Adam Henrique and Brandon Montour to battle it out for hockey supremacy
Burford and Six Nations of the Grand River will be on full display when the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers begin the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
Adam Henrique, who was raised in Burford, will be suiting up for the Oilers while Brandon Montour, from Six Nations, will be taking part in his second straight Stanley Cup final for the Panthers.
As Burford, Six Nations and the rest of Canada keep a close eye on the series, two great friends will battle it out on the ice.
“I knew of Brandon from back home and he went to high school with one of my brothers. I think Monty used to cheat off my brother’s tests to get him through school,” said Henrique, with a laugh. “I met him and actually got to know him when I was traded to Anaheim and being from back home, we became pretty close right away.”
Henrique and Montour became friends while playing two seasons for the Anaheim Ducks during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons then Montour was traded to the Buffalo Sabres halfway through the 2018-19 campaign.
“He was traded and it was difficult as it was as far away from Anaheim as possible and he is a good friend but you could always see his potential was so high, and he had to go through that sort of thing (being traded) and we all have to do that at some point. But it was great to see him take off last year in Florida, and they had a special run there, and everything that came along with that,” Henrique said.
Now, Montour and Henrique will face-off to become a Stanley Cup champion, something that has crossed Henrique’s mind.
“I have thought about it and this is the situation you want to be in, playing a good friend like that for a chance to become a champion. In my mind, knowing his personality it’ll be fun, exciting, and I’m sure he’ll be chirping at me, and I’ll be trying to give it back to him and whatnot. There is a lot of respect that goes both ways between us as players and as friends so it’s exciting to be in the spot that I think we’re both in. I don’t think that happens too often,” Henrique said.
Besides competing for the Stanley Cup, the players also created the Henrique Montour Foundation a few years ago, which is highlighted by their annual Henrique Montour Golf Classic.
“Our friendship kind of grew and we put the golf tournaments together, which has been way more successful than I could have even imagined. And again, that kind of goes back to the support of our family and friends back home, because the event really is a lot of family and friends, and he (Brandon) has a ton of people that have always supported him, and it’s so it’s always pretty special to have everybody that comes out there. It’s almost like a huge family reunion for all of us,” explained Henrique. “I am hoping that having both of us in the final will put a lot of eyes on our foundation and the tournament. This year has already been pretty successful as far as sponsorships go and that sort of thing but this will help put Burford and Six Nations on the map here for for everybody.”
The Henrique Montour Foundation raises funds for organizations close to both players, including the Arnold Anderson Sport Fund, Six Nations Police Service, Six Nations Minor Hockey, Burford Coyotes, and Child and Family Services of Grand Erie, just to name a few.
“The tournament has been an amazing success so far. I don’t know the exact numbers of what we’ve raised and been able to, donate to in Brant County and out in Six Nations and different programs but we are just trying to give back to so many people that have supported us,” Henrique said. “We are trying to make a difference with young kids and just make a difference for some of the people that have always done that for us growing up, and allowed us to get to where we’re at now. So I always love coming home and seeing everybody, and bringing the kids there. And, you know, we have a huge family in Burford, so it’s always a lot of fun.”
While Henrique’s and Montour’s names are on the foundation and tournament, Henrique admitted most of the success goes to their families.
“Monty’s had a bunch of teammates that have come out to play in the tournament and to support our foundation but the tournament doesn’t run because of Brandon and I. The tournament runs because our family takes care of it and sets everything up and does all of the behind the scenes work. So, it is a big family affair, which is a lot of fun,” admitted Henrique.
When asked if the Stanley Cup will make an appearance at this year’s tournament, Henrique said there will definitely be a different atmosphere this time around.
“We’ll have to keep it (the Stanley Cup) out of there that day but I certainly want it to be me getting to bring the Cup home and everything that goes along with that. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but that tournament will be coming up pretty quickly after everything is said and done down here so we’ll see how it goes. I don’t know if there’ll be high tensions at the tournament this year or not,” he said, with a laugh.
Regardless of the outcome, Henrique said he is excited to play in his second Stanley Cup Finals and to hang out with Montour at MontHill Golf and Country Club on Friday, July 19, 2024.
“There’s going to be a little bit more on the line this year as one of us is going to be a Stanley Cup champion, and, I certainly hope that’ll be me, but at the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of great people back home that are going to have some special times and create some special memories with either one of us and with the Stanley Cup, so that’s that’s pretty special, too,” Henrique said.
