Montreal’s bid to host the Four Nations Confrontation in February 2025 is not compromised, according to Tourisme Montréal. “It smells good,” says its president and CEO, Yves Lalumière.
Negotiations are advanced with the National Hockey League, he adds. The financial package, however, still remains to be finalized.
Last February, the NHL and the Players’ Association jointly announced the presentation of the Four Nations Showdown, a tournament in which the national teams of Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden will compete. The matches would be played in two cities, one in Canada and the other in the United States. At a press briefing, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman then stated that the identity of these cities remained “to be determined”, but the news quickly circulated that Montreal and Boston were the targeted destinations – which was not the case. has never confirmed the league yet, moreover.
On May 22, during an episode of the very popular podcast show 32 Thoughts, journalist Elliotte Frideman from Sportsnet claimed to have “heard” that Montreal’s candidacy was on the decline. “I imagine it came from the city or whoever is involved in the negotiations, but there seems to be a problem with the agreement,” Friedman said, adding that it now seemed “possible” that the Canadian portion of the event will instead take place in Toronto.
The next day, May 23, in a column on BPM Sports, journalist Renaud Lavoie put forward the same hypothesis. “We’re going to have to move quickly to make sure it stays with us. If it continues like this, [the tournament] will go elsewhere,” he said.
Yves Lalumière was surprised to hear these comments, since Tourisme Montréal, the organization responsible for negotiating with the NHL on this issue, is in almost daily communication with the league on this subject. The channels have never been broken, he insists.
In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, we assure that “no administrative pitfalls in the City of Montreal prevent the organization of this event”, which is confirmed by Mr. Lalumière. No logistical issues are feared, given the presence among the project partners of the Montreal Canadiens, owned by the CH Group, “an expert” in the organization of events of this kind.
“It smells good, we are heading in the right direction,” Mr. Lalumière repeated during an interview with La Presse on Tuesday. But until we have all the elements tied up, we will not be able to go out publicly. »
According to him, “the economic aspect” is at the heart of the latest discussions. However, he did not reveal the amount the league is asking from the host cities.
In the past, Montreal has withdrawn its bid to host a sporting event due to the exaggerated costs requested by an organization. This is, for example, what happened with the Laver Cup in 2023, which ultimately took place in Vancouver.
With the NHL, we’re not there at all, assures Yves Lalumière. Unsurprisingly, Tourisme Montréal is particularly motivated to host an event of international scope in February, at a time of year when there are fewer visitors to the city.
“We want it to happen,” he adds. This is important for our residents and for our reputation as a hockey city, a temple of international hockey. […] Our desire is that [an agreement] arrives, and soon. It’s a question of negotiations. We are on the right track. »
In the City, we abound. “We have mobilized the entire Montreal ecosystem and everyone is doing their best to ensure that Montreal is one of the selected destinations” for the tournament, writes Catherine Cadote, press secretary in the mayor’s office.
However, she qualifies, “it remains a decision of the NHL.”