Last night, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights, bringing the Habs to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1993.
The city exploded in excitement when Artturi Lehkonen brought Montreal the winning goal in 1:32 minutes in overtime, defeating the Golden Knights in a 3-2 game winning their third-round series 4-2.
While the Habs performed in front of a crowd of 3,500 people inside the Bell Centre, thousands more gathered in the downtown streets of Montreal. Quebec flags and Montreal Canadiens jerseys flooded the streets as fans celebrated the big win until early morning. From fireworks, singing, and more… fans were asked by Mayor Valerie Plante ahead of time to celebrate in a respectful manner via Twitter.
Tear gas, tickets, and arrests were made after chaos broke out in the downtown streets, including a flipped over cop car. According to CTV News, “The force also preventatively shut down both de Maisonneuve and René-Lévesque boulevards between Guy Street and Robert-Bourassa Boulevard as a crowd of 5,000 gathered to celebrate the Habs' playoff run.”
The SPVM is preparing for more celebrations to break out in the city over the coming days as fans celebrate the Habs moving forward in the Stanley Cup finals.
The Montreal Canadiens will be playing in their first Stanley Cup finals game on Monday with either Tampa Bay or the New York Islanders…and we can’t wait!
Go Habs Go!!!
