With next round in sight, Sens Mile gears up for Game 5
It's an ideal situation for a bar on Elgin Street: the hometown team playing on a Friday night with a chance to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
The Ottawa Senators can eliminate the Boston Bruins with a win in Game 5 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and while the action happens at the Canadian Tire Centre, the St. Louis Bar and Grill on the Elgin Street Sens Mile expects a "roaring" crowd.
"It'll be really busy. Hopefully the rain can hold off, and we can fill the patio as well. It'll be a good night, for sure," said general manager Megan Punnett.
Like most other bars and restaurants on Elgin, she's seeing a bump in business during this playoff run, and she hopes the Sens can keep it going.
"It's been awesome," said Punnett. "The fans have really been excited about the games. The games have been so good!"
Farther up Elgin, busker Marco Barbery says the buzz is contagious.
"It brings a lot of positive energy to the city, and everyone's happy, and it brings people from out of town — a lot of tourists and stuff like that — so it's very good for business," he said, during a break from playing cover songs on his acoustic guitar.
'It's a good thing for the city'
Barbery didn't expect the Senators to make such easy work of the Bruins so far. "They're managing," he said. "They're doing their best. They're grinding it."
Other fans like Don Simmonds agree, and enjoy how the team's success makes Elgin Street a lot more fun on game nights. "It's keeping up to its hype," he said. "It's a good thing for the city."
June Wells hopes the Senators can close out the series tonight to start the weekend off with a bang.
"It's going to be fabulous, and of course everybody will be marching down this Sens Mile, which is great," she said.
But not everyone wants this round to end tonight.
Bruins fan Derek Cheng wants his team to "step it up" tonight to prolong the series, even if he'll be surrounded by Sens fans as he watches.
"I'd like to see a long series, and I'd like the Bruins to come out on top. But I won't be upset if the Sens win," he said.
