Five things you need to know: Red vs. White Scrimmage
Forty-three players will hit the ice on Sunday afternoon at the Bell Centre
by Dan Braverman @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com
MONTREAL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Sunday afternoon's Red vs. White Scrimmage presented by IGA at the Bell Centre.
1. The Red vs. White scrimmage is the feature event of Canadiens Homecoming, which begins at 8:00 a.m. with the Bell Centre Open House presented by Bell (8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.). The Canadiens Tailgate presented by Bell Fibe follows from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Cour Rio Tinto, and the scrimmage begins at 1:00 p.m. in the Bell Centre. Following the game, a Postgame Q&A presented by RDS will be held on the Bell Stage back in Cour Rio Tinto featuring Canadiens players and members of the coaching staff.
2. The Canadiens announced on Saturday that the scrimmage was sold out. Fans in attendance will get to enjoy a free trio courtesy of Coca-Cola, Lays, and Olymel.
3. The scrimmage will consist of two 30-minute periods, including 25 minutes of running time and the last five minutes operating on stopped time. That will be followed by a five-minute 3-on-3 game with stopped time. If the game ends in a tie, a shootout will be held to determine the winning team.
4. Forty-three players will suit up for the annual contest - which was first introduced in 2013 - including 26 forwards, 13 defensemen and four goaltenders. Fans will have the chance to see youngsters Ryan Poehling, Nick Suzuki, and Josh Brook compete among the likes of Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, Shea Weber, and Carey Price and newcomers Ben Chiarot and Keith Kinkaid.
5. The Canadiens will officially begin their preseason schedule on Monday night when they play host to the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre. Their next exhibition contest takes place on Wednesday night in New Brunswick as part of Kraft Hockeyville, against the Florida Panthers. The Habs have a rematch with the Panthers on Thursday at the Bell Centre (7:00 p.m.) before facing the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (7:30 p.m. - Canadian Tire Centre), Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, Sep. 23 (7:00 p.m. - Bell Centre) and Wednesday, Sep. 25 (7:00 p.m. - Scotiabank Arena), and Senators again on Saturday, Sep. 28 (7:00 p.m - Bell Centre).