The box office at the Halifax Metro Centre was booming Thursday morning as tickets went on sale for the Halifax Mooseheads third-round Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series.
Many tickets had already been scooped up by season ticket holders, but fans raced to grab what was left.
“We got the very top row of the upper bowl, at the back, the very top row,” says fan Paul Shirriff.
Number one in the regular season, the Herd swept their first two playoff series against the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Gatineau Olympiques.
The Mooseheads face off next against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre, for the first game of their best-of-seven semi-final series.
While the Mooseheads’ on-ice success is making Halifax hockey fans happy, it is also a win for local businesses. A packed house at the Metro Centre means people will flood the downtown pubs and restaurants, before and after the game.
“It’s good that they’re winning and they just keep rolling. It’s good for business,” says waiter Colin Grant.
The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia says sales at bars and food establishments will jump 30 per cent this weekend.
“Probably a 40 or 50 person lineup starting at 4:30 or five o’clock and it goes right until seven,” says Grant.
The Mooseheads are happy to help out and are grateful for the support.
“Any help we can provide the downtown, as far as people spilling out after our games into restaurants and bars, I think is a positive thing and a positive vibe for our city,” says Brian Urquhart, vice president of business operations for the Halifax Mooseheads.
“So, we’re again fortunate that the team is playing so well and fortunate that we’ve had the support that we’ve had.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Plowman
