François Legault on the Kings’ visit to Quebec City: “It was a mistake”

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Crédit: QUEBEC CITY, QC - SEPTEMBER 28: Hockey fans make their way towards the main entrance of the newly built Videotron Centre during the NHL pre-season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 28, 2015 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

In 2024, the Legault government announced a subsidy of $5 to $7 million (public money) for the Kings to come and play exhibition games in Quebec City, and we all remember how polarizing this issue was in the province. At the time, it made many people wonder about the management of public funds. Today, François Legault admitted it on Radio-Canada‘s Première heure: it was a mistake. The Prime Minister wasn’ t afraid to hide it, and he explained his point of view as well. He acknowledges that not everyone was happy about the fact that taxpayers’ money was invested in this project…

yes, it was a mistake. Because people really didn’t like the fact that we were spending 5-6 million to bring the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec City to show off our great amphitheatre.

–

François Legault

But by now, it may be a little too late to say that too…

(Credit: Getty Images)

[content-ads] The original goal was to show that there was interest in hockey in Quebec City, and to demonstrate to the National Hockey League that it can work in a market like Quebec City, because for years and years, many people have wanted to see an NHL team return to the province.

A few days after the Kings’ visit, Gary Bettman said he knew the people in Quebec City were “passionate”, but he also continued to say that the NHLhad no plans to expand the league for the time being.

And since then, nothing has changed when it comes to expansion/relocation in the NHL…François Legault’s statement today will get people talking, and that’s normal too. It’s been over a year since this news was announced, and he’s had plenty of time since then to backtrack on the fact that it was a mistake. But even now, it’s too late. The money invested in this project will never come back, after all… [spacer title=’Overtime’] – I like it.

– Jacob Fowler is happy.

– Classic.