First, Hydro-Québec dropped its lightning bolt. Then “Buffalo” was removed from menus. The latest tribute is now to the man stopping everything in sight.
Ahead of the Montreal Canadiens’ second-round clash with the Buffalo Sabres, Double’s — a bar, pool hall and renowned smash burger joint — has rechristened itself “Dobes’s,” in honour of Czech goaltender Jakub Dobes.
“Vítejte u Dobeše,” the bar wrote in a post on Instagram — Czech for “Welcome to Dobes’s’.”
And the rebrand did not stop at words.
The exterior billboard of the bar has been replaced entirely with the name change. The Instagram profile picture, too, has been updated to match.
The homage follows a series of standout performances from the 24-year-old. On Saturday, he turned aside 28 shots as the Canadiens edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7, sending Montreal into the second round.
Dobes’s Sunday performance lifted his playoff save percentage to .923, one of the highest.
He was originally selected in the fifth round, 136th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL entry draft.
The bar’s post within minutes drew hundreds of likes and comments. Montreal chef Marc-Olivier Frappier, owner of famed Mon Lapin and Rôtisserie La Lune, responded with three raised hands emojis, cheering the bar on.
The first game against Buffalo is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Buffalo.
I’ve been writing for the Montreal Gazette since 2023, chasing the biggest stories I can find and always looking for new ways to tell them. I studied economics and computer science at McGill. Now I live in the city’s Plateau, where I wear Doc Martens to blend in among the hipsters. It doesn’t work. Seen something interesting? Email me: hnorth@postmedia.com