'Complete Madness': NHL Blocks Habs Watch Party

A planned Montreal Canadiens viewing party in Quebec has turned into a fight over hockey turf. Local cultural group Impératif français says the NHL blocked its attempt to host up to 4,000 Habs fans at Gatineau's Slush Puppie Centre, just across the Ottawa River from the Canadian capital, as it would violate the Ottawa Senators' 50-mile marketing territory to promote a rival team. Organizers say they had secured rights from French broadcaster TVA Sports and had begun selling tickets for the event, with proceeds earmarked for a local mental health cause, when the league shut it down, prompting a petition that drew thousands of signatures in less than a day, per the CBC.

The Senators have been trying to build up a fan base in Gatineau, reports the Ottawa Citizen, which concludes the league "is simply acting in the best interests" of that team. But with the Sens publicly claiming this as a league matter, the petition urges the NHL to reverse course and let Gatineau fans join in the playoff run of the last remaining Canadian team. "The fact that we're not able to get together and cheer for a team of our choice, that is unacceptable for us," Wassim Aboutanos of Impératif français tells the CBC. He has the support of National Post columnist Chris Selley, who says it's "complete madness" for the NHL to be "actively dissuading people from watching its product."