Since yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings have been the talk of Quebec. The reason is quite simple: Phillip Danault and Pierre-Luc Dubois play there , and the club will be spending a week in Quebec City next fall during its training camp, playing two games and holding practices.
This is good news for Quebec City, of course, but many people were quickly disillusioned when they learned that no less than $5 million in public funds had been invested for the occasion. In a context where a large part of the population is having to tighten their belts, and where the current negotiations with the public sector are not going well, this caused quite a stir.
Seeing Éric Girard put money into this file makes people question the management of public funds 
Source : Sébastien Bovet pic.twitter.com/Vm3bNJhoVL
– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) November 14, 2023
It didn’t help thatwe learned last night that the CH had raised its hand to play in Quebec City for free, even though we later learned that the Habs’ offer would have come after the Kings had initialed their deal with Quebecor.
Since then, the parties involved have been trying to defend the decision. The government defends itself by saying that this is the normal price to pay for such an event, while Quebecor columnists (Jean-Charles Lajoie and Jean-Nicolas Blanchard, for example) have published texts justifying the decision and denouncing “the Habs’ crass hypocrisy”.
Of course, for people far from Quebec City, it’s a little easier to have a hard time digesting the whole thing, given that they won’t get much out of it. NHL games won’t be played in their arenas.
But what about Quebec City? Well, it’s not exactly simple.
Since yesterday, things have been getting a little heated between hosts Jérôme Landry and Stéphan Dupont of FM93 ( Cogeco Media ‘s Quebec City station). In fact, it all started yesterday when Landry welcomed the Kings… and then again defended the decision following the subsidy announcement.
Reminder to those bitching about the subsidy for the Kings in Quebec City: 
The Quebec government grants $6.5 million to the Presidents Cup 2024 to support its organization Gouvernement du Québec https://t.co/Pxm1CBYdc3
– Jerome Landry (@JeromeLandry) November 14, 2023
On the other hand, this morning Dupont was on the air and, like the rest of his team, said it was inordinate to pay so much public money to host a team.
And, by the same token, he took the opportunity to take a jab at his colleague:
Jérôme, make amends and then retract your statement. You know what it’s like to play with people’s finances. It’s time to say it. – Stéphan Dupont
But in the afternoon, Landry was back on the air, and rather than retracting his statement as his colleague suggested, he added another layer: he took shots at Dupont, at Martin Leclerc (Radio-Canada) for his piece this morning criticizing the decision, and at Montrealers who also took the liberty of criticizing the decision.
François Cormier, news director of Cogeco Media in Quebec City, added his two cents on social networks.
Ça r’vole sur les ondes du @fm93quebec!!! 
Dupont tells Landry to retract.
With Trudeau, Landry just retorted to Dupont… and Martin Leclerc… and to Montrealers https://t.co/PbWjcYyw8E
– François Cormier (@fcormierQC) November 15, 2023
During Landry’s show, Luc Robitaille came on the air and stated that he thinks the NHL will expand in four or five years.
Is this why Minister Éric Girard will be meeting Gary Bettman later this month?
NHL expansion within 4 or 5 years according to Luc Robitaille. #nordic https://t.co/kRbnAoyRIF
– Jerome Landry (@JeromeLandry) November 15, 2023
The important thing to remember from all this, however, is that even in Quebec City, there’s no unanimity. There are those who feel uneasy about the subsidies given the current economic context in Quebec, but there are also those who continue to believe in the Nordiques project and hope that such investments will entice the NHL to come.
And this second clan often has a problem with the Habs, too.
The Habs take us for granted! With all due respect to the 514 columnists, Go Kings Go! https://t.co/qcyna9gct4
– Jerome Landry (@JeromeLandry) November 15, 2023
Even in Quebec City, then, the subject seems to divide.
As long as the debate is respectful, that said, it’s not a bad thing. It’s by exchanging ideas that we evolve.
In bursts
– In my opinion, Jérôme Landry won’t be a big fan of this (Montreal) text either.
Kings: generosity as excessive as it is useless
A text by @GagnonFrancois
https://t.co/AZcaMNaeT3
– RDS (@RDSca) November 15, 2023
– I have a feeling that Karl Tremblay, who sadly passed away today, will be honored Friday night. And rightly so.
The Rocket play two home games this week and won’t be back in front of their fans until December 6 afterwards. Friday is Hockey for Cancer night, and we could be sold out at the current rate. A nice crowd is expected tonight too.
– Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) November 15, 2023
– I love it.
– A Carolina blog doesn’t think the Hurricanes would be willing to trade Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas for… Connor McDavid.
– Not to be missed.
Tomorrow at 7:20am on Le Club du matin, join us for Anthony Calvillo’s appearance on our airwaves! 
pic.twitter.com/wWocq1k9tI
– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) November 15, 2023
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