It’s spring in Montreal. And along with pollen, playoff fever is also in the air.
After a few years of rebuilding, the Montreal Canadiens are back to being serious contenders. They were underdogs in both the first and second rounds, but the Habs managed to surprise critics and fans alike by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres in two nail-bitingly close seven-game series, punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final.
In case you haven’t noticed, the city has been buzzing since the puck dropped on Game 1. Bars are filled to the brim, fireworks are lighting up the skies after wins (more on that in a bit), and thousands of fans who couldn’t get their hands on tickets have been filling the streets outside the Bell Centre, watching on jumbo screens set up by the team.
As someone who’s made the trip to the Mecca of hockey a handful of times this postseason, I can confirm the watch parties are a lot of fun.
I’ve also witnessed enough bad behaviour out there to inspire the following list of dos and don’ts.
Do: Get there early
While the first few games of Round 1 featured a single large screen set up outside the arena, it didn’t take long for the Bell Centre to add more to handle the volume of fans. There are now three screens spread out along Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue.
That said, a good vantage point still isn’t guaranteed.
To avoid ending up with an obstructed view or nowhere to sit between periods, aim to get there at least an hour before the national anthems. If you’re lucky, you might land some coveted stair or lamppost real estate — ideal for sitting — and a clear line of sight to one of the screens.
Don’t: Bring fireworks
Fireworks are fun. Setting them off in a dense crowd of thousands of people standing shoulder to shoulder on a city street is not.
Still, it happens every game without fail, and after a child was injured and a fire was started at recent watch parties, the SPVM is done looking the other way.
Montreal police have made it official: all pyrotechnics are strictly prohibited at public gatherings, and that means everything — including firecrackers, roman candles, and smoke devices. Anyone caught with prohibited items can expect confiscation, a fine, and potentially an arrest.
The fines range from $500 to $5,000.
With all that said, I’m smart enough to know people will keep doing it anyway, so if you see someone crouching down with a lighter, it’s best to distance yourself.
Do: Bring drinks and snacks
Standing outside for a couple of hours is bound to make you hungry and thirsty.
I suggest packing a bag of refreshments, or even a meal in a backpack or purse. It makes the time on your feet go by faster and the game more enjoyable when you’re not running on empty. And in case you forget, there are plenty of options nearby, including a McDonald’s, Kettlemans Bagel, and even a Provigo.
As for the drinks, I’m not telling you to bring alcohol, but a few small beers shouldn’t get you in trouble.
Don’t: Throw anything
Batting a balloon around with the crowd is genuinely one of the more fun parts of the watch party experience. Let’s keep that going.
Throwing a half-full water bottle or an empty beer can into a crowd of strangers, on the other hand, is just stupid. And yet it happened more than once over the last few rounds, so here we are.
Hold onto your garbage until you find a bin. This isn’t complicated.
Do: Get loud
Hockey’s most storied franchise is close to claiming its first championship in over 30 years. This is not the time to be shy!
Cheer, chant, scream at the screen when the ref makes a bad call, hug a stranger after a goal. Don’t keep it in.
The energy outside the Bell Centre on a playoff night is unlike anything else this city produces, and the crowd feeds off itself.
You came out here for a reason. Make some noise.
Don’t: harass opposing fans
Don’t get me wrong, a little friendly banter with fans of the other team is part of the fun. Embrace it.
But at the end of the day, we’re all just watching millionaires skate around and play a game. No matter how much you hate the colours on their back, it isn’t that serious. The watch parties have been a genuinely positive experience for the most part, and one drunk idiot getting in a Hurricanes fan’s face is all it takes to sour that.
Besides, it takes some real courage to show up on another team’s turf dressed as the enemy. Give them a hard time, sure, but keep it light and keep it friendly.
Montreal has a reputation as one of the best hockey cities in the world, and moments like these are a chance to show visiting fans exactly why that is.
Do: Keep an eye on your surroundings
For the most part, the watch parties have been a good time with good people. But pack enough strangers onto a city street for a few hours, add alcohol, and the odds of running into someone making bad decisions go up considerably (especially after a series win)
Keep your wits about you, especially as the night gets later and the crowd gets looser. If you’re bringing kids, be realistic about what you’re walking into. It’s loud, it’s packed, and it can get unpredictable in certain pockets.
One more thing. If riot police start moving into an area, that is your signal to move in the other direction. They don’t show up for nothing, and situations can escalate faster than you would expect. Tear gas has a way of ruining your night regardless of whether you were involved in anything, and I say that as someone who has been caught in it a few times.
It’s not always worth sticking around to find out what happens next.
Don’t: Drive
You thought traffic after a regular season game was bad? Try sitting in it after a playoff watch party with thousands of people all trying to leave the same few blocks at the same time.
Leave the car at home. The metro gets you there and gets you back. If you’re coming from further out, drive to a station and take it from there.
One thing worth planning for: the metro gets absolutely slammed the moment the final buzzer sounds. If that sort of thing bothers you, consider leaving a tad early or sticking around downtown a bit after the game.