Montreal bar ‘the headquarters for P.K. fans’
For Montreal hockey fans, it’s as close to Nashville as you can get without actually going there.
Even before owner Paulo Branco temporarily changed the name of his bar from Chez Serge to Chez Subban, it already had a touch of Nashville as probably the only establishment in Montreal with a mechanical bull.
After the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Branco decided to change the name of his establishment to Chez Subban for as long as P.K. Subban and the Nashville Predators remained in the NHL playoffs.
For Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final between the Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, Chez Subban was packed. The Penguins won, to the disappointment of all the fans at Chez Subban wearing Predators jerseys.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Branco said about the atmosphere in his bar. “It’s become a gathering place, the headquarters for P.K. fans. And the energy here is the same as you see when the Canadiens are in the playoffs — people are emotionally very attached to P.K., so they party like it’s our team.”
The name change turned out to be a brilliant business move for Branco, who was beaming about a full house on a rainy Monday night and had to move the mechanical bull aside to make space for tables and chairs.
But he has received some negative reaction on social media, being called a traitor — and worse.
“First and foremost, I’m a Montreal Canadiens fan,” Branco said. “But I always loved P.K., even before the NHL. I really appreciate him and I want him to win. I admire the man even more than the hockey player.”
Before the start of Monday’s game, Pierre-Luc Cantin was sitting outside Chez Subban in his Ford pickup truck — a red Carey Price Ultimate Edition. Mounted on the truck was a large yellow Predators flag, and Cantin was wearing a half Predators-half Canadiens jersey with Subban’s name and No. 76 on the back.
“I’m a Canadiens fan first, and then a Subban fan,” Cantin said in French after taking a seat at the bar. “P.K.’s an extroverted guy — like me, a bit. I’m happy for Subban where he ended up.”
There was a party atmosphere all night at Chez Subban, including barmaids dancing on the bar. There were even a few Pittsburgh fans. A red light went off after each Predators goal and the place went wild when Nashville tied the score 3-3 in the third period.
Ryan Weekes, another fan at the bar, said he and his friends will take the day off work if the Predators win the Cup and Subban takes it to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where the player has maintained his pledge to raise $10 million. If that happens, Branco is hoping Subban might stop by his place for lunch.
So, when will Chez Subban go back to being Chez Serge?
“Ideally, when we drink out of the Cup,” Branco said with a big smile.