I think that the Knights might be toast, and that it might be the Canadiens who are indeed golden. Not just because Montreal took a 3-2 series lead with a commanding and convincing 4-1 road win that featured their trademark swarming, smothering defense, opportunistic and workmanlike attack, and yet another standout performance from Carey Price. Rather, I think the Habs have this one in the bag because they were able to do all of the above after receiving the shock and betrayal of their lives when, before the game, the Vegas jumbotron featured an image of legendary chanteuse and the pride of Charlemagne, Quebec, Céline Dion—wearing Golden Knights gear.
Quelle horreur! Dion, born and raised outside of Montreal, and perhaps the most famous and successful Francophone artist, would seem to be an ideal torchbearer for the Habs, and perhaps for all of Canada, as they seek to bring the Cup north of the border for the first time in nearly three decades. But there she was, dans un casque noir rather than in the bleu-blanc-rouge of the Canadiens. It would have been less jarring had Phillip Danault joined the Knights before the game and advocated for English instruction only in Quebec schools.
Just think, this level of treachery from a binational treasure whom we've watched grow up—in Habs colors.
I'm not sure that Youppi!'s heart will go on, not after this perfidy.
Ah, but wait a moment ... it's all coming back to me now. Dion, queen of la belle province, may have become a daughter of the desert when she purchased a house in nearby Henderson, Nevada, in 2003, when she kicked off her historic four-year concert residency at Caesar's Palace, which remains the most lucrative residency of all time. While maintaining houses in Montreal and Florida, she moved her family to Nevada, and appears to consider it her home, especially after returning to Vegas for a second residency in 2011, and steady appearances since then. This all may be as simple as the fact that Céline Dion now considers herself a Las Vegan.
And like many Las Vegans who were born elsewhere, she may have adopted the Golden Knights with full voice. You can be on the jumbotron, the Golden Knights may have told her, because you loved me.
The photo evidence would seem to support this interpretation of events.
Indeed, when in 2017 Dion traveled to Montreal to watch her son play hockey for VGK's U16 club, she wore a personalized jersey with his name—a personalized Golden Knights jersey, of course.
So this is it, then, a jumbotron-sized Judas kiss. Las Vegas: she's your lady. Montreal: you're all by yourself.
But wait! Camille Lopez, a Montreal journalist who specializes in disinformation, spotted something:
Could it be? Could the duplicitous Golden Knights have simply photoshopped the innocent, unfairly maligned Dion—without her knowledge—into their bucket and sweater? Could they really have been so low as to take the photo from the cover of very same album for which Dion celebrated the accompanying tour with a personalized Habs jersey? Could this be a double-betrayal?
Rest assured we are seeking comment from Dion, the Golden Knights, the Canadiens, Gary Bettman, Resorts World Las Vegas, the Premier of Quebec, and Youppi!, and will update this blog when warranted.
