Downtown businesses anxiously await economic boost as Montreal Canadiens clinch playoff spot

Downtown Montreal businesses are not just excited about terrasse season — NHL playoff fever is also just around the corner.

Some bars and restaurants are anticipating a spending frenzy with the Montreal Canadiens clinching a playoff spot and have already had a little taste of what’s to come after star winger Cole Caufield made history when he scored his 50th goal of the season last week.

“[The customers] threw their arms in the air and I said, ‘Hey, guys, did we win the Stanley Cup already?’ It was fun, everyone was overjoyed, it was awesome,” said Alain Creton, owner of the restaurant Chez Alexandre, in an interview with Noovo Info.

Creton, who is also the president of the Peel Street Restaurant and Retail Association, said it was a “beautiful” thing to see firsthand and says local businesses really thrive on the success of Montreal’s team. He is also predicting the Habs taking home the Stanley Cup this year.

“We’re ready, not just before [the games], but after the games, too. When we win, they [the fans] don’t want to go home,” Creton told Noovo Info.

The numbers seem to back up what he’s saying.

Even though the Habs were eliminated last year in the first round of the playoffs, spending at local restaurants across Montreal rose by 41 per cent in Game Three and 45 per cent in Game Four, according to data from Canadian payment processor Moneris.

Similarly, in 2021 during the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup final run, spending on food and drinks around the Bell Centre surged by 183 per cent ahead of Game Four.

“When the playoffs came to Montreal, the whole city got involved. Whether fans were near the arena or across the city, they showed up to support their team–and restaurants felt that boost in a big way. With citywide spend at restaurants climbing as high as 45 per cent, the playoffs clearly lit up neighborhoods and created real results for local spots," said Pasquale Pizzi, head of business development at Moneris, in a news release.

Police and STM preparing

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is used to managing the large crowds on game nights and adapts its services accordingly. Riders are urged to buy their fares in advance to avoid longer lineups.

“Even during the regular season, Canadiens games generate significant traffic on the metro, and this will be even more true during the playoffs,” Renaud Martel-Théorêt, public relations adviser for the STM, told Noovo Info in an email.

Extra staff will be added at busier metro stations as needed, the STM said.

Montreal police will also deploy additional officers and increase visibility. They plan to “intervene in the event of disturbances” during the NHL playoffs.

“The police presence is intended, in particular, to allow people to celebrate while preventing disturbances that jeopardize public safety,” a spokesperson said.

The Habs played their last regular-season game on Tuesday night, losing 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Thursday marks the end of the regular season before the NHL playoffs begin Saturday.

The Montreal Canadiens will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a first-round playoff match.

With files from Noovo Info