Hurricanes, Canadiens split a downtown Raleigh bar during playoff run
At The Davie on South Blount Street, Hurricanes fans packed downstairs while Canadiens fans claimed upstairs, turning one bar into Raleigh’s playoff room.
Matt Coleman’s downtown Raleigh bar became a split-screen version of the Eastern Conference Final, with Hurricanes fans gathering downstairs at The Davie and Canadiens supporters, including some Montreal transplants, heading upstairs. Inside the neighborhood spot at 444 S. Blount St., a couple with divided loyalties helped turn playoff hockey into a night-long neighborhood event.
Coleman, a Knightdale native who opened The Davie in 2019, backed the Hurricanes. His wife, Kat Morel Coleman, who grew up in Montreal and now teaches French at North Carolina State University, pulled for the Canadiens. The divide stayed lighthearted, but it matched the intensity of a series that put Raleigh and downtown businesses at the center of the postseason conversation.
The Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Final after sweeping the first two rounds of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, then drew Montreal for a matchup that carried old franchise history with it. Carolina had beaten the Canadiens in both of the teams’ previous postseason meetings since the franchise moved to Raleigh, taking series in 2002 and 2006. This time, Montreal had already won all three regular-season meetings, adding another layer to a series that had already given Wake County hockey fans plenty to argue about.
The schedule kept the spotlight on Raleigh early, with Games 1 and 2 at Lenovo Center on May 21 and May 23 before the series shifted to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 on May 25 and May 27. Potential Games 5, 6 and 7 were set for May 29, May 31 and June 2. That kind of calendar can ripple beyond the arena, and The Davie’s late hours, open until 2 a.m. on weekdays and weekends, made it a natural stop for fans looking for a place to watch together after work or after the first horn.
For downtown Raleigh, the playoff run has changed more than the scoreboard. It has turned bars and restaurants into shared viewing rooms, pushed more people onto South Blount Street on game nights and given neighbors another reason to gather around the same matchup. At The Davie, the Hurricanes’ run has been good business, but it has also given Raleigh a place where a local from Knightdale and a Montreal native can root against each other under the same roof.
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