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Montreal Canadiens fans in the Outaouais region won’t be able to watch the team’s Saturday playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes on a giant screen at the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau — as originally hoped — after the planned screening was abruptly cancelled on Thursday.
The organizers broke the news in a press release after tickets for the watch-along went on sale earlier in the week.
The planned broadcast on a giant screen in the 4,000-seat hall was an initiative of the Grands Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy, in collaboration with the Festival Outaouais en fête and Vision Multisports Outaouais (VSMO).
The organizers had obtained broadcasting authorization from TVA Sports, the exclusive French-language broadcaster of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs, according to the news release.
But sources told Radio-Canada it was an issue over exclusive territorial rights held by the Ottawa Senators that scuppered the event.
“We are obviously disappointed that we cannot move forward with this initiative,” Wassim Aboutanos, one of the event organizers, said in the release.
The sources said the NHL informed the event organizers that there was a territorial issue in Gatineau, since the Ottawa Senators team is located right next door.
“We appreciate the passion and excitement surrounding the Stanley Cup playoffs,” a spokesperson for the NHL said via email. “However, this planned event, organized by an independent promoter, never received the necessary authorization required by the NHL for large showings of our games.”
Senators spokesperson Sylvain St-Laurent told Radio-Canada “the Senators had very, very little to do with the decision.”
Discussions ongoing
Julie Moffatt, president and CEO of Les Grands Feux, said she and her colleagues had initially obtained broadcasting authorization from TVA Sports. However, the NHL reversed course and said it was not possible to hold the event, she said.
“We are in discussions with the NHL, TVA Sports and also the Ottawa Senators to explore the possibility of collaborating on another game,” she said.
Fans who had already purchased tickets for the broadcast will be contacted directly by VMSO regarding the refund process.
The Montreal Canadiens begin their series against the Hurricanes on Thursday.
Since Michael Andlauer became owner of the Senators in the summer of 2023, the organization has increased its efforts and initiatives to attract the Gatineau market. This includes holding a practice at the Slush Puppie Centre.
The Senators also partnered with Hockey Outaouais in January so that the region’s AAA elite men’s teams will now be known as the Outaouais Senators starting next season.
