As October begins, one of Canada’s favourite pastimes returns to communities across the country.
Hockey Night in Canada has long-been a celebration of culture, tradition, and most importantly, hockey. In a city with one of the NHL’s original teams, Montrealers understand the culture of hockey more than most communities invested in the sport. The Montreal Canadiens (familiarly the “Habs”) have one of the largest, most passionate fanbases in the NHL —ringing in over 2.9 million online followers and an average of 1.2 million viewers per game. The team plays 84 regular season games a year and has had an uptick in performance throughout the last few years, which culminated in a deep playoff run last year, one series away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Following their Eastern Conference Finals, the Canadiens have started their 2026-27 season strong with an impressive pre-season and a win. Their lineup is projected to be one of the strongest and youngest in the league, with stars like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki anchoring the team. Their estimated fanbase of 4.3 million people continues to grow as a result of recent wins while the Habs have continued to be revered as a point of city-wide pride, with local politicians and advertising campaigns frequently featuring the team.
Needless to say, the Montreal Canadiens have strong support for the upcoming season.
And support doesn’t typically mean at-home viewership in an active city like Montreal, especially with the young demographic of Habs fans leading the excited charge. Fan support for the Montreal Canadiens has created a large stream of income for local bars and restaurants showing the games, drawing revenue from fans coming together to watch their team.
On nights with scheduled Canadiens games, local sports bars see an increase of 18% to 47% in customer transactions, depending on how well the team is performing. Moneris also reports that during away games, unlike for home games, bargoers typically stay to watch the entirety of the game, resulting in more food and drink purchases and more revenue for local establishments. .
Although every game attracts traffic to local bars and restaurants, the Canadiens’ impact on the city’s economy is most prominent when the team succeeds. In 2014, a local bar chain called the Cage raked in an extra $2 million when the Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final. The economic effect hockey has on local businesses is undeniably significant, so when the Habs clinched a playoff spot in April of 2026, celebrations rang through the city from not only fans but also local business owners — who hope to capitalize on NHL playoff fever.
Last season, when the team accomplished another Eastern Conference Final appearance, Moneris head of business development Pasquale Pazzi stated: “Whether fans were near the arena or across the city, they showed up to support their team–and restaurants felt that boost in a big way. With citywide spend at restaurants climbing as high as 45 per cent, the playoffs clearly lit up neighborhoods and created real results for local spots.” The dedicated fanbase of the Montreal Canadiens is active in a way most teams and cities strive for, resulting in massive support spilling into the local economy. Accuracy Data estimated the economic effect of this playoff run to be $659 million across Quebec.
The economic impact of hockey on Montreal businesses extends past in-arena ticket sales. Local bars and restaurants stand to profit massively from the celebration of hockey especially if the team succeeds. So, for both Habs fans and local restaurateurs, let’s hope the Canadiens have another great year!
