Which Canadian city for a short family hockey trip?

[Billy Kvcmu]

I like when there’s snow at Christmas.

Taking my kid to the toboggan hill.

Going cross country skiing along the Ottawa river or in Gatineau Park.

Shinny on the outdoor rinks.

Snow is nice at a ski resort
Anywhere else? Nah

Like I always said, at least you dont have to shovel rain

 

[NyQuil]

Snow is nice at a ski resort
Anywhere else? Nah

Like I always said, at least you dont have to shovel rain

There is no activity or past-time I can think of that requires rain to do it.

 

[McFlash97]

Spoken like someone who doesn’t know what Vancouver is like in February. (Outside of the odd year)

I live in Vancouver. Nice try

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

There is no activity or past-time I can think of that requires rain to do it.

If it's a day off with no pre-planned activity and it is snowing outside, im not going out

 

[Tralfamadore]

I hear Winnipeg is beautiful in the winter.

But seriously, Montreal would be your best bet.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

WTF is this bullshit 99.9% of the population never owned a 2000$ jacket

I feel like I posted a meme vid about this shit............... I think people...... think Canada Goose represents Canada, or something.

Not sure.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

I feel like I posted a meme vid about this shit............... I think people...... think Canada Goose represents Canada, or something.

Not sure.

I have seen a lot of Arc’teryx in Montreal though. Went to a ski outlet to find a jacket and one I like was $900…after discount.

 

[jackjohnson]

Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal would all be fine choices for different reasons. Personally I wouldn’t choose any of the other ones.

Ottawa could be a quick trip though from Montreal since it's only a 2 hour train ride

There is no activity or past-time I can think of that requires rain to do it.

Rain in Vancouver during winter usually means snow on the slopes though which is pretty cool for cross country skiing in Whistler

 

[Zirakzigil]

Calgary is nice because Banff/Lake Louise is just a short drive away. Always can make a quick hop to Edmonton to catch a game there.

 

[denverdevil]

Thanks for the feedback everybody! I’ve read all the posts (even the 5 straight pages discussing the weather ) and appreciate it. Generally want to say:

- we don’t need it to be “American” so Montreal would be fine. Excited to try to learn some useful French before the trip. I go to your city, I try to learn your city’s language and do things your way.
- we live in Colorado, not Death Valley, so can do cold, though admittedly -50C wouldn’t be fun.

 

[jackjohnson]

Vancouver in February ? Lol I can confirm with you, you don't want to visit the city with the lowest amount.of sunlight in the winter frozen temperatures, constant rain, dark. You might be frozen in the Alberta cities, but you you will at least freeze in the sunlight....

I think venues and attractions are more important than anything for tourists and Vancouver has more if it compared to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg imo. Even in rain you can still do fine dining in a great sushi place, steak place, Italian restaurant, Persian restaurant or a top end Korean BBQ or hotpot or sing kareoke in some Chinese bar or restaurant. The variety of dining options in Vancouver beats most places in Canada except maybe Toronto. Then there is Whistler, Victoria and lots of lounges, bars in downtown. Lots to do in Vancouver and their shopping experience is also better compared to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg imo. For activities I think Whistler is the best for skiing. Aside from that's, there are places where you can do electric car racing, there is shooting range, indoor mini golf, playland/PNE, science world, Stanley park, space center etc. And if you are into NHL you can catch the Canucks game in Rogers arena or catch an AHL game in Abbotsford which is about one hour from downtown vancouver

 

[denverdevil]

I’d plug Vancouver if it was very start of season or very end. But if you two travellers are keen on hockey exposure, I’d say Toronto. Go check the Hall of Fame, find some other hockey event or tournament to check out from a lower tier league, etc.

One good option to try to make it special though is to lock in on a destination and then engage with the team’s home board here on HF early. Hopefully you’ll get a ton of support and suggestions that way too. You might turn up a lot more from people who don’t visit the main boards.

Honestly, I hope you have great time no matter where you go. Good luck with it. And if Vancouver ends up being the target, feel free to send a DM if you have questions.

Cheers!

Good point on the home boards and thanks for the DM offer!

 

[jackjohnson]

Thanks for the feedback everybody! I’ve read all the posts (even the 5 straight pages discussing the weather ) and appreciate it. Generally want to say:

- we don’t need it to be “American” so Montreal would be fine. Excited to try to learn some useful French before the trip. I go to your city, I try to learn your city’s language and do things your way.
- we live in Colorado, not Death Valley, so can do cold, though admittedly -50C wouldn’t be fun.

Montreal is also very good for tourists coming from US. Basically you can't go wrong with either Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver no matter which season you visit. Summer seasons are usually better but winter time is also fine as there are still many attractions and activities that can be done in and around those cities. Calgary would also be nice to visit in summer due to their festivals, camping etc. I would not really recommend places like Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatchewan etc. Because I do find those place a bit boring imo. Edmonton has the WEM but that is pretty much it about Edmonton. Maybe McDavid when he isn't injured is fun to watch too lol

 

[LaCarriere]

Are you driving or flying and using transit/rental car?

