Bernard Dion is hoping for a “fantastic show” after he scored last-minute tickets to catch the first of two Los Angeles Kings exhibition games being held in Quebec City on Thursday.
As the games draw criticism from organizations and politicians across Quebec for being funded by a government subsidy, Dion says the investment is worthwhile.
“If you consider people are going to come today, some [are] going to take a hotel, they eat at restaurants. I don’t think they’re losing money,” said Dion.
He says the province needs to invest in cultural events like hockey. Buying the tickets Wednesday night and travelling up from Montreal, he says the game gives him a chance to watch the team close to home with his 21-year-old son, who’s a long-time fan.
“I think it’s in our blood. Hockey is the most important thing,” said Dion.
“What is important is passion and for people here, they want to have that passion back,”
Money invested in game ‘outrageous’
In 2023, Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard announced Quebec would agree to spend between $5 million and $7 million for the games — arguing the government often backs comparable events such as the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal or Mosaïcultures, a horticulture exhibit that has cropped up in different cities.
Girard defended the subsidy saying the goal is to highlight a venue designed to host NHL games in the hopes of getting back a team.
But on Thursday, hundreds of people took to the streets to march to the stadium to protest the use of public funds.
“It is outrageous that the government is spending this money,” said Félix Marois with a tenants’ rights group in Quebec City.
He says even if the millions of dollars is a relatively small amount for the provincial government, it’s a lot for smaller non-profits, like his own.
“You could change the lives of many thousands of people with $7 million in subsidies, if invested properly. No one’s life is going to be improved by the hockey game. Like best case scenario, you’ll have one good afternoon.”
Some arrived by bus from Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Saguenay for the demonstration, including Rosalie Dupont, from the Eastern Townships.
“There’s no money for health and education system, and well, our government goes ahead and spends $7 million for a hockey game,” said Dupont.
Etienne Grandmont, Québec Solidaire MNA for Taschereau, says cities across North America host similar events without public investments and Quebec City should have done the same.
“It’s obvious for us that the government [of] Legault doesn’t take the right decisions in terms of public finances,” said Grandmont.
“Public money shouldn’t go to hockey players that earn big salaries … The NHL is [a] very lucrative company. Several billions of dollars in profit every year. They don’t need public money.”
Kings to visit hospitals, host hockey clinics
Kings president Luc Robitaille declined to say how much money the team is getting, but told a news conference today that being paid for trips is part of the team’s business model and helps cover travel, hotels and player salaries.
He says the team will also give back while it’s in Quebec City by visiting a hospital, hosting hockey clinics with children and donating 400 sets of hockey equipment to local organizations.
When Girard first announced the project, he said the hockey event will cost up to $10 million total, but it will not have to cover the cost of meals and alcohol for Los Angeles Kings players.
Gestev, the organizer of the event and the recipient of the subsidy, is a property of Québecor. Martin Tremblay, head of Gestev and chief operating officer of Québecor’s sports and entertainment division, said it was the Quebec government that launched the initiative.
To ensure that Québecor does not incur any losses, the government has undertaken to pay the company up to an additional $2 million after the event, in the event of a loss.
Staying in Old Quebec from Oct. 2 to Oct. 6, the Kings face off against the Boston Bruins on Thursday and the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, on Saturday.
As of Thursday, over 4,600 tickets were still up for sale.