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Montreal's transit agency says too expensive to display 'Go Habs Go!' before winter

MONTREAL — Montreal's transit agency says city buses won't be able to flash the “Go! Canadiens Go!” NHL hockey slogan any time soon.
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A bus is seen with the expression "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" in Montreal on Thursday, April 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — Montreal's transit agency says city buses won't be able to flash the “Go! Canadiens Go!” NHL hockey slogan any time soon.

The agency had removed the expression from electronic signs on buses and replaced it with "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" to appease the province's language watchdog.

Following outcry, the language office said it gave the transit agency the green light in June to use the English word “go” on display signs to cheer on the city's NHL team.

But the agency says it won’t be possible to display the original message on buses until at least the winter, during the regularly scheduled period to update signage.

The electronic display on each of the city's more than 1,000 buses must be modified manually.

And agency spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay says there isn't enough money in the budget to have the signage updated earlier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2025.

The Canadian Press