The Montreal Canadiens played all of last season in front of empty seats.
No one in Canada was allowed to have fans at their games until the postseason rolled around in May and then they were eligible to sell a few thousand seats. By the Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens were allowed to sell 3,500 tickets per game.
As recently as early this week, it sounded like the only two teams in the NHL that would have limits on the number of tickets they were allowed to sell were the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. The Habs were told they could sell only 7,500 tickets per game.
Yesterday, the Quebec government made changes to its gathering limits policy and Covid-19 guidelines and as a result, the Bell Centre will be filled for the Canadiens home opener on October 16th. Fans will have to show proof of vaccination before they are allowed to enter, but all 21,302 seats are not allowed to be filled.
Knowing Canadiens fans, it won’t be an issue selling those tickets in a hurry.
The Laval Rocket will also be allowed to sell as many tickets to games at Place Bell in Laval as well. Fans will be subject to the same proof of vaccination rules.
These new rules take effect on October 8th, so it won’t affect either of the two preseason games set to take place at the Bell Centre next week. The first game that the Canadiens are allowed to sell out is their home opener on Saturday, October 16th against the New York Rangers.
This is also good news for teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, like Joshua Roy’s Sherbrooke Phoenix who will not have any limits on the number of fans they can have in their arenas.
The Habs are back in action tonight and tomorrow in a pair of games against the Ottawa Senators.