsonCHC after last season's home opener and told him it was the worst one he had ever seen. You could tell it bothered Mr Molson. He wasn't messing around this year!!!" another user commented.

Meanwhile, several other people praised the Habs for the show they put on.

"The classiest organization in pro sports. Not even close for second place either," one commented.

"It was the finest opening night I have ever seen," another chimed in.

"Pains me to say this but no one does intros like the Montreal Canadiens," one person begrudgingly admitted.

Meanwhile, Cole Caufield scored the first goal of the season for the Habs on a powerplay at 7:48 of the first period to put them up 1-0 while wearing number 13 in honor of Johnny Gaudreau. The Habs went on to win 1-0.

Montreal Canadiens suffered Patrik Laine's injury blow in preseason

The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Patrik Laine in August in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

The 26-year-old Finnish suffered a knee injury after a knee-on-knee collision with the Maple Leafs' Cedric Pare during the preseason clash. Last week, the club announced that Laine had sustained a knee sprain to his left knee.

The good news is that Laine will not need surgery and is expected to be out of the Canadiens' lineup for 2-3 months while he undergoes rehabilitation. He's signed to a four-year contract worth $34.8 million and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.