We saw a sweet shot of you in a Canadiens cap on the set of Tropic Thunder, so you definitely show your team colors wherever you go. Everything with the Habs is kind of strangely fate-oriented, right? It’s no coincidence that all these good things are happening around the time of the club’s 100th anniversary, and at a point where we have our last chance to keep our string of winning a Cup in every decade alive. You must be happy he’s back in the family and getting his jersey retired? I think I still have Kordic’s autograph somewhere. I was at an airport with him once and we saw John Kordic at a pay phone, and he told me to go up to him and say, “Hey, Slugger,” so I did. In my house, my dad liked all the players, and I still have his Stephane Richer jersey, but he was always partial to the fighters. JB: When I was a little, Patrick Roy was a big deal to everyone. Who were some of the guys you remember following and liking in particular when you were growing up? Following the team just sustains me and is one of the things that brings me the most happiness in the world. I remember that I had this armoire and dresser in my room as a kid and they disappeared for a few days, then when they returned he had painted them bleu-blanc-rouge. There was no bigger fan in the world than him. My mom and my dad were both crazy about the team, so I grew up with the Canadiens as my religion with my dad as the priest. JAY BARUCHEL: Well, I was always a terrible skater – I was like a drunken Clydesdale every time I was on the ice. At what age did you start following the team?
Currently in theaters in Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and back in town filming The Trotsky, the actor spoke to us from his home in the suburb of NDG.
Over the past few years, Jay Baruchel has starred alongside some of the top names in Hollywood, appearing in Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, and one of the biggest movies of 2008, Tropic Thunder.
You might not realize it, but the odds are good that you’ve seen a movie featuring one of the biggest Canadiens fans who ever grew up right in Montreal.