Here are my random observations while visiting Montreal and Bell Centre last night.
The staff is quite friendly to us. They usher us in a back door entry way and the back of the building is really clean. It was well lit and the floor looks like a kitchen’s floor. You could eat off if it. How do they maintain this part of the building so well? We will have to find out.
The entrance ways to the suites are locked and an exec pulls out a card and swipes it. Very high tech. There is also a mini camera where you swipe your card and everyone entering the floor has his/her picture taken as they enter. It feels like a next generation “Get Smart.” Very formal and very cool. We literally go directly to our suite. We didn’t see a single person.
All of the hallways have photographs hung. In fact there is no dead space in this arena. There are photos, advertisements, and posters everywhere. The building is very contemporary and very alive. And again, very clean. I am so impressed.
All of the staff we have seen have been dressed in black suits. Very sophisticated and everyone is very attractive and professional. Montreal truly is a sophisticated European-like city. I am now glad I didn’t wear my ugly American red Caps jersey under my suit 
.
The music is this interesting mix of arena programming in French and English. French carnival- like music, hockey songs, 70′s rock, and alt rock. I feel like the music is playing at a Vidal Sassoon salon I once visited in a mall in Chicago! It has a Euro disco feel to it, too. I feel like dancing but my wife tells me to stop.
The crowd is late arriving and then like magic whoosh … it is filled to the brim. They wear red too. It is a red out! I am confused.
Jose is in goal taking shots. He is being heckled and loudly! Ovechkin is skating. The crowd booed “Ovi Sucks Ovi Sucks.” Chants rain down on him. He smiles.
The pre-game shows starts. We are sold some raffle tickets in the suite. A good promotion every game. The money goes to charity. The pre-game video is in both French and English. It is like a documentary film. It goes on and on. I felt like it was 12 minutes long. It didn’t pump up the crowd but it will get accepted at the Sundance Film Festival. The audio in the arena is spectacular, crisp and well produced. I can hear every word. This building infrastructure is really fantastic.
A young man comes out skating with a flame like the Statue of Liberty. He skates to center ice and viola! Then the entire building is on fire via lasers. Nice stuff and cool use of the electronic ribbons. These guys are good!
The American National Anthem is sung. The singer does a good job and then we hear booing and whistling and talking. I am disappointed. I hope we will never disrespect the Canadian National Anthem at Verizon Center.
The “O Canada” National Anthem is sung in French and English. AND NOW the video board shows highlights of the team and the building now grows loud. The camera goes to live shots of great players past. The pitch gets higher. This is a loud building. A big building. The anthem is part of the team promotion. The Canadiens are bigger than life here in Canada!
The game starts. We are being out played. The building gets amped up whenever there is a shot on goal. We end period one 0 to 0. I am relieved.
We retreat back into the suite because food has arrived. Very nice presentation and they have served their world famous hot dogs with buns that are lightly buttered and toasted on both sides. Wow… our group tastes a bit of everything but the highlight is these hot dogs. Why can’t these be served in the States? They would sell like … “hot dogs but even better!” I admit it. I ate two of them.
The second period starts. We are now shooting at the other end. We are sitting in the suite high up so we have a great view.
We score. We score again. We score again. New goalie!!! We score yet again. Ovi is booed and chanted on after he scores. Now folks in other suites know we must be Caps fans. Someone recognizes me and the folks around our suites start to talk to us. Most are very nice but two start to curse at us while smiling at us. But because they are cursing in French it sounds nice. The folks are all charming and funny and into the game but are NOT menacing at all.
Third period starts. I am still nervous.
They score; we score 5 to 1. The building starts to empty with 5 minutes left. There is a smattering of booing going on.
Game ends. We are escorted out to the van. We head to the airport. There is minimum traffic and the city traffic lights are all green. They are programmed to stay green for a longer interval of time. We get to the airport in no time flat. Mayor Fenty please synch up the lights on Constitution Avenue after a Caps game. The city was designed to have large avenue to move traffic quickly, but the lights must be in synch.
I am happy we won. I am mega impressed with Bell Centre of Montréal and the staff of folks. This is a well run building. This is a sophisticated and smart group of fans and this is a beautiful city. Thank you for being such classy and wonderful hosts.
See you all on Wednesday. Thank you.
Ted,
My family and I have been to so many hockey games in the United States and Canada that we have all memorized the Canadian National Anthem and sing it with pride at Verizon Center games.
At the Verizon center, me and my family will continue to show respect to our fantastic neighbor to the north and loudly sing their anthem, despite the shabby behavior of some in Montreal.
Ted: or go to Ben’s for a smoke meat sandwhich!!!!
Wait … So I would be an ugly American if I Rocked Red under a suit at Centre Bell?
Really? How most unfortunate … That you felt that was your point of view.
Ted –
Great assessment of Centre Bell. I made the trip up from DC and the atmosphere was amazing, the employees very professional and the fans were unbelieveable (and booed me every chance they got). There was a party going on in the streets outside of the arena before the game and I have never heard a building or venue as loud as Centre Bell was for O Canada. With that said, Varly did an amazing job in the first period sucking the life out of the nearly 22,000 Habs fans.
Every hockey fan must make the pilgrimmage. Oh and go ahead and grab some poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese) while you’re at it!
Let’s go Caps!
While booing a great player is a sign of respect, I do not think a chant of “Ovie Sucks” is. I lost respect for the crowd. And don’t say it was just a few “morons.” A few morons wouldn’t be that loud.
