Fences removed in front of Bell Centre ahead of Canadiens’ Game 4 watch party

Habs fans who were near the Bell Centre on Sunday afternoon might have noticed that the fences surrounding the arena’s outdoor playoff watch party area on Canadiens-de-Montréal Ave. had been removed.

Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said the fences were removed “for safety reasons.”

High fences of the type that were in place around the area would be “potentially dangerous if an evacuation were necessary,” he said.

“It would have made it harder to evacuate” if a need arose to empty the arena, with its 21,000-seat capacity.

The decision to take down the fences was made as a result of a request from police “and discussion with people from the Bell Centre,” Brabant said.

He said “another sort of barrier,” presumably a lower one, would probably be installed in place of the higher fences; police were in discussion about the issue with the Montreal Canadiens, he said.

Charles Saindon-Courtois, a spokesperson for the Habs, said on Sunday that “the team won’t be commenting publicly on the matter.”

The Habs will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday evening. They defeated the Lightning 3-2 in overtime in Game 3 on Friday.

A strong police presence when the Habs are playing at the Bell Centre is a familiar sight, but it is heightened during playoff games, Brabant said. Police vehicles block access to the streets around the building, for instance, and horses from the force’s cavalry are often deployed for crowd control and public order.

Brabant also said that after Sunday night’s game, the location of the watch parties will probably be moved — likely to Place du Canada, an urban park slightly northeast of the current location. Place du Canada is south of René-Lévesque Blvd. and adjacent to Dorchester Square.

“Logistically it will be better,” he said.

Entry to the outdoor watch parties requires a free ticket secured ahead of time through Ticketmaster.

There was dismay among fans as tickets were snapped up by resellers and listed for sale online.

The Canadiens did not require tickets for similar events during last year’s playoffs, and some rumours were circulating that the Habs might forgo the ticket system for Sunday’s watch party.

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