The Montreal Canadiens pay tribute to Karl Tremblay

MONTREAL – The province of Quebec is mourning the loss of a beloved figure. Karl Tremblay, lead singer of Les Cowboys Fringants, died of cancer this week. 

His passing was announced on Wednesday. The Montreal Canadiens held a pregame ceremony in his honor on Thursday night to bid him adieu. 

A sombre atmosphere greeted Quebec-born player Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, a big fan of the band, as he headed to center ice at the Bell Centre to hang a jersey with Tremblay’s name and No. 76, in a nod to the year he was born and the number he wore in hockey.

The crowd joined in to sing the band’s hit song, Les étoiles filantes, in a moving moment prior to the game.

Les Cowboys Fringants’ music has been an iconic part of the music scene in Quebec since the 2000’s. According to the band’s official Web site, Tremblay and guitarist Jean-François Pauzé met in a hockey locker room in 1994 and were inseparable ever since.

It’s with a heavy heart that the Club says au revoir to a monumental figure whose voice will forever continue to resonate across Quebec.