The Couch vs. the Bar

Watching from home might seem ideal, but for hockey – especially Montreal Canadiens’ playoff hockey – the bar is my venue of choice. There is something that just feels right when you’re piled into a place with too many people and not enough chairs; where every set of eyes is cemented to a TV screen; where every glass is half-full and half-warm because both the customers and the servers have long forgotten about the drinks and have been swept up by the action.

Montreal is flush with bars, resto-bars and taverns, and I’m curious to know where Habs Inside/Out members watch the games.

The past couple seasons, my bar of choice has been Le Pistol, on Boulevard St-Laurent. There’s a great cast of regulars who know their hockey and love their Habs. The place is always packed, loud, and the crowd is unusually talented at pointing out when the opposition is off-side. If the Habs make Round 2, there are rumours that the owner is going to bring out the big gun - the organ.

On Tuesday, I tried la Taverne Verres Stérilisés, on Rue St-Hubert. The game was barely 5 minutes old and Tim Thomas was already being heckled, Zdeno Chara was being booed, and Carey Price was elevated to the status of a god. I didn’t bother asking if Boston fans were welcome.

I’ve heard good things about Chez Serge, also on Boulevard St-Laurent, but haven’t yet been there myself. And then, of course, there are all the places near the Bell Centre – la Cage aux Sports, Ye Olde Orchard, McLean’s Pub, and about (and this is an estimate) a million others.

So, where in Montreal do you watch games? Do you have any recommendations for your fellow Habs fans? And you out-of-towners – have you found any good places near you that show Canadiens games?