What the Puck: Habs fever takes over Rialto Theatre as Montreal wins Game 2

Well that was fun.

The venerable Rialto Theatre opened its doors to Habs fans for the first time in this post-season Friday evening and it was one big party from the get-go with Montreal forward Alex Newhook scoring just 1:36 into the game. The Buffalo Sabres were never even remotely in this game, which ended 5-1 for the Canadiens.

My evening started with a sausage sandwich at Café Felice on Ave. du Parc just above St. Viateur St., with owner Vincenzo “Vince” Spinale manning the barbecue on the sidewalk, cooking up hot dogs, Italian sausages and hamburgers, to keep the patrons happy as they watched Game 2 of the second round series between the Sabres and the Canadiens.

“It’s a family event, my wife is here, my son is here, my daughter is here,” said Spinale. “My mom’s inside. It brings the community together.”

It was a tough first game of the series Wednesday, with the Habs dropping the match to the Sabres 4-2. Montreal didn’t look ready, which is maybe not surprising given they’d just won an emotional seven-game series in Tampa on Sunday night. There was no gas in the tank Wednesday. But prior to Friday’s game, Spinale had not lost the faith.

“Habs in seven,” said Spinale, even before puck-drop Friday. “They are the better team. They just came out a little flat last game. They’ll give a better effort tonight, that’s for sure.”

Well it turns out that not only does Spinale make a mean BBQ sausage sandwich; He knows his hockey. The Canadiens did indeed look much better Friday, dominating the game from the first whistle to the final buzzer. And folks were loving it at the Rialto, one of Montreal’s great historic theatres, located on Ave. du Parc just below Bernard Ave.

Montreal Canadiens fans at the Rialto Theatre watch their team play the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 of their playoff series on May 8, 2026 Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette

It was pretty cool to watch this game in this beautiful old-school theatre that spent years in pretty shambolic shape until Montreal real-estate developer Ezio Carosielli came along and renovated it, turning it into a pretty dazzling venue. I remember so many epic shows at the Rialto back in the day, seeing artists like pioneering alt-rock band Dinosaur Jr. – one of the loudest shows I’ve ever seen or heard – to rap legends Public Enemy (without Flavor Flav, who, unsurprisingly, got stopped at the border.).

Rick Dexter, a seasoned music-scene guy, said Friday at the Rialto that “it brings me back to seeing punk rock shows here, like The Cramps.”

But it wasn’t just a night for nostalgia. Dexter loved what he saw from the Canadiens.

“Awesome game, I wasn’t expecting them to dominate like they did,” he said. “A tour-de-force. It was really amazing to see. I wasn’t predicting them to get through Buffalo but now I’ve changed my tune for sure.”

Tony Greywall was also happy to see the game at the Rialto but he came in with low expectations.

“With the first game, Montreal was toast,” said Greywall. “Buffalo was all over them. But today gives me a lot of hope. I think we’re going to take this.”

Greywall lives in Toronto but he’s been a Habs fan since he went to McGill University in the ’90s.

“You can’t be a Toronto fan, it’s been a building year since 1967,” said Greywall, referring to the last year the Maple Leafs won the Cup. “Look who they just hired as their GM. Guys, seriously. (John Chayka) drove the Arizona Coyotes into the ground.”

A young fan at the Rialto Theatre cheers on the Montreal Canadiens as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 on May 8, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette

Corinne Roland also had a real fun soirée. She said she and her friends usually go to Bruno Sports Bar on Beaubien Est. “but this is even better. The atmosphere is great. And it’s free.”

Martin Aubin was celebrating his birthday Friday and he figures it was kind of the ideal way to mark the occasion, watching a key Habs win on the big screen at the Rialto.

“They killed it,” said Aubin. “A lot of people were not sure after game one but I believe in Martin St. Louis and I believe in his teaching, his philosophy. They played very well. They neutralized what they needed to neutralize.”

I told him “Sunday night at the Bell Centre, that’s going to be hot”, to which Aubin quipped, “that’s going to be expensive.”

Ezio Carosielli, the owner of the Rialto, said the reason for showing the game at his Mile End theatre was simple: “I’m a fan and I wanted company.”

He said it worked out great. They had over 250 people even though they’d only announced the event a couple of days ago “and we’re going to keep doing it until we win the Stanley Cup. We’re going to cancel everything until the Canadiens win.”

Maximilian Carosielli-Rodriguez and his 5-month-old son eagerly await the start of Game 2 between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres at the Rialto Theatre on May 8, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette

That’s called keeping the faith. It also reflects how a lot of Canadiens fans feel at the moment. They feel anything really is possible. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It was a statement win Friday but there are still three more wins needed before they punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final

There’s no telling when the (Jakub) Dobes spring will end but one thing for sure is that when Buffalo and Montreal next face-off Sunday night, here’s guaranteeing the fans will literally blow the roof off the joint. More fun coming.

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