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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.