About a year ago, downtown Montreal sports bar and restaurant, La Station des Sports, completed its long renovation process. The result: La Station des Sports went from a small sports bar on St. Catherine street to being the biggest sports bar in the area. Today, the place has TVs everywhere you look and the food is reasonably priced. But the question is: is this where people want to watch a game, whether it’s hockey,soccer or football, in this city? Or is it the famous La Cage aux Sports? Or is it somewhere else, maybe?
For Concordia students Frank Racanelli, Matthew Shanahan, and Julian McKenzie, there is no better place than La Station des Sports, especially since its renovation.
Racanelli was quick to identify why he believes it’s the best spot to watch the big game, “Cool atmosphere, good food, competitive prices, newly renovated, and lots of TVs.”
Shanahan echoed Racanelli’s thoughts: “The food and beer are pretty cheap and pretty good and so it’s a good value. It also has a good location and a good atmosphere, which is a key component for sports fans.”
“La Station des Sports has TV screens everywhere, good food, [you] can’t ask for more,” added McKenzie.
But some sports fans disagree. Concordia student Samuel Panarello and Vanier student Kyra Lo Russo still prefer the more traditional La Cage aux Sports.
“[La Cage aux Sports] has a great atmosphere for watching Habs games, in my opinion,” said Panarello. “I’m not really picky to be honest but the goal horn, the wings, the popcorn, [it] all adds up.”
Lo Russo, a long time hockey fanatic, agreed, “La Cage aux Sports. Great food and good environment.”
La Station des Sports and La Cage aux Sports are definitely some of the most franchised sports bars around the city. La Station des Sports has opened many new locations recently and now has six locations in the greater Montreal area (GMA), notably two downtown, two in Brossard, one in St. Leonard and one in Laval.
La Cage aux Sports, however, has been around a lot longer, and has 53 locations in Quebec, notably 12 locations in the GMA and has been a popular spot for Canadiens games and other big sporting events in the province. In fact, they call themselves the official partners of the Montreal Canadiens.
Concordia student Christopher Scott, though, enjoys watching the big game at a less popular location.
“Personally, I prefer Chuck’s in Pointe-Claire,” Scott said. “It’s a small bar inside the golf dome. I prefer going there because it’s not too loud and you can enjoy the game while sharing a drink with your friends without coming out deaf after the game. Also, [it has] good food and drinks.”
McKibbin’s Irish Pub and Les Trois Brasseurs are also popular spots to watch the big game, but at the end of the day so many restaurants, in downtown Montreal especially, show the big game, whether it be the Habs game or another big sporting event, and it’s really up to the sports fans to choose a place based on the atmosphere they prefer. One thing is for certain, to enjoy a sports game, you need good food and beer and an excellent atmosphere, and these Concordia students have confirmed that places like La Station des Sports and La Cage aux Sports, among others, provide just that.
