Montreal Fans Who Want To Watch Canadiens In Stanley Cup May Head For Less-Restricted Quebec
The Montreal Canadiens add to their incredible playoff run with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals against reigning champs, Tampa Bay Lightning.
While fans in Canada eagerly anticipate celebrating their team's trip to the Finals — their first Finals series since 1993's championship season — ongoing restrictions in Montreal may tempt their fans to party in the less-restricted city of Quebec.
This week, Central Canada VP of Restaurants Canada James Rilett provided a reminder of the deflating reality for Habs fans eager to celebrate the upcoming Stanley Finals series. "In normal times you’d pack a bar or restaurant as full as you possibly could and that's just not possible anymore."
Montreal comes off a 4-2 series win against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, while the Lightning delivered heartbreak for NY Islanders fans after Friday's Game 7 win.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the Stanley Cup Finals to face off against the Habs, a classic U.S.A. vs. Canada FACE-OFF not seen in the Finals since 2011's Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks series.
Quebec, who has progressed in reopening quicker than Montreal, is bracing for a wave of Habs fans to embrace the freedoms in Quebec after announcing "75% of people 12 years and older living have been fully vaccinated." Using a tier-based system similar to California's draconian guidelines, Quebec moved to the less-restricting yellow tier this week based on the news, which will ease restrictions on gatherings and restaurant reopenings.
"They're not fully open, but they’re definitely more open than other parts of the country, so it happened at a good time for them that they can get more people in restaurants and bars there than before," said Rilett, in the report from TSN.
While sales in bars, and other eating establishments, normally experience a boost in sales during their championship series across sports, Montreal is set to deal another blow to its food industry by missing out on a rare moment to catch a break during the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals.
This year's festivities come with the hurdle of social distancing and COVID prevention efforts still enforced in Canada as the U.S. continues to embrace a full reopening — minus some comments expressed by President Biden regarding more lockdowns.
The sane have returned to normal, while proponents of outdated COVID guidelines, such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, continue to be a stick in the mud for a country ready to party.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals series is set for Mon, June 28, 8 p.m. (ET).