‘shoot the puck’: is habs mania too much pressure on the players?

habs mania is on full display this playoffs season in montreal: elaborate pregame events outside the bell centre, watch parties all over the city, chants of "olé olé olé" before players even take the ice and, most recently, calls to "shoot the puck" during wednesday's game 4 against the carolina hurricanes.is it ever too much for the players, who now face elimination friday following their 4-0 loss at home? according to montreal sports psychologists, there is enormous pressure — and chants can be distracting — but energy from the fans is something players must harness."they have to interpret it positively," said sports psychologist bruno ouellette. "that’s also the role of the coaches: convincing them it’s a positive factor and helping them focus on the right things. but i admit, it’s a real challenge." stéphane bensoussan, sports psychologist at psysanté who described himself as a habs fan, pointed out that the bell centre can be an intimidating place even for fans, let alone players performing "under a microscope.""every single touch of the puck, every single move that you make is watched or cheered or booed," he said. there are a few different ways players perform under that pressure. "some players have this capacity of rising under pressure and performing even better when there is more noise, when there's more ruckus, when there's more action — it kind of fuels them in a sense," bensoussan said. "and then there's other players who may not like that drama, who are more low profile. they're effective at what they do, they're obviously skilled players, but they just want to do their job and do it well. they don't want too much attention drawn onto them."as pro athletes, they learn composure from being under scrutiny at all times. "i've been listening to some podcasts that say maybe we should tell the fans to quiet down a little bit so that the players can play," bensoussan said. "but it's really up to the players to kind of channel that energy."ouellette said that historically, spectators have a positive impact on performance, particularly at home."we saw it during covid when there were no fans — home-ice advantage basically disappeared," he said.ouellette also used the example of figure skater joannie rochette's bronze medal win at the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver, just days after her mother died suddenly."the crowd chanted her name," ouellette said. "we’ve seen it in many other situations, too: i’m thinking of the canadiens when saku koivu returned. there was an eight-minute standing ovation in 2002. that had a massive impact."could fans ever inadvertently cross a line while attempting to show support? ouellette said it's all part of the game. "i think fans have the right to be fans," he said. "the montreal crowd has an identity. its identity is passion and support. it’s love. ultimately, it’s very positive." supporting the team loudly is also a way for fans to manage their own anxiety surrounding the games, ouellette explained. "fans love deeply," he said. "they’re passionate about hockey. they truly love it. and when you’re watching, the only thing you actually control is cheering." pointing out that habs fans are known for being the loudest in the nhl, gordon bloom, professor of sports psychology at mcgill university, said he thinks the support probably works in the team's favour. "i think it would psych them up and really energize them and they would have less anxiety and would perform better," he said. "if anything, i would think (the fans) would have more of a negative influence on the players playing against them." but he does wonder if the team — composed of many young players — could get nervous when they fall behind at home games compared with away games."maybe when they get a little bit nervous they don’t play their usual style of game, and that may have an influence on the outcome," bloom said.outside of distractions, there are multiple factors that affect player performance, ouellette said. they need a solid game plan, good preparation and the ability to recover between games. after multiple playoff games a week over a 40-day period, it's possible the habs are experiencing fatigue."it’s clear the body is being overworked," ouellette said, adding that when stress lasts for an extended period of time, it can become chronic. "at that point, because of the fatigue, the brain sends you a message saying it’s time to rest. the big challenge for players is pushing past that."kthomas@postmedia.com