Call it what you will, getting together with fellow Habs fans to watch a game can be a blast!  It involves a shared passion, the Montreal Canadiens, along with good food, and drink, all in a boisterous pub-atmosphere.  In November Habs fans met at O’Hara’s Pub in Montreal to watch a game together.

Stuart Ashton of O’Hara’s is one of a growing number of pub owners who recognize the power of the All Habs and Habs Tweetup brands in bringing thirsty hockey fans to his establishment. Ashton offered drink specials for those attending the Habs Tweetup as well as an opportunity to win prime tickets “in the reds” to a Canadiens game.

Na’eem Adam, who blogs about food and hockey at Le Mechant Mangeur, decided to stop by O’Hara’s to see what all the fuss was about.  His article appears below.  I’m sure that he would appreciate your comments.

If you would like to know about upcoming get-togethers or find out more about past events, be sure to visit our sister site HabsTweetup.com

by Na’eem Adam, Special to AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC — I told my friends I was going to a tweet up. They looked at me confused as they confirmed my absolute dorkiness and commitment to the internet.  Not many of my friends tweet, but a lot of my new friends do. Friends I met through 140 characters of banter at a time. It wasn’t any tweetup either, it was a Habs Tweetup. They are a group of die hard fans and lovers of the Bleu Blanc Rouge grouping together in real life to share. This was internet networking at it’s best, bringing together a group that would have otherwise never met.

The internet has obviously changed everything, not only in terms of how we ‘do’ things, but also in terms of how we think. Most of us can say we’ve witnessed a shift in the way we interact as a people. The internet is responsible for developing communities that would otherwise seem impossible. I know a handful of people that strongly resist the change and deem it as being an almost ‘evil’ social change that ironically propels us away from each other. Would they understand what a ‘tweetup’ is?

A tweetup’s major premise is to bring people of similar interests together. It is a group or community that is developed through the sharing of ideas.

I used to yell (still do at times) at the TV while watching hockey. Yelling at the screen was a normal thing in my house. Being introduced to Twitter was a place where I can yell and at least 1% of my banter would be heard! An outlet with a limit, so I can never go too far! After using it for a few weeks I started to notice that others were doing the same thing.

It was not just a news feed, or a status update about who was doing their laundry. It was a community of screen yellers expressing anger, joy and opinions in less than 135 characters plus the famous hashtag, #Habs or #gohabsgo.

Naturally I started responding to them, following them, and they reciprocated. I was ecstatic to have people to share my thoughts with as I watched games on cold Tuesday nights at home. Relationships were quickly built. I started to really like some of them and hate others. A naturally developed community was created, a tweeter culture based on the Habs.

What was next? The next logical step was a meeting in real life; a Tweetup. I started seeing a few words here and there about the ‘tweetup’. After familiarizing myself with the term I concluded that it was a night where we can stop typing and start sharing our thoughts without a character limit!

I was immediately intrigued by the idea and had to confirm my presence. The idea of finally getting to meet these people was fascinating to me. It was going to be my first time meeting someone I was introduced to via a #FF (Follow Friday) tweet.

We all met up at the well-equipped O’Hara’s Pub on November 18th in Montreal to watch the Habs face the Nashville Predators.  It was my first time at the bar and as a self-proclaimed ‘places to watch the game’ connoisseur, I felt I missed something big.

The venue was ideal for any group to watch the Habs play. They had huge flat screens at every corner and a massive projector screen in the middle of the pub. The venue was truly perfect. And on top of it all, O’Hara’s pub really makes a great dish!

I walked in a few minutes late into the first period and I noticed a good buzzing-crowd right in the center of the pub. They all had white labels on their shirts with their twitter name. I walked over and a label was already prepared for me as Habs Tweetup manager Amy handed me my @mechant_mangeur tag. As she handed me the label I can see curious tweeters looking up to put a face to my tweets. It was really interesting to see everyone sitting around a table and not in a timeline feed.

The greatest thing about the tweetup was the fact that anyone was able to take advantage, Twitter-user or not. I would actually recommend non-users to come for the next event. The term tweetup is somewhat misleading and can be coined as an event for ‘tweeps’. But the event itself is simply for people who have similar interests or hobbies.

Do you like the Habs? Are you a fan of watching the game? What about with people who share opinions and know the game just as well as you do? This might be an attractive event to attend. I loved it and will be back.

I have friends who love the Habs all over the world, so expect a Habs Tweetup in Botswana sometime soon!