Canadiens Crowd a Positive at Bell Centre Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg1MDUxMjY4Njk5ODU4MjY1/20210702_201655.jpg] You could feel the excitement in the streets. The smell of hot dogs in the air, smiles everywhere. Montreal is the place to be, even if there isn't a whole lot you actually can see right now. As players arrived to the rink two hours early, hundreds of fans surrounded the player's entrance, screaming at the top of their lungs to get even the slightest notice from their hockey heroes. If you've never been to a game at the Bell Centre, you're missing out. Of course, the Canadiens had to make it to the Stanley Cup for the first time in 28 years in the middle of a global pandemic. While much of the United States - including Tampa Bay - has reverted back to normal, most of Canada is still trying to play catch-up. And that means the usually jam-packed Bell Centre was limited to just 3,500 fans for Game 3 on Friday evening despite pleas from the team to boost it to just over 10,000. It's hard for Canadiens fans to feel happy about the decision after watching Tampa Bay jam Amalie Arena for two evenings en route to a 2-0 series advantage. Part of what makes Montreal such a great hockey place to visit as fan is that players, for years, have cited the city as one of the hardest places to play in. The atmosphere is electric, doesn't matter the event. Given the team's history, it felt so wrong robbing one of the league's most passionate fanbases from the opportunity to see their team compete for the cup for the first time in nearly three decades. But rules are rules, and that's the situation Habs fans were forced into. That didn't stop the faithful from coming out in droves. You'll have a hard time convincing anyone in the rink on Friday that only 3,500 fans were there that night. Some fans traveled from far, far away to join the crowd outside. Others spent thousands on the once-in-a-lifetime chance to cheer on their favorite team inside. It's a far cry from what Tampa Bay has had to deal with, with nearly full attendance for the Cup final without major restrictions like in Montreal. It doesn't matter where you are - in the arena or around the town - the city is buzzing in a way it hasn't for hockey in Cole Caufield's lifetime. After Game 3, it didn't feel like there was disappointment in the air. And online commentors from different cities will love to point out Montreal's struggles after the team made a habit of embarrassing squads that were expected to role over the Canadiens. The people downtown just loved what they were experiencing - something most never would have expected this season, especially with the restrictive curfews limiting any movement outside after a certain point. It's time to party again - safely and responsibly, at least. Montreal is a proud sports city, a passionate one that's known for getting a little too passionate sometimes. But right now, every storefront, restaurant, monument, hotel, you name it is draped in rouge, blanc et bleu. For a city that has spent the past two months being told they don't deserve to be playing hockey this late in the season, there's a lot to be proud about. You don't fluke your way to the Stanley Cup final, let alone against a team like the Vegas Golden Knights in the semifinal. Everything has to go right, and while it isn't right now, there's nothing that isn't special about the run Montreal has had as the 18th-placed team during the regular season. All that matters is what you do in the playoffs, and the fans appreciate every second of it. But they know what's at stake: another loss will hand Tampa its second straight championship, and Montreal will become another footnote in Canada's struggles to win the Stanley Cup. But at least the city is having fun watching. The only question now is how much longer the fun is going to last.
