METAL! debuts at Canadiens game

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens' first intermission was interrupted Saturday by the debut of METAL!, resolving the mystery around who was behind a perplexing series of technical glitches that had plagued the team's recent home games.

The Club has confirmed that METAL! intends to be the unofficial official mascot of its upcoming Reverse Retro series of games, which begins Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Longtime fans of the team may recall METAL! as a mainstay around the Montreal Forum throughout the 1980s and into the early '90s. Frequently seen at Canadiens games, rock concerts, and wrestling events, METAL! became a popular character in his own right through his unbridled passion and orange fur that drew direct comparisons to Youppi!, the celebrated mascot of Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos at the time.

Legend was that METAL! was named after wandering out of the nursery at birth in 1979, drawn to the sounds of "Renegade" by Styx playing on the radio. Bobbing his head and throwing two fingers in the air to the beat, he was spotted by a janitor who laughed and cried out, "That's so METAL!"

"WOAH! My dude is BACK!" said a source close to METAL! who identified himself simply as his roadie. "After a night of bad choices partying with the team after the Cup win in '93, seems like he fell asleep in an ice machine in the Forum basement and only emerged this summer when the thing was unearthed during renovations. I can tell you he doesn't understand three things: why it's 2022, why the Habs are playing in a different building, and why this baseball mascot guy is working on HIS turf. But since he turned blue from being frozen all this time, he's gonna rightfully rock the new jersey the guys have and reclaim his deserved spot as the team's unofficial official mascot."

METAL!'s "residency" at the Bell Centre will therefore extend through all eight Reverse Retro games.

As per his roadie, METAL! promises to keep fans abreast of his tour, appearance schedule, and fascinating life in general on his soon-to-be-launched social media channels that will have the handle @CanadiensMeTaL.

His first photo op will come at the M2 Level of the Bell Centre ahead of the Devils' game at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by a stop outside the main Tricolore Sports outlet in the arena concourse at 6:15. Fans are encouraged to bring ear protection because METAL! likes to play a rotation of Motley Crue, Skid Row, Warrant, Poison and other amazing bands LOUD whenever he's around.

For more information on Reverse Retro game tickets fans can head to canadiens.com/reverseretro, or to order their own Reverse Retro jersey they can visit Tricolore Sports online.