MONTREAL – Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Montreal Canadiens dressing room after the team’s 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in an exhilarating game Thursday night.
Carney was in Montreal for a Liberal party convention running through Saturday, attending the sport following a day of media appearances and speeches across town.
He met with Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, forwards Alex Newhook and Jake Evans, and defenceman Mike Matheson after an eventful game that featured fights, a dramatic finish and Cole Caufield scoring his fiftieth goal of the season.
“I’m going to be honest, I haven’t had that much fun in over a yr,” Carney said, drawing laughs from the players. “Unbelievable game.”
Related Videos
Carney arrived at first of the second period with the rating 0-0 and sat three rows behind the Canadiens’ bench, shaking hands and chatting with nearby fans.
Get each day National news
Get each day Canada news delivered to your inbox so you may never miss the day’s top stories.
When Caufield scored his milestone goal six minutes into the period, Carney jumped up and hugged those self same spectators.
He joined the energetic crowd in doing the wave, took photos on his phone and high-fived fans once Juraj Slafkovsky’s late goal sealed the win for Montreal, the one Canadian team to clinch a Stanley Cup playoff spot up to now.
Carney placed a hand on his chest and applauded as he entered the locker room, telling players they needed no introduction.
“It’s an actual, real honour,” he said while shaking Suzuki’s hand. “It was a key moment in the sport, the way in which you stood up, it was unbelievable.”
Suzuki answered that it was an actual pleasure to satisfy him.
“Is that every one you bought?” Carney joked.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, meanwhile, said he discussed “leadership” with Carney once they briefly met after the sport.
Carney wore two different Canadiens hats despite being a lifelong Edmonton Oilers fan. He grew up in Edmonton through the Wayne Gretzky era and was a third-string goaltender at Harvard University.
Last March, he joined Connor McDavid and the Oilers at practice and previously posted a photograph of himself wearing a “McJesus” T-shirt.
The Liberal convention in Montreal — and Carney’s visit to the sport — comes ahead of three byelections on Monday, and a day after a fifth opposition MP crossed the ground to affix the Liberal caucus.
— With files from Erika Morris and Daniel Rainbird.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press