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The Montreal Canadiens have an intense fanbase, and the Habs are trying to give them the ultimate celebration for the first time since 1993.
But as the NHL's all-time championship franchise chases a return to Stanley Cup glory, one fan stands above all the rest, literally.
The Canadiens must have the tallest fan of these NHL playoffs -- 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux.
Rioux is a college basketball player in the NCAA ranks. He spent the last two seasons at the University of Florida, where the Gators won a national title in 2025 (despite Rioux redshirting and not playing at all).
The big fella transferred this offseason to UC-Irvine, where he might have a better chance of playing time as he works on expanding his relatively limited skillset.
In the meantime, Rioux is rooting on the Habs.
There's this moment of him being interviewed and looking really tall:
— Kwabena Oduro (@Kwabz9) May 11, 2026MORE: The Mitch Marner irony of Auston Matthews' future with the Maple Leafs
And then there's this, of Rioux with Habs defenseman Lane Hutson:
— Peter Yannopoulos (@PeteYannopoulos) May 11, 2026Rioux is originally from Quebec, so his Canadiens fandom makes perfect sense.
And right now, he's got to be happy, as the Habs have rebounded from a Game 1 loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals to take a 2-1 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres.
It'd be fascinating to see Rioux on the ice as a defenseman, potentially, but for now, he's just a very conspicuous fan.
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