Habs fans who were near the Bell Centre on Sunday afternoon might have noticed that the fences surrounding the arena’s outdoor playoff watch party area on Canadiens-de-Montréal Ave. had been removed.
Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said the fences were removed “for safety reasons.”
High fences of the type that were in place around the area would be “potentially dangerous if an evacuation were necessary,” he said.
“It would have made it harder to evacuate” if a need arose to empty the arena, with its 21,000-seat capacity.
The decision to take down the fences was made as a result of a request from police “and discussion with people from the Bell Centre,” Brabant said.
He said “another sort of barrier,” presumably a lower one, would probably be installed in place of the higher fences; police were in discussion about the issue with the Montreal Canadiens, he said.
Charles Saindon-Courtois, a spokesperson for the Canadiens, said on Sunday that “the team won’t be commenting publicly on the matter.”
The Habs will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday evening. They defeated the Lightning 3-2 in overtime in Game 3 on Friday.
Entry to the outdoor watch parties for the playoff games this year has required a free ticket secured ahead of time through Ticketmaster. The Canadiens did not require tickets for similar events during last year’s playoffs. There was dismay among fans as tickets were snapped up by resellers and listed for sale online.
Rumours were circulating before the game that the Habs might forgo the ticket system for Sunday’s watch party and, with no fencing in place around the area, there appeared to be no reserved section for ticketholders.
It seems like they’ve removed the fences around the watch party, I was told there was a possibility that the Habs are gonna go without a ticket system for Game 4 for outside… https://t.co/dMYhT3d9Yh
— HFTV (@HFTVSports) April 26, 2026
A strong police presence for Habs home games is a familiar sight, but that presence is heightened during playoff games, Brabant said. Police vehicles block access to the streets around the Bell Centre, for instance, and horses from the force’s cavalry are often deployed for crowd control and public order. Before Sunday’s game, police officers were clearly visible on foot, on bicycles, on horseback and in vehicles.
Brabant also said that after Sunday night’s game, the location of the watch parties will probably be moved — likely to Place du Canada, an urban park slightly northeast of the current location. Place du Canada is south of René-Lévesque Blvd. and adjacent to Dorchester Square.
“Logistically it will be better,” he said.
Montreal Canadiens fans celebrate the team’s overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the playoffs on Friday, April 24, 2026, outside the Bell Centre. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
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