Montreal hockey fans made things dangerous for people outside — and inside — Bell Centre on Thursday after the Canadiens clinched the franchise’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 28 years.
CTV News reported that a police vehicle was turned on its side, fans threw objects at officers and officers responded by lobbing tear gas to disperse revelers following the Habs' 3-2 overtime win over Vegas in Game 6 of their semifinal series. No arrests were reported as of late Thursday.
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Someone just sent me this video of Montreal fans *flipping a cop car over* to celebrate the win tonight. 🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/yeCd41uF8e
— Christine Rousselle ❤️🔥 (@crousselle) June 25, 2021
The fans who were allowed into Bell Centre for the game (capacity was 3,500) were kept inside when the postgame situation outside got dicey.
Bell Center is officially in a lockdown because it’s too dangerous outside.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 25, 2021
This was the scene outside the arena at about midnight ET.
This is what the outside of the Bell Centre looks like now @CTVMontreal pic.twitter.com/ljvhk1RdAh
— Kelly Greig (@KellyGreig) June 25, 2021
As word of the violence reached inside the arena, Canadiens acting head coach Luke Richardson called for calm.
“I just wanted to send a message out there, I know it’s a little crazy outside the Bell Centre. We hope everybody’s enjoying themselves and has a great time, and especially Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and it’s such a special day to celebrate. But let’s make sure we all celebrate responsibly and get home safe,” he said.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante anticipated problems in a midday pregame tweet.
Ce soir je demande la collaboration de tout les Montréalais-es pour célébrer avec passion, mais dans le respect. Pour lire ma déclaration: https://t.co/M7vD5u9NYz #polmtl
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) June 24, 2021
Fans also clashed with police after the Canadiens swept the Jets in the second round of the playoffs. A police spokesperson told the Montreal Gazette that a small group of people threw fireworks at a police car and assaulted an officer.