Fears of a terrorist attack: Montreal police on high alert around the Bell Centre

Maxime Truman
Fears of a terrorist attack: Montreal police on high alert around the Bell Centre
Credit: Orphisme photographie

The world is sick.

My grandmother used to say that all the time when I was young, and I have to admit she was right. The mass shootings in schools across the United States… the “believers” who carry out suicide attacks because their religion glorifies martyrs… people driving their vehicles into crowds, like in Spain…

This behavior has the effect of changing police behavior. I went down to Manhattan on December 31, 2024, and I can confirm that there's security everywhere in Times Square on New Year's Eve. All the trash cans are locked, in particular, for fear that a bomb might be planted there.

Montreal police also had to adjust their tactics over the weekend, for fear that some nutcase might try to use his car to run over Canadiens fans gathered near the Bell Centre.

“Montreal police are using Quebec-made anti-ram vehicle barriers to protect the thousands of fans in front of the Bell Centre during the Canadiens' playoff games”—Mathieu Boulay, Journal de Montréal.

The Journal de Montréal reports this morning that the SPVM has purchased about sixty portable anti-ram barriers. They were used on Friday and Sunday in downtown Montreal, but they will also be used at several events each year.

We agree that they're easier to move than traditional concrete blocks.

As much as I'm glad to see the Montreal Police taking these measures for our protection, I can't help but feel it's sad to see where we've ended up as a society. Constantly having to protect ourselves from potential terrorist attacks takes away some of the humanity from positive, festive events, don't you think?

But that's just how it is now…

At least there's hope: this man is using his pickup truck to fix potholes around the Bell Centre, rather than to do something dramatic there.

 

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The NHL and its culture of cowardice
Is it just me, or does it seem like the NHL playoffs are more violent than before?

Actually, let me rephrase that: is it just me, or does the violence we see in the NHL playoffs seem more vicious and uninhibited than before?

Martin Leclerc asked himself this question this morning on the Radio-Canada website and came to an interesting conclusion. According to him, the nature of NHL violence has simply changed. Before, there were more penalties handed out for illegal plays, and there were also dirty hits. However, whether we like it or not, the code still served to prevent certain behaviors.

Today, it seems like players get away with more. They don't have a Bob Probert or a Georges Laraque to remind them that they've crossed the line…

Ridley Greig… Jamie Benn… would they have behaved this way in 2002?

The line I like best in Leclerc's piece is certainly this one:

“This gesture was simply the logical consequence of the culture of cowardice that is spreading throughout the NHL”—Martin Leclerc, on Ridly Greig's action, who struck a player already involved in a scuffle with another player

I (really) urge you to read Martin Leclerc's article in its entirety. He's hit the nail on the head.

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