Who Plays For Them?

I had a funny conversation today with a colleague who works in Montreal. He was passing on his condolences for the Jets being eliminated, and I happened to mention that there's still a ton of professional hockey being played within a stone's throw of him. He knew of the Laval Rocket and their battle against Rochester as that was apparently on the news, but he had no clue that the Lions de Trois‑Rivières were still playing. In fact, he asked me who plays for them because he didn't know a single player on their roster. For a province so fiercely proud of their heritage, you'd think they'd do more in promoting teams who directly support that heritage, right?

I get that ECHL hockey isn't big in Montreal with all of the Canadiens, the Rocket, and the Victoire playing mere minutes away from downtown Montreal, but it seems that the Lions are facing the same problem that most of the QMJHL teams in Montreal did: irrelevance. I'm not saying that the Lions don't have their dedicated fanbase, but you'd think those fans who love les Habitants would take a more active approach in watching prospects for the NHL team.

Among the notable players that people should know are Alex Beaucage, Xavier Cormier, Anthony Beauregard, Chris Jandric, and Luke Cavallin. All five men have been significant contributors to the success of the Lions this season, and the first three men are born-and-trained Quebec players who had successful QMJHL runs.

While none of these names are household names at this point, Beaucage was a third-round selection of the Colorado Avalanche in 2019 while scoring back-to-back seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies where he scored 39 and 40 goals. Anthony Beauregard had seasons of 87 and 93 points with the Val d'Or Foreurs from 2014-16, and Cormier had a breakout season in 2021-22 with 29 goals and 68 points for the Rimouski Oceanic. The latter two led the Lions in scoring this season while Beaucage had 33 points in 24 games.

It's hard to understand why the Canadiens and the Lions wouldn't be making these three playes the face of their marketing in Quebec when they clearly have had success in communities throughout Quebec. While both Rouyn-Noranda and Val d'Or are northwest of both Montreal and Trois‑Rivières and Rimouski is significantly east, these players are still local players, specifically Beaucage who was born in Trois‑Rivières. Knowing how Canadiens fans love their Quebec-born players, you'd think this would be elementary.

In any case, we had a good chat about some of the fun I had at my first ECHL game this season, so I was encouraging him to make the trip to Three Rivers to Game Three on Wednesday night between the Lions and the Florida Everblades. With Trois‑Rivières holding a 2-0 series lead and coming home for three games, it could be a party in Quebec if they can oust the three-time defending champions. It won't be easy by any means, but I'm guessing that it could be just as fun as I discovered. And it won't leave a significant dent in the wallet!

Basic marketing to a hockey-mad town shouldn't be difficult, but it seems like there may be two problems for the Lions when it comes to attracting fans: they aren't the Canadiens, and they don't push the Quebec-born players narrative very hard. Of course, there may be a third issue as well because it doesn't seem like they try to overcome those first two factors. And if they don't try, it'll never happen.

It's hard to build a fanbase if people don't know you exist.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!