Fantastic friendship

MONTREAL - It was only fitting that Victor Mete and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were reunited just in time for National Best Friends Day on Saturday.

The pair is back in Montreal to enjoy the Canadian Grand Prix festivities this weekend across the city and celebrate Mete's birthday in style. He turned 21 on Friday.
Over the course of the 2018-19 campaign, Victor and Jesperi formed a remarkable bond. Being roommates on the road certainly helped in that department.
With that in mind, let's take a look back at some of the best moments we captured showcasing this uniquely "mint" friendship.
During the Canadiens' annual Western Canada road trip last November, Victor and Jesperi were kind enough to give us a tour of their hotel room in Vancouver.
Their incredible chemistry was on full display while the HabsTV cameras were rolling in the Lower Mainland. Trust us.

Victor and Jesperi were primed to explore Las Vegas together in December ahead of their matchup against the Golden Kinghts at T-Mobile Arena.
It was a good opportunity to spend some quality time together before the holidays.
When Claude Julien's troops made their way to Florida after the Christmas break, Victor and Jesperi took a moment to enjoy the sun before battling the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.
The caption featured on Instagram was spot on, of course.

In January, Jesperi took a bit of a jab at his good buddy when Finland eliminated Canada in the quarterfinals at the World Junior Hockey Championship en route to winning a gold medal.
Chirps like that just come with the territory, though, and it didn't break these two up.

This was an excellent chirp by Jesperi, too. We had to throw it in.

In March, we showed you Victor and Jesperi's pre-game routine before hitting the ice at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum against the New York Islanders.
It involves several steps, as you'll see below.

Do you remember when HabsTV cameras hit the streets with Victor and Jesperi for a ride that included an unforgettable trip to a local Tim Hortons?
There are plenty of funny parts, but Victor placing a food order through a rear window is nothing short of classic.

Is this not one of the cutest things you've ever seen? Young Andy Shaw has a photo opportunity with two of her biggest fans during the club's annual team photo day.
Andy is clearly a happy camper hanging out at the Bell Centre.

The bottom line is that Victor and Jesperi are just good guys who enjoy having fun.
And if they can help make someone else's day, it's even better.

There's just so much love and mutual respect between the two of them, we can't wait for the friendship to blossom even more next season.