Feature Photo: Getty Images
Whether it comes from his home country of Finland, Montreal Canadiens fans or the greater hockey community, Patrik Laine has an abundance of heartfelt support at every turn.
Most recently, the 26-year-old felt the love from an enthusiastic crowd at Bell Centre on Dec. 17 after netting his third goal of the evening in a 6-1 Habs win.
It was music to Laine’s ears.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t [special],” he told NHLPA.com. “It’s been so cool to see how supportive the fans have been throughout the time I have been here, whether I have been playing or not. To see how passionate these people are about the Habs has meant so much to us.”
It wasn’t the first time Laine has felt the love from the Canadiens faithful.
In his first regular-season game with Montreal on Dec. 3, after returning from a knee injury, Laine received a thunderous ovation after scoring a power-play tally in the second period.
Laine, who came to the Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19, has felt right at home on and off the ice.
“I didn’t know much about the city outside of hockey and never had the chance to explore it. I have been over the moon how great of a city this is and how much the fans love their hockey. It’s a great place.”
The forward has also been quick to extend a helping hand by getting involved with the community through the team’s annual Montreal Children's Hospital visit. Taking it a step further, Laine brought friendship bracelets to hand out to kids as a memento.
Laine, who wears No. 92 for the Original Six squad, has rekindled his love for the game after a difficult 2023-24 campaign where he played in only 18 regular-season games, the result of a broken clavicle. He also spent time away from the game to prioritize his mental health and well-being.
Now, Laine finds himself in a great place, literally and figuratively.
In August, along with his fiancée, Jordan Leigh, Laine launched From Us to You – a mental health initiative inspired by the many people who reached out to Laine to share their own stories surrounding mental health.
Laine made the announcement about the initiative on his Instagram page.
“Jordan and I started this to spread positivity around the topic of mental health and create a platform and community where it’s okay to talk and share your experiences,” said the second overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft.
“The outpouring of love and support for us has been amazing to see, not just from the hockey community, but so many others. We are so happy we started it, and we want to help as many people as we can.”
When asked what message he would like to share with someone who is dealing with mental health struggles, Laine put careful thought into his answer.
“There are many things, but overall, the importance of talking about it or writing about it is going to help. You would be surprised how many people want to help you and care. It’s completely normal – life is hard, but if you need help, be brave enough to ask for it. I think those are a couple things I would want to share.”
Outside of his off-ice endeavors, Laine will look to build on his strong start in Montreal.
He will also suit up for his native Finland in the upcoming 4-Nations Face-Off. The best-on-best international tournament will feature NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States competing Feb. 12–20, 2025, with games in Montreal and Boston.
Laine was one of 17 players named to the roster for Team Finland on Dec. 4, joining the first six players who were selected in June. His Canadiens teammate, Joel Armia, was also selected to the Finnish roster.
“It’s always nice to be invited to play for your country,” said Laine. “It was kind of 50/50 if I was going to be selected since I hadn’t played for a while, but I am happy that they selected me. It’s super exciting for sure.
“These occasions don’t come too often, especially best-on-best tournaments, so this is going to be special for the players. It’s always an honour.”
Laine, who has medaled three times internationally, including gold at the 2016 world juniors, isn’t expecting to hear fans at Bell Centre chant his name if he lights the lamp in a Finland jersey.
“I don’t know if I can pull that off,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll have to see. I hope the Canadiens fans will not be booing me – hopefully, they will give me a little bit of a break. I’m sure I will be fine. But to play some of the 4 Nations games here in Montreal will be very sweet.”
Laine, who is fourth among active Finnish NHL players with 212 career goals, expects the Finns to be a formidable opponent. The roster includes Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche), Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) and Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), who all take up the top three spots, respectively, as the top-scoring Finnish-born players currently playing in the NHL.
“We have great support from our fans and expectations that we can win this. The last 10 years or so, we have been able to win some tournaments and show that we can play against the very best countries.
“This generation now, as Finnish hockey players, we have some outstanding players, and we have a great chance to prove that we have the talent to do well in this tournament.”
Including a reenergized Laine, who is grateful to wear the bleu, blanc, et rouge for the Montreal Canadiens.
“When I was on the visiting team and now that I am on the team, you feel very lucky to play here. It is something special to wear this jersey and play in this city. I am so happy.”
