Spare a thought for Montreal's much-maligned sports fans and the industries that count on them to help their bottom lines.
All three major sports teams in the city are struggling -- one didn't make the playoffs, another is limping to the finish line and won't see post-season action either and the third is off to a horrible start.
The airwaves are full of disgruntled discourse and one need not look further than Khalid Skour's sports merchandise store as a litmus test of those feelings.
"The fans, they don't come to buy the items, this is what happens," said Skour, the owner of Sports Crescent in downtown Montreal.
The shopkeeper says sometimes when one team is down, another one picks up the slack. But this year has been the perfect storm of losing.
"Since the three aren't doing well, it's a bit of a catastrophe, especially at the beginning of the hockey season," he said, referring to the MLS Impact, the CFL Alouettes and the NHL Canadiens.
Glen Hodgson of the Conference Board of Canada says it follows that there's a ripple effect on small business when the main sports team isn't succeeding.
"Clearly, whenever one business hurts, everyone in their supply chain gets impacted," he said, citing examples such as taxis, restaurants, bars and parking lots.
Hodgson said that glumness doesn't typically dampen the overall local economy as people end up spending their money on other entertainment. Montreal's 375th birthday this year has also meant record tourism numbers.
But it's been tough on the local sports market.
The Alouettes, losers of nine in a row entering their game Friday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, fired their coach but did little to change their fortunes and remain firmly in the CFL basement with three wins in 16 games.
The Impact, who didn't make the playoffs for the first time since 2014, fired their coach earlier this week.
And the Canadiens have already had a seven-game losing streak in their worst start to a season since 1941-42.
Although the team quieted some critics with a convincing win at home against Florida on Tuesday, the boo-birds were out in force Thursday when the Los Angeles Kings blanked the Habs 4-0, dropping their record to 2-7-1.
Martin Blanchette, who has a Canadiens season ticket, said he's holding out hope.
"I'm a confident guy when it comes to life in general so I hope so," Blanchette said. "Do I think that will really happen? Listen I really wish it."
Despite the woes, Blanchette says he isn't considering cancelling his ticket, even as the price rises yearly.
"Every year, we hope, we dare to hope and we believe that it is always good, so there is a certain craze when it's been a long time since we have not attended games," Blanchette said.
One marketing professor says hopes always soar for the Canadiens, whose presence is everywhere: condominium projects next to the Bell Centre, community rinks, merchandise galore, a training facility south of Montreal and a new American Hockey League team playing just north of the city.
"The more the Canadiens do marketing, the more the expectations are high," said Bruno Delorme, who teaches at Concordia and McGill universities and at Marianopolis College in Montreal. "They're top of mind for fans and fans have high expectations."
Delorme said all three Montreal teams are on firm footing despite their woes and that it'll take more than one tough year to take the shine off the brand -- particularly the Canadiens.
"For all the disappointment with the on-ice performance, fan interest is still there," Delorme said, noting attendance has been strong for the Canadiens' initial home games.
"There's no other option for sports junkie in Montreal. Where do you get your sports fix?"
As for Skour, happy fans make for happy customers and that's a good thing with the holiday season around the corner.
So the shopkeeper has but one wish as November approaches.
"We hope that the Montreal Canadiens do much better than they have," Skour said.
With files from Caroline St-Pierre
