(Quebec) The Legault government is providing a subsidy of $5 to $7 million for the Los Angeles Kings to come to Quebec in October 2024.
The Kings will be at the Videotron Center from October 2 to 6 to complete their training camp and play two preparatory games.
Their opponents will be the Boston Bruins (October 3) and the Florida Panthers (October 5). The public will be able to attend practices.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the chief operating officer of the Quebecor Sports and Entertainment Group and president of Gestev, Martin Tremblay, emphasized that the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, was “the initiator of this project.” Gestev was “the intermediary between the government and the Kings.”
He suggested that his organization did not have to convince the government to take out its checkbook. “It’s a project initiated by the government of Quebec,” he replied.
“The agreement reached provides that the government of Quebec will subsidize the holding of the event by assuming responsibility for excess expenses on the revenues generated by it,” specifies the Quebecor press release.
“Yes, there will be a subsidy from the Quebec government to facilitate the event,” said Eric Girard. We estimate that the event will have expenses of around 9 to 10 million. There will be income. And my best estimate is that the Quebec government will have to provide a subsidy of around 5 million dollars for the holding of such an event” and “a maximum of seven million” according to the agreement with Gestev.
The Videotron Center is an “exceptional infrastructure,” and “it’s important to show it and use it. We have to use it,” he said.
Eric Girard argued that the subsidy is comparable to those granted for other sporting and cultural events such as F1, the Presidents Cup in golf or even the Mosaïcultures. There was no analysis of the economic fallout from the event.
Mandated by François Legault to work on the possible return of the Nordiques, the government’s big financier will meet NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on November 29 in New York. He has already held talks with him since receiving his mandate from the prime minister two years ago. Mr. Girard recalled that there is no expansion or team move in Mr. Bettman’s plans, but that he is still continuing his charm operation.