Maëlla, Timothée join forces for special experience

MONTREAL -- When special guests Maëlla Cellestin and Timothée Harris were done reading the starting lineup aloud in the dressing room on Saturday night, head coach Martin St-Louis had a message for his players.

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"And we fight, the way these guys have to fight each and every day," said St-Louis, ahead of the emotional pregame ceremony in conjunction with Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Bell Centre. "We fight for them tonight."
His group clearly took that call to action to heart, scoring the game-tying goal with just 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation, before securing a 5-4 shootout victory over the Flyers courtesy of captain Nick Suzuki's dazzling breakaway tally on goaltender Carter Hart.

At their core, though, the Hall of Famer's emphatic words were a nod to the incredible courage and resilience Maëlla, 14, and Timothée, 8, have displayed in their respective cancer battles at such a young age, when serious illness shouldn't even be on the radar.
While Cellestin is going head-to-head with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Harris is confronting embryonal sarcoma of the liver.
Fortunately, they're winning their fights against these diseases - and these warriors made an outstanding duo over the weekend.
Young Timothée sensed that Maëlla was a little nervous before addressing the Habs, so he graciously volunteered to lead things off. The pair split the announcing duties, three players each.
"I went first just so she could have an example, and it worked perfectly fine. We just did it. We didn't really have a strategy, like a coach would give a team," explained Harris, who traveled to Montreal from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. "It's cool that I had a partner with me so I wouldn't have to do all the work on my own."

Every time Maëlla and Timothée announced a player's name, the whole group applauded in unison.
A big fan of Suzuki and fellow stud Cole Caufield, Timothée was honored to announce them as starters, along with linemate Kirby Dach.
"Being there and seeing all of them in the room was so much fun. I basically know all of their names by heart," said Harris with a smile. "I even got to fist bump Cole after we were done."
Timothée's mother, Isabelle Quirion, was over the moon that her son was presented with this unique opportunity.
"I was so emotional when I learned that he'd be reading the lineup. Whenever he was hospitalized, it was really tough on him, and watching Canadiens games made his day. He would sleep during the day just so he could watch games at night. That made a real difference for us," explained Quirion. "When I saw him speaking to the players on the jumbotron, I couldn't hold my emotions in. What all these kids are going through is so tough. They're champions. What he has overcome, I couldn't envision doing that myself. I'm so proud of Timmy. The chance to be in the room and meet his heroes was extraordinary."
Timothée also just happens to be a youngster with NHL aspirations who hopes to wear the CH someday.
Talk about insider access...
"I like watching them to see how they work because I would also like to be on their team when I grow up, so I'm always looking to learn some tricks," noted Harris. "I keep their tricks in mind for the next time I get to play. I want to be an NHL player, too. That's my dream."

Like her partner, Maëlla was thrilled to be on-site with some of her hockey heroes.
The Pierrefonds native was in awe of her surroundings.
"I was a bit stressed, but it was really cool. The best part was when the guys clapped for us," said Cellestin, a talented musician who plays a variety of instruments, including piano, drums, flute, ukulele and violin. "It was nice to work with Tim, too. He's really cute."
Maëlla's father, Maxime, spoke glowingly about his special girl.
"She's passionate in everything she does. She's been going through all this like a real champion. Maëlla has a big heart and a lot of strength," praised Mr. Cellestin. "It was really touching to see her on the jumbotron. It's hard to put that into words. I was really impressed, and I'm really proud of her."
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