National Assembly motion asks NHL to let Gatineau watch Canadiens games in public

Quebec politicians have found rare cross-party unity: whether Montreal Canadiens fans in Gatineau should be allowed to watch playoff hockey together on a big screen.

The National Assembly unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday urging the National Hockey League to allow Canadiens playoff games to be broadcast at supervised public gatherings in Gatineau and elsewhere in the Outaouais region.

No sooner had the league, at the last minute, blocked a planned public screening of the Canadiens’ second-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes at Gatineau’s Slush Puppie Centre than politicians across Quebec began denouncing the decision.

The problem, however, is geography.

Under NHL territorial broadcasting rules, teams hold exclusive rights within an 80-kilometre radius of their home market. And Gatineau falls within the territory of the Ottawa Senators, despite its large Canadiens fan base.

Tuesday’s motion, which was introduced by Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Bérubé, declared hockey “a powerful symbol of our sporting and francophone culture throughout Quebec,” and it called on the NHL to “reconsider its decision and allow the playoffs to be broadcast at supervised and accessible gatherings in Gatineau and elsewhere in the Outaouais region.”

“This motion will be sent to the president of the National League,” Bérubé said.

The NHL has reportedly rejected additional requests to authorize further Canadiens viewing parties in Gatineau.

But the matter has garnered local support.

Gatineau Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette and other elected officials in the Outaouais region have all publicly supported organizing Canadiens playoff gatherings.

The Canadiens are scheduled to play Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.