The Canadiens open in Toronto on Sept. 29. The full roster, the key dates, the brands already on the ice and the creators to follow this season.
Tomorrow night, September 29, the Montreal Canadiens open their 2026-27 season in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, the same Leafs whose first overall pick Gavin McKenna made his preseason debut against Montreal ten days ago. For Quebec brands, that puck drop starts the province's longest attention window of the year: an 84-game regular season, the first of that length since 1993-94. Here are the dates that matter, the brands already on the ice, and the creators worth following all season.
- Season opener: Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Toronto
- Home opener: Tuesday, Oct. 6, vs. Carolina at the Bell Centre
- 84 games, the longest schedule in more than three decades
- Brands to watch: RBC, Air Canada, RONA, Tim Hortons, Kraft, La Cage
The dates every brand should circle
The opening month is packed with themed nights, and each one is a ready-made content hook. According to the club's official themed-night calendar, October alone brings a home opener against Carolina, a Quebec culture night and Halloween, with the Heritage Classic outdoor game in Winnipeg in between.
| Date | Game | Content angle |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 29 | at Toronto | Rivalry, watch parties, first reactions |
| Oct. 6 | vs. Carolina, home opener | Bell Centre atmosphere, behind the scenes |
| Oct. 13 | vs. Buffalo, Quebec culture night | Local pride, Quebec creators |
| Oct. 25 | Heritage Classic vs. Winnipeg | Outdoor hockey, nostalgia, style |
| Oct. 31 | vs. Pittsburgh, Halloween | Costumes, family content |
| Nov. 10 | vs. Minnesota, Carey Price night | Legacy, emotion, fan stories |
The 2026-27 Canadiens roster
Before planning content around the players, know who is on the ice. Here is the full Canadiens roster as listed by the NHL on September 28, 2026, the day before the opener. Lineups move during the season (injuries, call-ups from Laval, trades), so check the official roster before any campaign that names a player.
| # | Player | Position | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | JAJosh Anderson | Right wing | Burlington, ON |
| 60 | ABAlex Belzile | Right wing | St-Eloi, QC |
| 37 | BBBrett Berard | Left wing | Providence, RI |
| 76 | ZBZachary Bolduc | Right wing | Trois-Rivières, QC |
| 13 | CCCole Caufield | Right wing | Mosinee, WI |
| 77 | KDKirby Dach | Center | Fort Saskatchewan, AB |
| 24 | PDPhillip Danault | Center | Victoriaville, QC |
| 93 | IDIvan Demidov | Right wing | Sergiyev Posad, RUS |
| 71 | JEJake Evans | Center | Toronto, ON |
| 91 | OKOliver Kapanen | Center | Timrå, SWE |
| 22 | CKChris Kreider | Left wing | Boxford, MA |
| 41 | HMHunter McKown | Center | San Jose, CA |
| 15 | ANAlex Newhook | Center | St. John's, NL |
| 40 | SPSasha Pastujov | Right wing | Bradenton, FL |
| 88 | SPSamuel Poulin | Right wing | Blainville, QC |
| 20 | JSJuraj Slafkovský | Left wing | Košice, SVK |
| 14 | NSNick Suzuki | Center | London, ON |
| 85 | ATAlexandre Texier | Left wing | Saint-Martin-d'Hères, FRA |
| 63 | FXFlorian Xhekaj | Left wing | Hamilton, ON |
| # | Player | Position | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | ACAlexandre Carrier | Defense | Québec, QC |
| 53 | NDNoah Dobson | Defense | Summerside, PE |
| 42 | AEAdam Engström | Defense | Järna, SWE |
| 48 | LHLane Hutson | Defense | Holland, MI |
| 8 | MMMike Matheson | Defense | Pointe-Claire, QC |
| 74 | ESEthan Samson | Defense | Delta, BC |
| 47 | JSJayden Struble | Defense | Cumberland, RI |
| 79 | MSMaksymilian Szuber | Defense | Opole, POL |
| 44 | RWReilly Walsh | Defense | Framingham, MA |
| 72 | AXArber Xhekaj | Defense | Hamilton, ON |
| # | Player | Position | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | JDJakub Dobeš | Goalie | Ostrava, CZE |
| 35 | SMSamuel Montembeault | Goalie | Bécancour, QC |
The brands already on the ice
Some partners are impossible to miss. RBC has been the official home jersey partner since 2022, Air Canada carries the away jersey, and the Bell Centre name needs no introduction. This season, the themed-night calendar also puts RONA front and centre with four bobblehead nights, alongside La Cage, Kraft, Parc Oméga and Tim Hortons on specific games.
| Brand | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|
| RBC | Home jersey patch |
| Air Canada | Away jersey patch |
| RONA | Four bobblehead nights (Dec. 10, Jan. 21, March 16 and 24) |
| La Cage | Flag night, Dec. 8 |
| Kraft and Parc Oméga | Family weekend, Feb. 13 and 14 |
| Tim Hortons | Indigenous Peoples celebration, March 4 |
Off the ice, one campaign is worth studying: Hockey Québec's « Le hockey te suit partout », created with Mouv Création this summer, mixes footage filmed by real parents with cinematic sequences. It is a good reminder that the most effective hockey content in Quebec feels lived, not staged.
The creators to follow this season
Logos build recognition. Creators start conversations. Two One Way talents live naturally at the intersection of sport, style and Montreal life, and their audiences will be talking hockey all season.
Discover their profiles on our talent page: Stevens Dorcelus and Robin Messier.
What this means for brands
The brands that win hockey season are rarely the loudest on game night. They plan three phases: build-up, opener, and the long middle of the season when attention stays high and competition thins out. We covered that logic in our Canadiens marketing playbook and in why sports brands need an influencer strategy. And when a campaign needs more than a post, our video production team in Montreal can shoot the behind-the-scenes, the watch party or the full spot.
Puck drops tomorrow. The brands that show up in October are the ones fans remember in April.
