Sports worlds collide bringing big crowds to Regina sports bars

There is little doubt it is an exciting time to be the owner or manager of a sports bar anywhere in North America.

The NHL regular season gets going Wednesday night featuring two all-Canadian match ups – and, of course, who could forget the MLB playoffs.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” said Ryan Campion, general manager of Regina’s newest sports bar, the Great Canadian Brewhouse.

He is referring to his expectations of Thursday when the Toronto Blue Jays compete in their first playoff game in 22 years – a five-game series against the Texas Rangers. Despite the MLB giving the Blue Jays a less-than-ideal ALDS playoff schedule – games beginning at 1:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. – Campion is confident his place will be filled with Jays enthusiasts.

“It’s going to be a lot of people maybe coming in with that last minute cold calling in sick for work, who knows, but we should see a pretty good turnout.”

There are many sports fans focused solely on the Blue Jays and their chance to win a World Series title for the first time since 1993, but for those who are not that interested in baseball, or possibly are just bigger hockey fans, Wednesday is a significant day for them.

One of the NHL’s biggest rivalries kicks off the 2015-16 season at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The puck drops between the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens at 5 p.m. After that, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks square off – a rematch of last season’s Pacific division playoff series.

Campion is expecting a similar atmosphere to what the sports bar saw when the NFL kicked off earlier in the year.

“It’s a long summer not being able to watch hockey so I think everybody’s really excited to bust through the doors and get a good seat to watch the game,” said Campion.

The NFL is already into week five and the NBA preseason is underway. Basketball’s regular season does not get started until Oct. 27.

If you are a golf fan, the President’s Cup begins Thursday in South Korea.