Patrik Laine hopes no one picked up on what was really happening during emotional standing ovation

Forward Patrik Laine would have preferred to be on the ice on Wednesday for the home opener of the Montreal Canadiens. Instead, he was on the sideline after getting injured on a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare in the first period of a 2-1 loss during the preseason. When the Habs hosted the Leafs for their first contest of the 2024-25 campaign, Laine was introduced to the Montreal crowd before the active roster and received a long and moving standing ovation. It was easy to tell that Laine was moved by the reception. Head coach Martin St. Louis reached over to him at one point and tapped him on the back.

When speaking on Instagram on Thursday about how he felt when the Canadiens opener the calendar at the Bell Center, Laine started off by saying he was proud of his teammates for getting the victory and the two points, but added that he was especially moved by the love he received fron the fans in attendance. At one point, he explained how he hopes no one picked up on his crutches shaking under him and he was struggling with being overwhelmed by the crowd’s love.

“With the love of the fans and the whole city of Montreal made it a little bit easier. Obviously with the acknowledgment before the game, that was… My crutches were shaking a little bit, I’m not gonna lie. Hopefully nobody picked that up, but it was pretty awesome to see and makes this recovery time feel a little shorter so thank you all for that.

Laine was acquired by the Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19 along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for defenseman Jordan Harris.

The Finnish forward will have to wait for his start in Montreal as he will miss at least the next two months with his knee injury. Whenever he is ready for action in front of all of his new fans, let’s hope his stick won’t be shaking on the ice.