... Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 We're thinking of going away next Easter and thought finding a Sabres game out of town that weekend would be a fun thing to do. Looks like the Sabres are playing in Montreal that weekend. I've never been to Montreal so I'm not sure what we should expect. Obviously we've been to Toronto and all places this side of Lake Ontario - but French Canada strikes me as being a little more hostile towards outsiders. I have nothing to back that up other than my many years of living around here and hearning this or seeing that. What do you think? A family of four to Montreal for a Sabres game? Would you do it?
bob_sauve28 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 We're thinking of going away next Easter and thought finding a Sabres game out of town that weekend would be a fun thing to do. Looks like the Sabres are playing in Montreal that weekend. I've never been to Montreal so I'm not sure what we should expect. Obviously we've been to Toronto and all places this side of Lake Ontario - but French Canada strikes me as being a little more hostile towards outsiders. I have nothing to back that up other than my many years of living around here and hearning this or seeing that. What do you think? A family of four to Montreal for a Sabres game? Would you do it? Oh ya, I see fans in the stands everytime I see a Montreal game on tv. Heck, there are lots of people there.
Ted's Hot Dogs Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I wouldn't.. being in french canada with a sabres jersey is like being in italy with a brazil jersey. what im trying to say is that it is probaly the worst place in america for visiting fans.. also, it is like impossible to get tickets to a montreal game. If you dont wanna put your family in danger, then I wouldnt go
SwampD Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I've never been to a game there. but I have nothing bad to say about Montreal. I had a great time there and can't wait to go back. I was a little intimidated by the French thing at first, but everyone speaks English so it really wasn't a big deal. I would do it in a heartbeat if I were you.
will Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 i strongly urge you to go for it. it's been quite a while since i attended a game up there (both biron and hasek were tending), but it was a great time. it helped that the sabres won 3-1 (i think that was the score). i (as well as my party) didn't broadcast the fact that we were rooting for the visitors, and i despise those travelers that shove it down the home crowd's throats, yet nobody gave us any flack when we stood and cheered for buffalo scores. the draw for me was the fact that montreal is a true hockey town, with loads of history that has to be experienced. everyone knows their stuff, and i've never seen a canadian honey that wasn't absolutely gorgeous. but yeah, good luck getting tickets.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Go. Go go go. A friend and I went for a late-season game (granted it was a while back, the last year of the Forum) and it was a great weekend. Montreal is a really cool city, especially if the weather is decent, and the atmosphere is great for a game. The people are nice enough even if they seem annoyed that you don't speak French ... and you CAN find tickets. We showed up in town the day of a game and had a ticket broker we found in the newspaper (remember, it was 1995) deliver tickets to our room within an hour of arriving and calling ... I imagine it's easier with Stubhub-like sites and such. Perhaps more expensive, but there are more ways to get tickets these days.
Ohiofan Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I wouldn't.. being in french canada with a sabres jersey is like being in italy with a brazil jersey. what im trying to say is that it is probaly the worst place in america for visiting fans.. also, it is like impossible to get tickets to a montreal game. If you dont wanna put your family in danger, then I wouldnt go Ummmmmm dude...last time I checked, Montreal was in Canada. I have never been to a hockey game in Montreal, but we have raced our cars up there a few times. I found Montreal and its people to be much friendlier than their fellow countrymen in Toronto, where I have seen games. They have a certain "aloofness" in regards to Americans...they are almost condescendingly friendly, if you know what I mean, but friendly nonetheless. Go for it!
darksabre Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Do it. I had a buddy who went up there for a game a few years ago and had a great time. Wound up meeting some club owner named Pierre at the game, got invited to the club, and woke up the next morning with $20s stuffed in all his pockets and no idea how they got there.
nfreeman Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I highly recommend Montreal. I went there for a weekend last spring with my 8-yr-old, his friend, and the friend's father and we had a great time. We wore our Sabres jerseys to the game, cheered for the Sabres and had no problems whatsoever (even when the Sabres won in the shootout). The arena is a fantastic hockey environment. The fans are really knowledgeable and passionate. We talked hockey with a few people sitting around us and they were all friendly. A few suggestions: 1. there is a sheraton that is only about 1 block from the arena, and very close to a bunch of downtown restaurants/bars/shopping/etc -- it's great to be able to walk to and from the game. 2. If your family skis, it's about a 100-minute drive from downtown Montreal to Mont-Tremblant, which is a great ski resort. 3. As always when visiting enemy arenas -- the better your seats are, the less likely you are to get hassled by drunken meatheads. Our seats were in the last row of the lower bowl, in the corner. The seats were great and we had no problems with Habs fans. We got the tickets on ebay about 10 days before the game; cost was about $140 per ticket -- really not bad, and much less than you will pay on Stubhub. 4. Montreal smoked meat is decent but overrated. Still worth having a sandwich somewhere though. Good luck!
nfreeman Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I wouldn't.. being in french canada with a sabres jersey is like being in italy with a brazil jersey. what im trying to say is that it is probaly the worst place in america for visiting fans.. also, it is like impossible to get tickets to a montreal game. If you dont wanna put your family in danger, then I wouldnt go You should probably do a bit of traveling. It's a big world, with a lot of interesting things to see and do. And people are more or less the same all over.
shrader Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 You should probably do a bit of traveling. It's a big world, with a lot of interesting things to see and do. And people are more or less the same all over. But they're french!
nfreeman Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 But they're french! FWIW, while French-Canadians have plenty of their own issues, I don't think you can tar them with the "French" brush. I think the French (who also have lots of issues) look down at French-Canadians -- they're like the inbred, hick distant cousins.
carpandean Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Away, Away, Awaaaaay!!!! (In heavy French accent.) I went with some buddies many years back and that's all we heard. People yelled it every time Montreal got the puck in their own zone. That, and a lot of discussion about people's abs. OK, that last one was explained to us by a kind (Ohiofan is right, he was condescendingly nice) Montreal fan as actually being habs (we obviously know that now, but we weren't the obsessed Sabres fans that we have become at the time; we knew our team, but not all the little details about other teams.) There was another group of Sabres fans, all of which were college-aged and big guys, sitting a row or two in front of us, who were drunker and rowdier than we were. We joined in their fun, but didn't take it quite as far as they did. People sitting around us were pretty nice to us even though we were in Sabres jerseys (I was probably sporting my white Satan goathead, since it was my only jersey at the time), but the other group did almost get in a fight. It really is an amazing hockey city, so the experience is worth it. Just don't be a jackass (or make sure that you have lots of big friends being a jackass with you) and you should be fine.
