Cochranites of the bleary-eyed and ‘all-nighter’ persuasions found their way to local establishments long before sunrise Feb. 23 to witness Team Canada defend their gold medal championship from Team Sweden in Olympic men’s hockey.
Local venues were not immune to the decision announced on Feb. 21 to go ahead with a province-wide green light for all liquor-licensed establishments to swing open their gates and serve liquor at 5 a.m. to Team Canada well wishers brimming with Canuck pride.
It seemed that Cochrane bar staff served up frothy pints and Baileys and coffee without incident.
“Everybody behaved,” said Const. Kevin Gaal. “I think the word got out quickly and the attention it drew made everyone aware that the police would be out.”
The Cochrane RCMP detachment did not set up a formal Checkstop, but were out on patrol.
While a healthy turnout was noted at establishments such as the Texas Gate, Killarney’s and the Bullhorn Saloon, Ducks on the Roof (with over 90 televisions) was certainly touted as ‘the place to be’ on Sunday morn.
“I had people waiting at the door at 3:45 a.m.,” laughed Kelly Scondrianis, who was busy manning the front of house while husband and co-owner, John, was flat-out behind the grill in Ducks’ kitchen.
“I got chills after we won and the whole bar sang the Canadian anthem.”
Kelly said while there was nary an empty seat by 5 a.m. and the bar was a sea of red and white-clad fans (around 400 people), the energy was really positive and the event was smooth sailing.
“As soon as they announced the decision allowing bars to serve at 5 a.m., my phone never stopped ringing,” remarked Kelly, adding that Ducks did not take reservations for the event.
She also said that should another similar opportunity arise in future Olympics, Ducks would love to jump on the bandwagon once again, in support of Canadian Olympic spirit.
Jody Korchinski, spokesperson for AGLC, said that the decision ‘made sense’ and was in response to an outpouring of requests from across the province, made by licensees, as well as hockey fans.
“The AGLC was certainly happy to accommodate Albertans’ interests and requests…the AGLC has the ability to make these special exceptions.”
Korchinski said the blanket approval allowed “any bar or lounge that had a liquor license” to pop the top and open the taps at 5 a.m. without requiring licensees to apply for a special license from the province.
She said that the premier’s support did influence the decision; Redford cautioned Albertans to drink responsibly through Twitter Feb. 21.
Regular liquor service in the province of Alberta is between 10:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. (patrons must leave establishments by 3 a.m.).
British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario (with the exception of the City of Toronto) did not permit early morning alcohol service, although some establishments were open early for sober business.
Kelly said that had Ducks not been permitted to serve alcohol early, it wouldn’t have been worth opening early — a sentiment shared among several B.C. bar owners who chose not to open early due to the provincial decision.
Korchinski said AGLC was yet to debrief with their partners (law enforcement) as of Feb. 24 but did say: “At this time, we’re not aware of any major incidents” and referred to the event as a “positive situation”.
