Ashi Minhas, the owner of The Moose—a Nelson Street establishment that proudly calls itself the "best dive bar in Vancouver" on its website—says the Montreal Canadiens' playoff run is proving to be a boon for business in Vancouver's downtown core. Minhas, a die-hard Habs fan, admits his bias but notes that the festive atmosphere has been a welcome change after a tough season for the local Canucks.
"Business has been good on Habs game nights even though we aren't a sports bar. Habs fans and friends know we always have the games on and it's been very festive," Minhas explained. "The Habs are my team, so the folks and the staff have no choice. We have had a Habs flag here for years."
Montreal is one of four teams remaining in the NHL postseason, facing the Carolina Hurricanes in a best-of-seven series for a chance to play either the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. A Canadian team has not won the Cup since the Canadiens did in 1993.
Minhas, who attended Game 3 of the first round in Montreal when Lane Hutson scored an overtime winner against the Tampa Bay Lightning, described the atmosphere as "absolute pandemonium." He also watched Game 5 in Buffalo from a Montreal bar, where the Habs won.
The Habs' success is not just boosting business at The Moose. Dublin Calling on Granville Street has also become a gathering spot for Montreal supporters, partnering with a Habs Fans in Vancouver Facebook group. The team's popularity in the Lower Mainland is evident from the number of fans wearing Canadiens gear at Rogers Arena when Montreal visits.
Michael Borason, 51, who worked security for Canucks games at Rogers Arena for 30 years, traces his Habs fandom back to childhood. "When someone asks you about one of your earliest memories, mine include going to bed with the Habs game—sometimes in French, sometimes in English—playing on the radio in my room," he said. "And when my dad was teaching me how to speak, he'd ask, 'Who's No. 29?' I would tell him Ken Dryden. We would go through the whole roster. I was two and three years old."
Mike Babins, 50, owner of Evergreen Cannabis in Kitsilano, says he was wrapped in a Habs sweater at birth. His grandfather Peter began working at the Montreal Forum in 1924 selling chocolate bars and eventually became a good luck charm for the team, working well past retirement age. "He was actually there every time we won at home and he'd be drinking out of the Cup with Maurice Richard," Babins said.
Babins' father Billy also worked at the Forum. Today, Mike's dog Nigel wears a Canadiens sweater on game days, and Mike has introduced a cannabis brand called 'Bandwagon' for non-Habs fans to join the excitement.
Joe Jarvandi, 54, who runs North Vancouver's City Colour Finishing, moved from Montreal and says hockey culture there is unique. "They're one of the oldest teams. They have the brand, they have the name and it just captures you," he said. "You go to Montreal and it's impossible that you don't get that. It's like a voodoo."
Tom Mayenknecht, a sport business commentator on Sportsnet 650, compares the Habs' run to the Toronto Blue Jays' 2025 World Series appearance. He notes that Montreal checks similar boxes with "history and tradition, style of play, name recognition of star players and personality of other core players."
J.P. Wright, 59, a Vancouver-based managing partner with Creative Display Technologies, says this Montreal team is "just so likable." With parents from Montreal and a childhood in Kingston, Ont., his hockey roots are with the Canadiens. "They're like a family," he said. "It's hard not to root for them. They're young, they're exciting. I love their captain (Nick Suzuki). They've got a Canadian captain and he plays the game the way it should be played."
