Montreal Fans' Celebration Causes Mini Earthquake During Canadiens' Playoff Victory
If you were in the Montreal, Quebec, area between Saturday and Monday, your mind wasn't playing tricks on you.
Thousands of fans have packed the streets of Montreal to cheer on the Canadiens during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. On Monday night, Alex Newhook scored the overtime winner in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres in their second-round matchup, sending the Habs to the Eastern Conference Final.
Alex Newhook
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 19, 2026
First player in Canadiens history to score a Game 7 Overtime goal on the road#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/qZ8VfIMyZp
NHL fans know that there's nothing like a hockey game at the Bell Centre. When the playoffs come to Montreal? The boisterous atmosphere goes through the roof.
Just how electrifying was the atmosphere in Montreal during the last two games of the series against Buffalo?? Let's just say the fans literally caused the ground to shake.
Per Jessica Barile of CityNews, experts "registered seismic activity measuring approximately 0.5 on the Richter scale" while Habs fans celebrated in Game 6 (an 8-3 Sabres win) and Monday's decisive game.
More from Barile's report:
"Seismic activity was recorded by a Natural Resources Canada seismograph at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, about 5 kilometres from the Bell Centre, as well as by a sensor in a McGill University basement lab that also picked up spikes following Canadiens goals...Tremors recorded at 8:16 p.m. and 8:18 p.m. reached magnitudes of roughly 0.5 on the Richter scale. Experts believe the spikes were linked to fans erupting in celebration after goals.
"On Monday night during Game 7, despite the Sabres holding home-ice advantage, the Bell Centre was once again filled with fans cheering on the Canadiens."
Just imagine how much louder it could get across the city if the Habs upset the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
Canadiens Complete Another Big Upset to Set Up Showdown With Carolina
The Canadiens were considered a giant underdog for their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. And yet, it was the Habs who gutted out a 2-1 win in Game 7 to upset the NHL's top team of the past decade.
Montreal's run was supposed to end against a feel-good Sabres team that just won its first playoff series in 19 years. But the resilient Habs managed to take three of the four games in Buffalo, clinching their first trip to the final four in five years.
Few folks outside of Montreal will give them a shot against Carolina, but Martin St. Louis and his crew wouldn't have it any other way.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 1:11 PM.