Hockey fans gather in Waterloo Public Square to watch Oilers versus Panthers in Game 3

As the Oilers and Panthers continued to battle it out for the top spot in the playoffs Monday, dozens gathered in Waterloo Public Square to watch.

As the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers continued to battle it out for the top spot in the playoffs, dozens gathered in Waterloo Public Square to watch it all go down in game 3 on Monday.

Fans brought lawn chairs and wore their orange and blue jerseys to show who they supported on the big screen.Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the playoffs, support for the team from the west-end of the country still came in strong.

“I know, like Ontario, you don’t get many Oilers fans,” said Josh, a fan from Alberta who attended Monday’s watch party. “But, obviously, you know the conditional Oilers fans, right? You hop on the bandwagon as soon as Toronto gets out of the playoffs.”

Despite a loss for the Oilers, Ben, another fan from Alberta, was in high hopes.

“I think it brings the community together. It’s a great event,” said Ben.

Monday’s watch party was hosted by Uptown Waterloo BIA. Executive Director Jeyas Balaskanthan said the event was created for the community to have some fun.

“We hope the Oilers win to create a community event like this,” said Balaskanthan. “During these times, it’s very important for us to come together, enjoy, celebrate the community, celebrate what we have that’s special.”

The square also had hockey related games available throughout for anyone wanting to try their hand at slapping pucks into the net.

Balaskanthan said despite no watch party scheduled for game 4 on Thursday, he hopes to have another watch party like Monday’s event, depending on how the series goes.