TAMPA — He’s a fixture at Canadians games known as Kid Mercury.
“Tampa, you won last year. Sorry. The Habs are coming back. We are going to win this series one way or another. Go Habs Go!”
Kid Mercury’s been playing his horn for the Canadians for decades.
He was even part of the parade the last time they won the Cup in 1993.
“Charge! I’m pumped now. You’ve got me going, Erik. Now I’m all excited.”
That passion will be somewhat muted inside the Bell Centre for Game 3 in Montreal.
Government officials in Quebec denied the Canadians request to raise attendance to 10,500 for the Stanley Cup Final. So it will remain at 3,500.
“I think the really difficult part is when you look outside the Bell Center, there’s like 10,000 people, and they are all squished. So c’mon make it safer and bring them in,” said Kid Mercury.
Stu Cowman is a sports columnist for the Montreal Gazette.
He says as COVID restrictions are lifted, his city is coming back to life especially on game nights.
“Terraces are pretty full. The restaurants are full. There’s a lot of people around. There was a huge crowd outside the arena. So that’s why I think a lot of fans are wondering why when everybody is outside, obviously, there’s a difference between outside and inside spreading COVID-19, and also seeing the games in Tampa with a full house, and seeing the games in Vegas with a full house. Canadians fans want the same here,” said Cowan.
No matter how many are watching, this game is crucial for the Canadians as they try to avoid going down 3-games-none in the series.