I can't really comment on western Canada teams, never been out there. If you go to Toronto you could always see if there's a Buffalo or detroit game around the same time (both under 2hr drive from toronto), but Toronto is pretty expensive, but tons of great food.

Montreal/Ottawa is another option, lots of sight seeing in both cities and great food. Probably a bit cheaper to stay in than Toronto, but not sure about flights from Denver.

Last option would be Edmonton/calgary, but like I said, I really have no insight into either city. Other that it will probably be cold as f***.

Also, don't go to winnipeg. Just don't.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

There is no activity or past-time I can think of that requires rain to do it.

You trying to tell me you never went out into your backyard with the sprinkler on (wait, it's free water?) with that Banana slidy thing, and didn't have a good time? In February?

 

[jackjohnson]

Are you driving or flying and using transit/rental car?

I can't really comment on western Canada teams, never been out there. If you go to Toronto you could always see if there's a Buffalo or detroit game around the same time (both under 2hr drive from toronto), but Toronto is pretty expensive, but tons of great food.

Montreal/Ottawa is another option, lots of sight seeing in both cities and great food. Probably a bit cheaper to stay in than Toronto, but not sure about flights from Denver.

Last option would be Edmonton/calgary, but like I said, I really have no insight into either city. Other that it will probably be cold as f***.

Also, don't go to winnipeg. Just don't.

Not sure if I would be driving in Feb, in winter time between cities especially if there is heavy snow storm lol. Best to just fly in and take public transit and Uber inside the city. If it was summer I would agree with renting a car due to better driving conditions.

 

[LaCarriere]

Not sure if I would be driving in Feb, in winter time between cities especially if there is heavy snow storm lol. Best to just fly in and take public transit and Uber inside the city. If it was summer I would agree with renting a car due to better driving conditions.

I mean, it's not like canada shuts down in the winter, lol. A decent set of snow tires and you're good to drive. If he's coming from denver I'm guessing he has some.

Either way it's really dependant on what's in ops budget. Toronto is expensive, but it's probably the best canadian team right now, and you have buffalo and detroit in driving distance.

Alberta is probably cheaper than ontario, but calgary isn't doing so hot, and Edmonton is good minus a goalie, but at least you'd get to see McDavid.

 

[Dex]

Kind of late to the party, but I'll hop in to add some comments.

First, some background about myself - Sabres fan from the Buffalo area. I'm old enough to have been at Expo '67 in Montreal - thanks to my parents and our pop up tent camper. We stayed in a campground near St Hyacynthe. As an adult, I started travelling to Montreal for the Jazz Festival in the early 90s. My sons and I have skied Mont Tremblant every year from 2006 - 2020 and then again this past February post pandemic. Heading back in February 0f 2024. We typically stop in Montreal or Ottawa to catch a hockey game as part of our trip and the Habs and Sens are my 2nd and 3rd favorite teams.

Montreal

An absolutely fabulous city. Multi cultural, multi lingual and so much beauty and history. The Bell Centre is my favorite place to see a hockey game. Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal) is great to visit - shops, restaurants, architecture, churches, souvenir places, and so much history. The downtown area is a good as a downtown gets, tons of site seeing, restaurants, more churches and museums. The Montreal Museum of Fine Art is an excellent art museum - world class. Super easy to use subway. You can easily take it out to the Biodome, Botanical Garden and Olympic Stadium. There are so many streets and districts to explore. I never miss a stop at Hurley's Irish Pub on Rue Crescent.

I've been to 6 or 7 hockey games at the Bell Centre including one Buffalo Sabres game. For the Sabres game, we were obviously rooting for Buffalo. The fans around us were super nice. They obviously saw I was older and asked me about seeing Gilbert Perreault and the French Connection play and what it was like to see games vs the Canadiens in that era. It was actually those games that helped me fall in love with the Canadiens as well.

All told - for between the ski trips and jazz festival trips I've been to Montreal at least 25 times. I have not once experienced any negativity from any French speaking individuals. My suggestions and maybe (?) the key to my positive experiences is to be respectful. Learn some basic words like bonjour (hello), bon soir (good evening), merci (thank you), merci beaucoup (thank you very much) desole (sorry). I would look up the pronunciations, learn them and use them. I've learned how to say - I'm sorry , I don't speak French. Do you speak English? And find it very helpful or greet someone by saying "bonjour, hello". It is my view that walking up to someone in an area that you know to be predominantly French speaking and simply using English is akin to saying that you know they are French speaking and likely know English, so too bad - I am demanding that you speak English to me.

Ottawa

I've probably been to Ottawa 7 or 8 times over the last 15 years. Blues Festival, to see Van Morrison at City Folk, but mostly as part of the ski trip to Tremblant. The arena is indeed inconveniently located. I've stayed out in Kanata and travelled into the city to visit and the reverse. I prefer staying right in downtown Ottawa. There's so much to see starting with the Parliament/Peace Tower/Parliamentary Library. Lots of museums and architecture - National Gallery of Art (fantastic), Museum of War, History Museum in Gatineau, Nature, Chateau Laurier, a basilica, and various other historical and government buildings. The Byward Market is a nice area to explore with restaurants and various type of shops. The star of the show in winter is the Rideau Canal. You can rent skates or just walk on the ice. There are warming huts along the way, various types of entertainment, food to eat including the famous queue de castor (beaver tails, i.e. fried dough). One year, my sons and I skated from our hotel (Elgin) to what was then the Ottawa Civic Centre to catch an Ottawa 67s game and then skated back afterwards.

