‘Absolutely bonkers’: Bars, restaurants cash in with Canadian NHL teams in playoffs

Winnipeg Jets fans Eddie, Charlene, Jenna and Erik get warmed up at the White Out Party before the Winnipeg Jets meet the St. Louis Blues in game one of NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on April 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

It was a long seven years for the Ottawa Senators and their fans, having to sit on the sidelines each spring since 2017 when the club last made the playoffs.

The absence was felt not just at the Canadian Tire Centre where the Sens play their home games, but also at local restaurants and pubs. With the team back in the playoffs and facing off against their arch rivals across Highway 401, locals say a palpable energy is back.

“It is this sense of community,” said Joey Rosa, a training and development coordinator at Ottawa’s Heart and Crown pub.

“Everyone can get on board with it. For the games themselves, you can hear people room to room cheering.”

Despite a 6-2 shellacking by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario, Rosa said a “lively, pumped-up” crowd nearly filled Heart and Crown’s downtown location in the ByWard Market, which can fit up to 500 people.

Ahead of the playoffs, he said the pub opened up more rooms and even updated its projector screens so fans could better enjoy the festivities on game nights. Extra staff are also being kept on call in case they need reinforcements to handle the boost in visitors.

“We are expecting an influx in business for sure,” said Rosa, speaking before Game 2 of the series on Tuesday that the Leafs ended up winning 3-2 in overtime.

“We got ahead of it because we knew the Senators were going to be rocking these playoffs.”

The same goes for Ziggy’s Pub in Montreal, where the phones have been ringing off the hook as hockey fans try to book tables see the Canadiens take on the Washington Capitals.

The only problem, said owner Ziggy Eichenbaum, is that they don’t take reservations.

“First come, first served,” he said.

Eichenbaum said he’s expecting a “crazy” weekend for business, with the Habs playing home games in Montreal on Friday and Sunday.

“It’s like a Grand Prix,” he said, referencing the buzz around the annual Formula One racing event in the city.

“It’s New Year’s in Montreal right now. Everybody’s walking around happy and everybody’s talking about hockey.”

The Canadiens last made the playoffs in 2021, when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final but came up short. That run happened during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant bars and restaurants couldn’t fully enjoy a boom for business because of capacity restrictions.

“We’ve totally missed it,” said Eichenbaum, adding he expects “mayhem and madness” in Montreal as long as the team stays alive.

“It’s good news for everybody — restaurants, bars and shops — because of people come from out of town ... and everybody loves to come to Montreal.”

Five Canadian teams are competing for the Stanley Cup these playoffs. Along with the three eastern clubs, there are high hopes in Winnipeg after the Jets finished in first place during the regular season, and in Edmonton after the Oilers went all the way to the Stanley Cup final last year.

A deep run could spark a surge in local spending, according to payment processor Moneris.

Last June, as the Oilers fell in Game 7 of the final, Moneris said spending was up more than 200 per cent near the team’s home arena — despite the game being played on the road. Moneris said Edmonton’s downtown Ice District saw a spending increase for home games during that series of 50 per cent more than non-game days.

Meanwhile in Winnipeg, Dana Cherski said she’s hoping “this is the year.”

Cherski, general manager of sports bar and restaurant Underdogs, said it was “all hands on deck” for Monday’s game between the Jets and St. Louis Blues. The bar had triple its normal staffing levels to accommodate the 200 Jets fans who packed in for the game, as the Jets took a 2-0 series lead.

“We were a full house, so it was crazy in here. We have ‘whiteout’ decorations all over the place and it’s just been a definite buzz around the city,” she said.

“We have decorations everywhere, we’re doing lots of giveaways of random stuff and free swag ... and then we have a huge horn that we blast whenever we score.”

Cherski said it could get even rowdier over the next few days with the Jets on the road, as fans flock to local businesses to watch together.

“Obviously home games are still great because the entire city is just super excited ... but the away games are going to be absolutely bonkers,” she said.

Over in Ottawa, Rosa said “the buzz is just building,” with the Sens returning home for games on Thursday and Saturday against the Leafs.

While he expects those to be big nights for fans in black and red jerseys to gather at downtown eateries, Rosa acknowledged there would likely be many dressed in blue and white among the crowd too.

“We welcome everybody,” he said.

“You just might have to suffer the consequences.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press