The Canadiens' playoff run is literally sending fans to the ER
The Montreal Canadiens are deep into the Eastern Conference Final, and the city's emergency rooms are paying the price.
Dr. Julie Sirois, who runs the emergency department at the Montreal Heart Institute, went on Radio-Canada this week with a warning. Habs game nights are spiking cardiac consultations.
She delivered the message sitting across from Catherine Gauthier on Première Ligne, under a chyron that read, plainly, "Crises cardiaques les soirs de match."
It is not a metaphor. Real people. Real chest pain. Real ambulance calls. All timed around puck drop at the Bell Centre.
And the data tracks the calendar. Montreal sits 48-24-10 with 106 points, ranked sixth overall in the regular season, and the playoff road has been pure heart-rate fuel.
Round 1 needed seven games against Tampa Bay. Round 2 needed seven more against Buffalo. Then a 6-2 win in Raleigh to open the East Final, followed by a 3-2 overtime loss.
The series with Carolina is tied 1-1 with Game 3 set for tonight at the Bell Centre.
Why Martin St-Louis has Montreal's cardiologists on alert
This is what happens when a Martin St-Louis team plays a high-event style for two straight months. Every shift feels like a coin flip. Every penalty kill feels like a held breath.
The Habs went 7-3-0 over their last ten regular season games. They have not played a quiet hockey game in weeks.
Dr. Sirois did not blame the team. She did the opposite. She used the moment to remind fans that chest pain on a game night is still chest pain. Call 911. Do not wait for intermission.
That is the part that should stick with every fan in this market. Hockey is supposed to be the escape, not the trigger.
But this is Montreal. The Canadiens are four wins from a Stanley Cup Final. Asking this city to stay calm is like asking a goalie to stop watching the puck.
Game 3 is the swing game of the series. Win it, and the building decides the next two. Lose it, and the road back through Carolina gets very narrow.
The cardiologists will be watching. So will everyone else.
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MAY 25, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Cole Caufield | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Noah Dobson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jayden Struble | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| William Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
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