Patrice Bélanger stunned and disappointed by lack of tribute to Montreal Victoire champions at the Bell Centre on Monday
Patrice Bélanger expressed shock and disappointment over what he described as the lack of tribute paid to the Montreal Victoire champions during Monday night’s Canadiens game at the Bell Centre. In a message shared on Instagram, the radio host criticized the Montreal Canadiens organization for not giving the Walter Cup winners a more prominent place during the event. He said it was unacceptable that the team did not properly recognize the women’s hockey club, which had just won its first league title.
Bélanger said the players were only shown on the giant screen briefly during a short interview that aired during a commercial break. He argued that the Victoire deserved much more visibility, especially because they are league champions who had a standout season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. According to him, the players pushed through injuries, exceeded expectations, and achieved the same kind of competitive success the Canadiens are now pursuing.
The television and radio personality also suggested that the team could have played a symbolic role in the Bell Centre ceremony, such as carrying the torch into the arena. He described the moment as a missed opportunity for the Canadiens to give the Victoire a major public platform in one of hockey’s most iconic venues.
Bélanger emphasized that the crowd would likely have welcomed the chance to celebrate the players and recognize their impact on young girls and women in sports. He said the champions inspire a new generation to believe that anything is possible, and that their achievement should have been highlighted more clearly in front of the home crowd.
He concluded by saying that not showing them properly was embarrassing, adding that it was frustrating to see such an important moment go underappreciated. The criticism came just days after the Montreal Victoire captured the first Walter Cup in franchise history, a milestone victory for the team and a major moment for women’s hockey in Montreal.
