Alex Newhook fans turn N.L. bars into ‘mini Bell Centres’ during Habs playoff games

ST. JOHN’S —

Hockey fans in Alex Newhook’s home province have gathered in bars and set aside politics as their hometown hero has helped secure the Montreal Canadiens a spot in the Eastern Conference final.

In the Newfoundland Embassy, a pub on the bottom floor of a bright red building in St. John’s, the band hurried to the television between songs on Monday night to watch Game 7 between the Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres.

Nobody minded about the band, said Embassy co-owner Niall Hickey. Everybody was there for Newhook-mania.

And Newhook certainly delivered — with an overtime goal 11:22 into overtime in the 3-2 win over the Sabres. It was his second series-clinching goal in Game 7 in the 2026 playoffs.

“A lot of people in Newfoundland and Labrador are big Montreal fans, and to see their hometown boy, Alex Newhook, just absolutely killing it? It’s so exciting,” Hickey said in an interview.

Even a few Toronto Maple Leafs fans came in to cheer on Newhook, but they were reluctant to admit it, Hickey added.

Newhook grew up in St. John’s and said during a post-game press conference that he is proud to be representing Newfoundland and Labrador in the NHL playoffs.

“I’m sure back home everyone’s having a great time right now,” he told reporters in Buffalo. “I don’t think the time of day really matters to them, so I’m sure they’re having a good time.”

Earlier in May, the 25-year-old centre scored in the third period of Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, allowing the Canadiens to outlast the Lightning 2-1 to end a thrilling first-round matchup.

Newhook is now among only 14 NHL players with two career game-winning goals in Game 7. He’s in his second season in Montreal after winning the Stanley Cup with the 2022 Colorado Avalanche.

At the Duke of Duckworth, a quick walk from the Embassy, employee Aiden Kenny said the fans crowding the pub Monday were “going nuts.”

“There was a little mini Bell Center here the other night when Newhook scored,” Kenny said, referring to the Canadiens’ home arena.

Both pubs are preparing for large crowds on Thursday, when the Habs play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

In the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature, the Progressive Conservatives and Opposition Liberals threw down their gloves on Tuesday to congratulate Newhook. Tory Premier Tony Wakeham even opened a major press conference that day with a shout-out to the athlete and his team.

In rural Newfoundland, Scott LeShane has a Canadiens flag flying outside his home in Lower Island Cove, N.L., which is about 50 kilometres northwest of St. John’s. He’s been a Habs fan all his life, and he raises the flag when the playoffs begin and takes it down when the team is eliminated.

This year, a parade of icebergs have drifted past his house and his photos of the Canadiens flag flying on a cliff with icebergs in the background have been shared widely across social media. Something about the classic Newfoundland setting with the bright red Habs flag has struck a chord with people watching a hometown athlete become a superstar.

“On a regular year, it’s great to have the Habs in the playoffs, but having Alex on the team, makes it so much more special,” LeShane said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press