Mbossy Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Do it. I had a buddy who went up there for a game a few years ago and had a great time. Wound up meeting some club owner named Pierre at the game, got invited to the club, and woke up the next morning with $20s stuffed in all his pockets and no idea how they got there. Table dancing?
chileanseabass Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 i saw a hawks/habs game up there last year while in town for business. it was great. tickets are pricey (we paid $100 CAN ea for 2nd last row in the upper level from a scalper) but worth it. as others have mentioned, the "better" your seats, the less chance you usually have of being hasseled. in montreal most of the upper deck area was full of loud drunks, but the lower bowl was all peolpe in suits who came from work (it was a weeknight game).
darksabre Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Table dancing? He has no idea. It's a good possibility that that is what happened though. He did drunk call me though at one point and asked if I was God (I have a super deep voice). Then tried to sell me a bowflex. "Why doesn't God want to buy my bowflex?!"
San Diego Sabres Fan Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 If you can find tickets go for it! The crowd in Montreal is fine, they are just the opposite of Boston fans, in Boston you see a guy in his plumbing shirt yeling every other word a profanity, in Montreal you see guys in sports coats and ladies in in dresses and pearls, if you go to the game in Montreal with kids wearing Sabres jerseys they may raz you in a fun way, but you have no worries. If you go out to dinner before the game I suggest the Barby Barn, great ribs and if you show then your tickets to the game you go to the head of the line if there is a wait. I was fortunate enough to work for a company in Montreal that has four seats and was able to take my sons to the old forum as well as the new Molson Centre. We had a blast.
shrader Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 If you can find tickets go for it! The crowd in Montreal is fine, they are just the opposite of Boston fans, in Boston you see a guy in his plumbing shirt yeling every other word a profanity, I like the Boston description. I'll just add that they sometimes like to challenge you with crap like "you and me, in the parking lot", even though there is no parking lot. Quite the intelligent group they have out here.
nobody Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 You should probably do a bit of traveling. It's a big world, with a lot of interesting things to see and do. And people are more or less the same all over. Yes, no matter where you go they will spit in your food before serving it to you.
Mbossy Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 I like the Boston description. I'll just add that they sometimes like to challenge you with crap like "you and me, in the parking lot", even though there is no parking lot. Quite the intelligent group they have out here. vous et moi, dans le parking!
spndnchz Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Away, Away, Awaaaaay!!!! (In heavy French accent.) I went with some buddies many years back and that's all we heard. People yelled it every time Montreal got the puck in their own zone. That, and a lot of discussion about people's abs. OK, that last one was explained to us by a kind (Ohiofan is right, he was condescendingly nice) Montreal fan as actually being habs (we obviously know that now, but we weren't the obsessed Sabres fans that we have become at the time; we knew our team, but not all the little details about other teams.) There was another group of Sabres fans, all of which were college-aged and big guys, sitting a row or two in front of us, who were drunker and rowdier than we were. We joined in their fun, but didn't take it quite as far as they did. People sitting around us were pretty nice to us even though we were in Sabres jerseys (I was probably sporting my white Satan goathead, since it was my only jersey at the time), but the other group did almost get in a fight. It really is an amazing hockey city, so the experience is worth it. Just don't be a jackass (or make sure that you have lots of big friends being a jackass with you) and you should be fine. Did you know that this translated to French is "Loin hors loin hors Loin hors loin hors " Just seemed funny :w00t:
Shortbusrider Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Montreal is a safe city. I was born and raised there. I understand why the "French" thing might be intimidating for some. Quebecers are about as French as Americans are British. If anybody has a chance to attend a game in the Bell Center they should jump on it. You and your family will have a great time. And by the way, they are not chanting "away away away!" they are chanting "Ole ole ole ole!" as in the british soccer games.
spndnchz Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Montreal is a safe city. I was born and raised there. I understand why the "French" thing might be intimidating for some. Quebecers are about as French as Americans are British. If anybody has a chance to attend a game in the Bell Center they should jump on it. You and your family will have a great time. And by the way, they are not chanting "away away away!" they are chanting "Ole ole ole ole!" as in the british soccer games. Reeeeeallly? My parents just got back from Quebec, had a great time. Welcome to the Board Short Bus. Bravo. But why do they sing a spanish tune?
wonderbread Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Did you know that this translated to French is "Loin hors loin hors Loin hors loin hors " Just seemed funny :w00t: I thought you were joking when you wrote this. :unsure:
SDS Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Montreal is a safe city. I was born and raised there. I understand why the "French" thing might be intimidating for some. Quebecers are about as French as Americans are British. If anybody has a chance to attend a game in the Bell Center they should jump on it. You and your family will have a great time. And by the way, they are not chanting "away away away!" they are chanting "Ole ole ole ole!" as in the british soccer games. best adult hockey jerseys I have ever seen: Short Bus Hockey all yellow with a picture of a school bus and stick-figures licking windows. :lol:
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