It’s been almost two weeks since Simona Xhekaj shared a short video of her boys heading to town for the Montreal Canadiens training camp. Florian and Arber Xhekaj, who grew up Habs fans are now both in the organization.
Florian was picked by the Canadiens in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, while Arber has to be one of the best underdog stories ever. Now, they are both under contract and hoping to play for the Habs together one day
Since he joined the Canadiens at the start of the 2022-23 season, the elder Xhekaj has developed quite a reputation for himself around the league as one of the top fighters. It’s one thing to dispatch an Ottawa Senators rookie in training camp, but it’s quite another to ragdoll Zack Kassian. That’s how fans started calling Arber “The Sheriff” and that nickname stuck.
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It had been so long since the Canadiens had a player like that in the lineup that fans immediately went crazy for Xhekaj and on any given night at the Bell Centre, you’ll be able to spot a few of his jerseys in the stands.
The Montreal crowd being as passionate as they come, it’s easy to know what kind of welcome younger brother Florian will get. He has yet to play a single NHL game, but there’s already an autograph session planned with the brothers at the end of September.
Related: Canadiens: The Underdog Who Made It
Both brothers will be at Memorable Authentic, 3305 Avenue de la Gare, suite 118 in Mascouche on September 29 at 2:00 PM. A variety of items will be available on site, but you can also bring your own items to be autographed.
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