From the stands to the screen, Montreal Canadiens fans are finding new ways to stay connected to their team — and one homegrown platform has turned that passion into a fast-growing online presence.
It’s called HFTV, and founder Alexander Rougas says the idea has always been simple.
“I would describe it as a voice for fans. Any fan can come on and say what they have to say,” he said.
Launched in 2021 as Habs Fan TV, the project was created by Rougas of Laval following the Canadiens’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
That matchup would later become part of the platform’s identity — especially now, as Montreal once again finds itself facing Tampa Bay in a playoff series.
“It started in 2021, right after the Canadiens Cup run against Tampa Bay,” Rougas said. “I was hoping to maybe go again in 2022. It didn’t happen that way. But here we are now. We’re ready to get our revenge.”
A year later, co-creator Cédrik Séguin joined after meeting Rougas at the NHL Draft in Montreal — the same night the Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovský first overall.
“I actually met him at this exact same place during the draft,” Séguin said. “Exactly the night where Slafkovský became a Montreal Canadien, I did an interview. And the rest is history.”
What began as postgame interviews outside the arena has since grown into a multi-platform media presence documenting Canadiens culture, reactions and fan-driven moments in real time.
At its core, HFTV is built on immediacy — capturing fans right after the final buzzer, when emotions are still raw and unfiltered.
“Basically, what we do is that we interview fans after the game,” Séguin said. “So right when the game finishes, win or loss, we interview fans, and we post the best moments on our social media platforms.”
That format has become the identity of the platform: spontaneous reactions, unscripted opinions, and moments that feel closer to the stands than the studio.
“I’d say that we’re a pretty positive platform. It’s meant for the players to enjoy it. It’s meant for the fans to enjoy it. It’s meant to also just show that Habs fans are everywhere in the world, that we’re taking over, that we are the best fan base in the league,” Rougas said. “I hope we keep that reputation.”
A post shared by HFTV (@hftvsports)
He adds that the tone of the content is deliberately mixed.
“The goal is to have a bit of funny. Some of it is more analytical. Some of it are stunts that me and him do. It’s kind of just showing the best of what Montreal Canadiens fans can offer.”
What started as a small idea has expanded far beyond expectations.
“I just didn’t anticipate it would happen this quickly,” Rougas said. “I think things like this take time, to take shape, and take fold, and our vision to take fold, but it just happened a lot quicker because obviously the team got a lot better than I expected.”
Today, HFTV operates across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X, with a combined audience of roughly 450,000 followers.
“On our TikTok, we’re at around 217,000. That’s what I would say is our main platform,” Rougas said. “Instagram is our second biggest platform at this point, but on all platforms we’re at around 450,000 followers and growing by the day.”
Séguin says the reaction still surprises them.
“We would have never expected the page to blow up this fast,” he said. “People recognize us, people come up to us, they like our work — it’s pretty impressive.”
Beyond digital content, HFTV has become part of the live game atmosphere in Montreal, where postgame crowds often spill into chants and spontaneous celebrations.
“There’s a song for almost every single player,” Rougas said. “There’s a few that we don’t have yet, but they’re getting done.”
Some of the most recognizable began organically.
“The first one was Caulfield’s on fire,” Rougas said. “There are fans that come up to us and help give us songs, and the ones we think have potential, we put them out there. So ‘one, two, three, Viva Slafkovský’ is another one that got popular.”
He says the aim is to add personality to a fan base already known for its intensity.
“I think the cool thing about a song is it’s not very North American to do those types of chants. We’re all used to ‘Go Habs Go’ and ‘olé olé olé,’ but it’s just to bring something more personal with more flavour.”
That same fan energy recently followed the Canadiens on the road.
During the first two games of the playoff series in Tampa Bay, HFTV launched a fan-driven initiative dubbed “Operation Red Bay.”
The idea came together quickly — and grew into a large-scale push involving thousands of red towels distributed outside the arena.
“We made a call to a towel company in the U.S. — we’re like, hey, we need 10,000 towels being sent to Tampa Bay by Friday. Can you do it? And they said, yes, we can,” Rougas said. “Then the next day I woke up, I’m like, okay, maybe I should bring it down to 5,000. So we sent 5,000 towels to Tampa Bay. We went and picked it up on Friday.”
A post shared by HFTV (@hftvsports)
With help from a Montreal fan based in Tampa, the group distributed them in the hours before puck drop.
“Our friend Corey, who’s a Montrealer who lives in Tampa, helped bring it with a golf cart. So we had a golf cart, we had a Habs logo on it. And during the day on Saturday, we spent three hours outside in the sun,” Rougas said.
By the end of the weekend, roughly 2,500 to 3,000 towels were handed out on the first game day, followed by another 1,500 the next game.
“The stadium was completely full of red.”
Inside the arena, the impact was immediate.
“Every goal that you saw, you would see the red towels waving around behind Martin St. Louis,” Rougas said. “So I think we did our best.”
“I think we did a good job at bringing Tampa Bay into Red Bay, that’s what we did,” he added.
With every wave of a towel, the message was clear: even on the road, Canadiens fans show up.
As the series shifts back to Montreal for Game 3, HFTV says the focus now returns to the Bell Centre — and the atmosphere that defines it.
Rougas expects it to be loud.
“I just hope that everyone is as loud as they can. I know I will be, my voice will recover. I’ll definitely be as loud as I can,” he said. “I just hope that everyone just enjoys the fact that we have a good team. We meet a lot of fans that are older and they say this is the best Canadiens team that they’ve seen. We should just appreciate the moment. Win or lose. I just feel like the Canadiens are in this series. That’s the most important part. And wherever it takes us, if it ends up going the wrong way, that’s life. It’s just hockey, guys.”
Off-camera, both creators are balancing the fast-growing platform with school and career paths outside media.
Rougas says he is also pursuing law.
“I recently passed my bar. So the whole process is to become a lawyer by the end of this. And after that, we’ll see. I love what I’m doing right now. That’s all I have to say,” he said.
Séguin is completing CEGEP and preparing for university in communication and marketing.
At its core, both creators remain thankful for the community behind them.
“I want to give a big shout out to all of our Habs fans around the world, whether they’re in Mexico, Toronto, Ottawa, Ohio,” Rougas said. “We met all kinds of people throughout our journey so far. And our goal is to make the Habs fans shine. And the 2,500 people out here are going to sound like 25,000 tomorrow. Bet you that,” Rougas said.
“This couldn’t have happened without you. Thanks a lot. I have no words,” Séguin added.
