CALGARY.....MANY UNMASKED HOCKEY 🏒 FANS JAM INTO SADDLEDOME AS RESTRICTIONS DROP

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada:  A mostly unmasked sea of red and white jerseys filled the Saddledome for the Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens game Thursday night.

The arena, which can seat over 19,000 people, can now operate at full capacity, and fans can choose whether or not to wear a mask now that the province has entered Step 2 in their three-step plan to lift pandemic restrictions. 

"It's just great to go back to having some sense of normalcy," hockey fan James Benford said before entering the arena.

Alberta is one of the first provinces to fully drop masking rules in large venues, while also no longer requiring people to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test.