Still on the “synch up the traffic lights” campaign??? I remember that being mentioned in some article a couple years ago.
Thanks Ted for the wonderful report and the details about the Montreal experience!
I was traveling from Miami to Dulles the evening of the game – luckily my cellphone brings me report of goalie choice and every goal. When we took off it was end of second period and we were 4-0. Thought I might get the flight attendant to announce it when I gave her the news. People around me pleased anyway.
Hi Ted,
Regarding Constitution Avenue, it is terrible both going in and coming out, and has been for years. I hate to alert the rest of the herd to this, but Independence Avenue is absolutely the way to go both before and after games. The lights are timed reasonably well, and the traffic is much lighter. I can leave McLean at 615pm most weekday evenings and be in my seat by the time the National Anthem is played. I’m home in twenty minutes. By contrast, Constitution Avenue can add 45 minutes to travel time. All you need is a modest knowledge of the road network and it’s fairly straightforward.
Teddy, I hate to gloat but let me gloat respectfully just for a moment!! Gloat. Gloat. YEA! YEA! I almost e-mailed you yesterday before the game to make a suggestion on how to approach this team. I calmed myself down and decided to wait one more game because I knew Coach Brucieeeeeeee would figure it out!!! Boy do I love to see Ovie’s enthusiasm on the ice when he scores or when one of his teammates scores. He is the HAPPIEST man on earth. And me too. Just so you know, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Canadians because my mother was born and raised in Newfoundland. She came to the US at 21. Way To Go Caps!!
Hi Ted: Interesting observations, but I have always had very little respect for them as hockey fans – I think their reputation is more myth than fact. What I find particularly ironic is their vigorous enthusiasm for the Canadian anthem – a country they have tried to secede from (unsuccessfully) more than once. Je me souviens indeed…
Sounds like an impressive place. Maybe the new owner of the VC can do something about those hotdogs!
Shame about the fans, though. As a British expat that has travelled extensively, I’ve always tried to maintain the utmost respect for other countries and cultures. I have to say that the behaviour demonstrated by “Les Habitants” has made it hard to maintain that respect. Jeering at a nations anthem and then abandoning their team before the end of the game, well that’s low.
Stay classy Montreal. Froglodytes!
Might I suggest on Friday you ask our anthem singer, whichever one is performing, to sing “O Canada” in both languages? That one might send a bit of a signal about respect.
Ted: Please bring a 50/50 raffle to the VC. It would raise a lot of money for charity (and send one fan home a lot richer every night).
…just a bit more relaxing than Saturday night…a shame they tore down the Forum (sacrilege!) but glad to know the toasted. buttered hot dogs live…and that you had a good reception from Centre Bell…so did a friend of mine from MTL from grad school a quarter-century ago–only other hockey fan at Columbia international affairs program—who drove *all the way* down to DC Friday with his son to sit with me at the game…Section 404 fans were taken aback to see MTL sweaters next to my OV jersey, but I’m happy to say stayed good-natured and shook hands with the enemy guests happily after OT and welcomed them back any time as good luck charms! Habs have plenty of SC banners, time for the Caps to get their first! But whatever happens, they’re building hockey tradition in DC.
just a note, but maybe you knew this:
The Canadiens “slogan” or mantra for the team has always been:
“to you from failing hands we pass the torch be yours to hold it high”
One of the best ever rink closings/transitions was from the Montreal Forum to the Bell Center. It featured legendary former captains who passed a torch to each other and finally handed it to “then captain” Sylvain Turgeon who skated it out of the forum and onto the new Bell Center.
That’s the same torch you saw at center ice last night. Look it up.
If you go back up there, I highly recommend someone in the group going to Dunn’s (on Metcalfe, between Ste. Catherine & Rene Levesque W). The smoked meat and poutine is criminal.
ted
nice job…a couple of comments as i grew up in mtl and at the forum
the hot dogs were made the exact same way at the forum and were brought over to the new building when it opened…for whatever reason they are not made that way anywhere else in mtl…you should go to a concession stand early and watch them make it and then eat them hot ,,,,nothing better plus the long stick they use to add the mustard is fun (if they still do that)
the relatively few morons that disrespect the u.s. anthem are simply that i.e. morons,,,in their idiotic minds they are not so much booing the u.s. but rather the visiting team,,,this never happened at the old forum …also just so you know these same idiots have been known to boo the Canadian anthem too!
the booing of alex is actually a sign of great respect…unless there has been a specific incident involving a player, booing a great visiting team player has always been a tradition in mtl….whenever Hull or Orr used to get the puck the mtl fans would boo,,in fact i was at a game once when that happened and Orr scored a beautiful goal and practically got a standing ovation..there is, or at least always was, a great appreciation of the game in mtl,,, and the reality is that if ovie played in mtl his popularity would be unmatched, and would rival that of the rocket!
Ted,
Being of French descent, I, too, am quite disappointed by the booing during the singing of the American national anthem. Heckling at a sporting event is all but mandatory these days, but there ought to be respect for each other as well.
At the Verizon, we stand, and some of us even sing along, as the Canadian national anthem is played. Too bad that the same respect cannot be said of those at the Bell centre last night.
I am hopeful that this will not be repeated on Wednesday. But if it is, as my wife tells me, a likely event, I hope that the Capital faithful will continue to respect our neighbors to the north, and their anthem.
More importantly, ROCK THE RED!!!
Thanks for letting me sound off.