Fans cheer outside the Bell Centre before the Montreal Canadiens face the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of their second round playoff series earlier this month.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
A petition opposing the NHL’s cancellation of a Montreal Canadiens playoff watch party at a Gatineau, Que., arena has drawn nearly 6,000 signatures.
Wassim Aboutanos is behind the petition and head of a group that helped plan the watch party, and he is urging the NHL to allow Gatineau Habs fans to share in the playoff atmosphere.
The event was scheduled at the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa, for Game 2 of the third round between Montreal and the Carolina Hurricanes.
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But Aboutanos says the league told his group the arena is located within the territory in which the Senators have exclusive marketing rights, meaning another NHL team cannot be promoted from that venue.
Aboutanos says about 400 tickets had been sold before the event was cancelled, adding that proceeds were intended for a local mental health organization.
Neither the NHL nor the Ottawa Senators responded to requests for comment.