MONTREAL — Pour toujours les Canadiens, the much-awaited Christmas tale made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Habs, will open on 100 screens across Quebec Friday, Dec. 4, the actual day the franchise was founded a century ago.

Written by Jacques Savoie and directed by Sylvain Archambault, the $6 million film follows the story of William (Dhanaé Audet-Beaulieu), a troubled 17-year-old high-school hockey player, and a 10-year-old boy (Antoine L’Écuyer) who is waiting for a kidney transplant.

Made with the full cooperation of the Canadiens, the film includes archival footage and appearances by a number of Habs players, including former captain Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Mike Komisarek, Francis Bouillon and Chris Higgins.

Producer Lorraine Richard says the Canadiens board picked their project from a number that were pitched. ‘We got the exclusive right to do the film with their collaboration. We had access to their archives, to their players and to the Bell Centre. We couldn’t have done it without them.’

Richard is pleased by the public’s response to the film so far; 11,000 bought tickets to a special screening in mid-November at the Bell Centre. ‘It was great. It was a cultural and sports event. People were very excited. The reaction was extraordinary.’

Not a hockey fan, Richard says she learned a great deal during the course of the film, which also includes a history of the franchise. ‘The team became a source of pride for French Canadians. They didn’t have much power before the Quiet Revolution. Hockey and players such as Maurice Richard gave them an indirect way of being winners.’

The film is produced by Richard and Luc Martineau of Cité-Amérique. It’s distributed by TVA Films.