Rather than accepting the Montreal Canadiens’ offer to play free games in Quebec City next season, the government has decided to offer the Los Angeles Kings up to $7 million instead.
The Canadiens confirmed to CTV News that they had offered to play for free at the Videotron Centre but were turned down.
Instead, Quebec will pay between $5 and $7 million for two LA Kings games (opens in a new tab), with Finance Minister Éric Girard claiming that the benefits will be worth it.
He goes on to say that events like the Presidents Cup golf tournament and the Formula One race in Montreal are both subsidized.
Nonetheless, social media users reacted negatively to the news.
“Only in Quebec would you snub a local team for a foreign one,” one X platform user responded. “Doesn’t seem to apply for students though.”
The Kings will play in Quebec City from October 2 to 6, with tickets ranging from $55 to $170.
Luc Robitaille, the team’s president, is from Montreal, and there are currently two Quebecers on the roster: Philip Danault from Victoriaville and Pierre-Luc Dubois from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
The last time the Canadiens played an exhibition game at the Videotron Centre was in 2018, when they hosted the Washington Capitals(opens in a new tab).
Kelly Greig of CTV News contributed files.
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