Canadiens: Trois-Rivières Expansion Marks Return to ECHL

Minor league hockey hasn’t had the largest presence in Quebec in recent years. However, an ECHL expansion announcement made this Thursday may change that for the Montreal Canadiens.

At first glance, Trois Rivieres might not look like a city with much hockey behind it.

With a population of just under 135,000 people, its best known for its location at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Laurence rivers, and its thriving paper exports. It’s one of many smaller towns that forms the Province of Quebec, distant from the dense populations of places like Montreal.

Situated on Avenue Gilles-Villeneuve sits a small, unassuming hockey rink. The Colisée de Trois-Rivières. It’s the small rink every small city contains: A capacity of 3,500 people, and a faded, off-white exterior, reminiscent of its roots in the glory days of minor league hockey. Big red letters out front read, Colisee. With a new rink under construction, it’s soon to become a passing memory of the faded hockey teams that have come and gone through this city.

The relationship between the minor leagues and the Province of Quebec is one that has only recently been retouched upon. Distant from the glory days of the Quebec Citadelles and the Sherbrooke Canadiens, the introduction of the Laval Rocket in 2016 marked a new phase for the Montreal Canadiens farm teams, and despite their struggles, the Rocket seemed to turn a page this year for the better.

With a closer location that’s a simple metro ride away compared to the distant cities of the defunct St. John’s Icecaps and Hamilton Bulldogs, the Habs returned to the roots that formed some of the defining moments of this franchise. From the entire purchase of the QSHL to acquire le Gros Bill himself, Jean Beliveau, to the short-lived QHL that once made a name for itself as the best league outside of the NHL.