Montreal Canadiens player from Brandon, Man., cheered on by parents
Montreal Canadiens' defenceman Joel Edmundson is off to his second Stanley Cup final in three years, and no one's cheering harder for him than his parents in Brandon, Man.
"We're thrilled for Joel, the team, and for all the fans in Montreal," said Lois Edmundson, Joel's mom. "And yeah, it's pretty crazy, but yeah, we're thrilled to see where he is, but it's every child, every hockey player's dream."
Edmundson won his first championship with the Saint Louis Blues in 2019, bringing the Stanley Cup home to western Manitoba.
"2019 was number one, so that’s going to have a special place in everyone's hearts and mine. To have the opportunity to play for the cup again this year with the potential to win it, I'll explain that after I experience it because I don't know what's going to happen," said Bob Edmundson, Joel's father.
Joel Edmundson signed a four-year contract with the Habs, his dad's lifelong favourite team, in September.
It's been an interesting ride," said Bob. "It's quite a thrill when he signed with them earlier in the year."
On Thursday, Edmundson helped the Canadiens punch their ticket to the cup final with a thrilling overtime win against the Las Vegas Golden Nights.
The defenceman, who tallied an assist in the series clinching game, celebrated the win with his parents over FaceTime.
"It was kind of cool because when he first established the call with us, he was in the dressing room. And he took his camera and fanned the room. And then he got in a quiet area that he could actually hear us. And then the GM, Marc Bergevin, photobombed him while he was talking to us, so that was pretty cool," said Bob.
The Habs head down to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning in game one on Monday, trying to become the first Canadian team to lift the cup since 1993.
The Edmundsons say all Manitobans are welcome to hop on board the bandwagon.
"It's exciting and we are going to enjoy this as we can," said Bob. I think we appreciate everyone that has cheered for Joel in his career. And I know being out here in Brandon, there's a lot of Jets fans, and they are cheering for Joel.
-With files from CTV's Danny Halmarson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.