Quebec City

If there is any time, I'd recommend a stop in Quebec City for a day or two. It's an absolutely stunning place to visit from an architectural, cultural, and historical point of view. Walking the walls and seeing the gates is memorable, the citadel full of history. Inside the walls are some of the most charming and beautiful buildings you'll ever see in North America. Shops, galleries, restaurants, churches, museums, businesses, souvenir spots, bars - you name it. The lower town has lots of historical buildings, craft shops and restaurants as well. The Grand Allee outside the walls is very popular for restaurants and shops as well.

My sons and I went this past February as part of our ski trip. We ended up there during the Winter Festival which was really nice. The city was just alive with activities, colorful lighting and tons of people. We also caught the annual Ice Canoe Race across the St Lawrence River and back. That was a lot of fun as well.

Apologies for the length

 

[MessierII]

I would say Montreal because it’s the most unique NHL city but it’s also insane to get tickets. Toronto is also insane to get tickets. Depends where you’re coming from I guess. Winnipeg would be the most economical. Vancouver is the warmest. Edmonton and Calgary are both decent options but February is usually damn cold. I think Calgary’s tickets are less than Edmonton on average. Ottawa is a weird place but some cool areas if you stay near parliament hill. Only issue is the arena is no where near there.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

I would say Montreal because it’s the most unique NHL city but it’s also insane to get tickets. Toronto is also insane to get tickets. Depends where you’re coming from I guess. Winnipeg would be the most economical. Vancouver is the warmest. Edmonton and Calgary are both decent options but February is usually damn cold. I think Calgary’s tickets are less than Edmonton on average. Ottawa is a weird place but some cool areas if you stay near parliament hill. Only issue is the arena is no where near there.

I will say as an American though the Canadian dollar is pretty weak right now and prices are not too bad. I was able to sit in the lower level at Bell Center for less than the same tickets cost at a Caps game.

 

[93LEAFS]

Toronto for hockey related stuff and in-city sight seeing might be the best, but is also at the top of the list when it comes to expenses alongside Vancouver. Montreal is cheaper, has a ton of cool stuff, but gets a harsher winter. Of the Canadian cities I've been to, those are the only ones I'm really big fans of (Toronto born and raised, so some bias here), and I tend to like big cosmopolitan cities such as NYC, Chicago and SF. Vancouver is great but with an asterisk for me, which is if you love the outdoors and activities related to it, it's probably where you'd want to be in Canada but I find culturally it's lacking compared to the two Canadian cities I mentioned.

As for things to do, Toronto has a ton of stuff right near the arena if that is where you choose to stay. For kids you got the HHOF, Ripley's and CN Tower all within a 10 minute walk. St. Lawrence Market is pretty cool spot (and try out Carosal Bakery for a peameal bacon sandwich, or Uno Mustachio for a veal sandwich.

For Montreal, I really don't know what there is for kid's related stuff, but I'm sure some local here could give you some great ideas. When it comes to cheap nightlife in Canada, Montreal is pretty unmatched, whereas at the higher end level Toronto can compete on that front.

 

[FDBluth]

There is no activity or past-time I can think of that requires rain to do it.

Those downhill cheese wheel races in England usually benefit from some moisture on the pitch..err...hill

 

[93LEAFS]

Snow is nice at a ski resort
Anywhere else? Nah

Like I always said, at least you dont have to shovel rain

I'll take snow and -5 any day over 2 to 5 degrees and rain. Snow bounces off you if properly attired, cold rain no matter what you are wearing just clings to you.

 

[wetcoast]

I asked someone for directions nicely in English and got scoffed at. Another clerk at a store didn't look to happy when I didn't speak French. I don't walk around in public talking about hockey to people.

I'm sure that happened to you but let's not make the exception the rule here.

Almost every culture is by and large very friendly and accommodating a few bad apples is no way to judge anything.

Growing up and living in greater Vancouver all of my life I have run into tons of jerks and assholes, my first thought isn't what culture they are from it's what a dick.

 

[93LEAFS]

Well for foreigners Canada during the coldest month would be similar to going to Pluto. Especially if someone comes from a place where it regularly hits 30 to 40C. You need special $2000 jackets in some parts of Canada if you ever want to be outside in frigid temp but I bet most would be spending time indoors.

$2000 jackets are needed? Maybe if you go up to the artic circle or maybe some of the territories. Does it get cold, absolutely. But, I don't think any Canadian city that has an NHL team gets cold enough to require 2000 dollar jackets. This is like saying certain parts of the United States require 2000 dollar jackets because it gets so cold, while only really referring to parts of Alaska.