From Marseille to Montreal: A Sports Fan's Transformation
Life often unfolds in unexpected ways, as Guillaume Cheny can attest. Raised in France's Lorraine region before moving to Marseille, Cheny spent his teenage years immersed in the soccer-obsessed culture of southern France. From ages 10 to 18, he played high-level soccer, eventually becoming a goalie for the Olympique de Marseille youth academy team.
A Career Pivot and Cross-Atlantic Move
At 18, Cheny faced reality: his soccer dreams were fading. Standing at 5-foot-9, he had stopped growing during an era when professional soccer increasingly favored tall goalkeepers. A torn ACL injury further complicated his prospects. "I clearly read the writing on the wall," Cheny recalled, acknowledging that a professional soccer career was unlikely.
Discovering a talent for hairstyling, he thought, "Wow, I could do this job anywhere in the world." Like many French nationals seeking new opportunities, he chose Montreal, arriving in 2009 at age 21. Walking down Mont-Royal Avenue East, he spotted a stylish hair salon, applied for a job, and met Melanie Demers during the interview—who would become his wife a year later.
Today, Cheny co-owns Salon Helmet with his wife and business partner Jason Krejberg, building a life far removed from his soccer-focused youth.
Embracing the Montreal Canadiens and Hockey Culture
Hockey was not prominent in France, though Cheny had occasionally watched NHL games on Eurosport, finding the sport intriguing. Nothing prepared him for immersing himself in Habs Nation upon arriving in Montreal. He began watching games in Plateau neighbourhood bars and quickly became captivated.
"I just got into it," Cheny said. "I started reading about the history and went down the rabbit hole. All the Hall of Famers, all of the Stanley Cups." He noted that his early fandom coincided with Carey Price's emergence, even during less successful seasons for the team.
Cheny draws parallels between his sports passions: "I spent basically the most important years of my life, the teenage years, growing up in Marseille. And the Olympique de Marseille is basically a religion, just like the Montreal Canadiens; it's the same thing."
He was particularly struck by hockey's physicality compared to soccer's "fakeness." "When you see for the first time guys pulling their teeth out on the bench, full blood everywhere, then giving the teeth to the medic and going out for the next shift, you think, 'Wow, these guys are really tough.'" The pace of the game and the allowance of fights further fascinated him.
From Spectator to Participant
Cheny's engagement deepened when he began playing beer-league hockey about five years ago, at age 33—coinciding with his four-year-old son starting to play. Having learned to skate in France, he joined his first hockey team and later coached his son's Plateau team. His Québécois teammates were surprised by his competency despite his late start.
"Coming from the soccer world, sure, it's 11 guys on the field, but essentially a team sport is a team sport," Cheny explained. "You know where the guys are going. When I first started playing hockey, I wasn't the best guy, but I knew where to go. It's your reflexes."
He marveled at hockey's demands: "It's such a complete sport. You have the skates, the hands, the head and the speed. Everything has to work in a few milliseconds."
Loyalty Through Thick and Thin
Cheny remains a devoted Canadiens fan despite the team's struggles during much of his fandom. "When you take for a team, it's like a marriage; it's for better or worse," he said. "You'll have amazing years; you'll have tough years. You have to be patient." He dismisses critics on sports radio, advocating trust in the process.
He acknowledges the team's championship drought but emphasizes evolving realities: "We have to move on from the past. Hockey was very different. Now you have a lot more teams. So it gets harder and harder every year to win a Stanley Cup. There is the salary cap." He contrasts this with European soccer's lack of salary caps, where wealthy clubs dominate.
Cheny is optimistic about the Canadiens' current direction, praising general manager Kent Hughes as "the smartest guy in hockey" and admiring young stars like Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson. He was particularly thrilled to see fellow Frenchman Alexandre Texier join the team this season, noting children wearing Texier jerseys on outdoor rinks.
A New Sporting Identity
Soccer has largely faded from Cheny's life. "You watch hockey and see how fast it is, and then you watch soccer, and it's slow," he observed. "I find soccer a lot less entertaining than hockey."
From a soccer goalie in Marseille to a hairstylist and hockey enthusiast in Montreal, Cheny's journey embodies how sports fandom can reshape identity and community belonging. His story highlights the magnetic pull of Habs Nation, transforming a French transplant into a lifelong Canadiens devotee.
