Great expectations for Canadiens' Bell Centre playoff atmosphere

The Montreal Gazette presents a behind-the-scenes look at how the Bell Centre marketing department begins incubating ideas for the playoffs after Christmas.

With the Tampa Bay Lightning first round series shifting to Montreal Sunday, the arena is ready to raise the bar yet again.

“We’re often viewed as the cream of the crop in the NHL. ... I’m very objective when I look at game presentation,” Kevin Gilmore, the club’s chief operating officer, said. “I’ve seen other teams that do a great job as well.

“But there’s a high level of expectation from our fans and from the media because of what we’ve done in the past — and, most importantly, because of what our brand represents to people. It comes with a very high standard and in order to meet that standard you almost have to always better yourself.”

Source: Brenda Branswell, Montreal Gazette