Prognosis

Hockey Team’s Surprising Run Lifts the Mood in a Virus Hot Spot

Montreal’s Stanley Cup final brings crowds -- and relief
Tickets on resale for as much as $19,000 amid capacity limit

Montreal Canadiens fans watch the second game of the Stanley Cup final from outside the Bell Centre arena.Photographer: Andrej Ivanov/Bloomberg

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By Sandrine Rastello

July 2, 2021 at 2:30 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Montreal endured some of the strictest Covid-19 measures in North America, including a nightly curfew for nearly five months. But spirits in Canada’s second-largest city have brightened dramatically -- thanks in some measure to a beloved sports franchise that has beaten the odds.

The Montreal Canadiens weren’t supposed to be in contention for a championship. Among National Hockey League’s 31 teams, they finished 18th on points in the regular season. Yet, improbably, they are in the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 28 years, and city officials are using the moment to break the shackles of pandemic restrictions.