Habs mulling options for next playoff watch party after fences removed for safety

The decision to remove the fences after one event was a joint decision between police and Bell Centre management, Police Chief-Insp. David Shane said in an interview Wednesday. He said the main concern was around safety in case of a possible evacuation or emergency.

“The free access going in and out was the concern that we had, and that the Montreal Canadiens had,” he said. “So we decided it’s better to remove them.”

The owner and founder of fan-focused sports platform HFTV says the fences surrounding the first outdoor playoff party were tall but flimsy, and that police on site had vocally expressed concern about them.

“After the game … because it was an OT (Habs) win people were shaking those barriers,” said Alexander Rougas, who added that he felt safe at the site because of the police presence.

Rougas said the fences for Game 4 were much shorter and tickets were no longer being checked.

While the Canadiens had offered the watch party tickets for free through Ticketmaster, Rougas said they were quickly snapped up and many people, including himself, paid for tickets on the resale market. He said some fans had also traded points they had accumulated in a Canadiens fan app for watch party tickets, leading some to express disappointment that others got in for free. Rougas believes the team has since refunded those points.

The series is tied 2-2 heading into Wednesday’s game in Tampa Bay, guarantying Canadiens fans at least one more home game.

Shane said there are “many hundreds” of police officers involved in playoff-related security, ranging from directing traffic to providing a visible presence at gatherings and intervening in altercations. He said anti-ramming barriers have been installed to prevent vehicle incidents, and that the police presence is increased during decisive games when a team faces elimination and emotions could run high — which will be the case on Friday.

The Montreal police faced criticism during 2021 playoffs for using tear gas against fans outside the arena without first ordering the crowd to disperse. The force said at the time that it was responding to people who had thrown bottles and fireworks.

Shane said the possibility of such an escalation is “unfortunately always a possibility,” but said the gatherings that have taken place this year have gone smoothly and without incident.

“Everybody’s happy that the Canadians are in the (playoffs), and having a game in Montreal is good for everybody,” he said. “It’s good for morale, it’s good for business and our job is to make sure that it goes on in a safe manner.”

Despite the hiccups with the watch party, Rougas says the overall situation outside the Bell Centre has been safer than last year, because closing off the street means there’s a bigger space for fans to gather. He says there’s a heavy security presence, and the fans have been respectful of the space.

“I feel like everyone that’s showed up there, they’re really die hard fans and they also appreciate that they don’t want anything to go wrong,” he said.

Rougas, who watches the games outside with the fans to capture their reactions, described the atmosphere outside the Bell Centre as “absolutely electric,” and the second-best way to watch the game — after being inside the arena.

“Chants are going on the middle of the game, there’s a lot of ‘Go Habs Go!’ going on, and I feel like everyone’s pretty respectful of everyone’s space,” he said.

His only real complaint about the watch parties is that there isn’t enough of them, and hopes the team will consider adding events for away games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Habs mulling options for next playoff watch party after fences removed for safety

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