Downtown Windsor hosting Stanley Cup viewing party for Game 3
Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals will be played in Edmonton Thursday night, and the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) is throwing a viewing party.
The DWBIA says downtown Windsor will be transformed into the ultimate fan zone, featuring a giant LED screen broadcasting the game between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. The viewing party is free to the public.
"We're excited to bring the community together for this Cup Viewing Block Party," said Chris MacLeod, chair of the DWBIA.
"This event is a fantastic opportunity to support our local businesses and celebrate our city's love for hockey."
The Florida Panthers took a 2-0 series lead Monday with a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
The vast majority of Canadians who said they are following the series are supporting the Oilers, with 83 per cent saying they are cheering for Edmonton. Ten per cent of Canadians surveyed are cheering for the Panthers and seven per cent said neither or they don't care.
Marc Crevier is one of the many Canadians rooting for Edmonton. He got to know one of the players — Adam Henrique — like a member of his family back when he was playing with the Windsor Spitfires.
Henrique won two Memorial Cups with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010. During those years, Crevier was his billet dad.
Crevier said it would be "pretty special" for Henrique to see his name etched on the Stanley Cup.
"They just got to grind through it tonight, hopefully get a win and get some confidence," he said. "It would be awesome to have his name on the Cup with all those other Hall of Famers that are on there."
Regardless of who wins the cup, Crevier is hopeful it will come to Windsor.
"There's another area player that's on the Florida team, Aaron Ekblad from Belle River, so I think it's going to be in the area no matter what. Hopefully, it's with Edmonton," Crevier said on Windsor Morning.
Domenic Papa, founder of WE Digital Productions, says it's a do-or-die game for Edmonton, and his prediction is that the Oilers will be victorious.
"I'm going to pick Edmonton for this game only because, you know, they're back at home," Papa told CBC News.
"They've had a couple of days rest now. They had the extra day of rest. I think that's going to help. The arena is going to be just loud and boisterous."
The block party is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. on Pitt Street East, between Ouellette Avenue and Goyeau Street.
