2024 – City Life | Playing in the shadows for CH

Our journalist travels around Greater Montreal to talk about the people, events or places that define the life of the city.

He still remembers winning the Stanley Cup in 1993 and Provigo statues (the real ones know!) of his favorite players: Stefan Richer, Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy, Peter Svoboda…

Born in Jordan, Luma Saman grew up watching Montreal Canadiens games in Laval. “My father would fight us if we passed in front of the TV,” she says with a laugh. It was hockey that introduced us to the culture of Montreal and Quebec.

Our national sport is a part of the 42-year-old man's life, and not only because of it hockey mom Two boys aged 8 and 11, a goalkeeper and a winger.

Luma Saman is Senior Director of Partner Experience and Retail at CH Group. In other words, he is the head of sponsorship activation and marketing for all Canadian products.

“My life is from one arena to another,” says the woman, who is married to a police officer and lives in Dollar-de-Ormeaux.

However, we caught up with Luma Saman at the Bell Center last Tuesday before the Canadiens' impressive 9-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The excitement in the air we feel before every match? Although the 20,000 crowd had little hope of Martin St-Louis' men making the playoffs, it turned into ecstasy over the course of three periods (and a Juraj Slafkowski hat-trick!).

Luma Saman likes to go to matches because he sees how all his team's hard work pays off. “It's the energy to keep going. »

“Working at CH was a dream come true for me,” says Luma Saman, who studied finance at Concordia University. He worked at TD Bank before joining the ALDO Group, where he spent nearly 15 years in buyer or international market development. “I actually worked at ALDO and that's where I learned everything about retail,” she says.

He knows how to maintain and push the DNA of the Montreal franchise. But the Canadians are definitely in a separate box. “I accept the responsibility of presenting this beautiful brand that is in the heart of Montrealers,” he says.

Luma Saman organizes the marketing of Canadian products, as well as products of Spectra and evenko festivals (which belong to the CH group): Oshega, Lasso, Jazz Festival, etc.

These are all events that make Montreal proud, and it builds on what makes Montreal so unique with its urban visual identity, at the heart of the OG1 brand launched by CH (in collaboration with Sid Lee) last year.

At the Classic Registry, you can purchase the very first CH jersey from 1909, even before the National Hockey League was founded in 1917, at Bell Center stores.

Luma Saman must maintain a “balance between heritage and innovation”. He makes no secret of it: we have to seduce Generation Z and the next cohort, the Alphas. His team recently organized events with young comedian Megan Brouillard and musician High Klassified. It is also increasing its ties with prestigious local brands, including Petit Lem and Dime.

Canadian women

Luma Saman is one of the key players in the Canadiens organization, along with Vice President of Communications Chantal Machabi and Director of Legal Affairs Claudian Tremblay. Margaret Bélanger is the first female president in the team's history, excluding France. Or the famous organist Diane Bibeau!

Luma Saman was in sixth grade in 1993 when CH won on the 24th^e –^{and still – the Stanley Cup in its history. His teacher at Simon-Vanier that year, Daniel Charbonneau, had playoff fever and he even drew a picture of Luma's winning jersey. “He is a turning point for me. He was the one who gave me confidence. I recently contacted him to tell him that I work for CH. »}

“I'm waiting for the next cup, but May 31, 2021 was one of the most beautiful moments of my career,” noted Luma Saman, recalling the late loss of the Toronto Maple Leafs by the Habs. 3 at the beginning of the series.

Today, Luma Saman rubs shoulders with his former players from when he won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

Does he still have Provigo figurines?

“No. Do you think we should return them?

– Yes! »