Saint-Boniface is getting its Hockeyville moment after a year away from the national spotlight, with the Quebec community set to welcome the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens for a preseason date at Colisee Videotron in Trois-Rivieres on Monday. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with TVAS, SN1 and NHLN carrying the game.
The winning community’s Arena de Saint-Boniface received $250,000 in improvements through Kraft Hockeyville, money that became part of a $7.2 million renovation project. Festivities and player appearances are planned before the Senators and Canadiens take the ice.
For the people behind the rink, the event is the payoff for a volunteer-built arena and a campaign rooted in local pride. The building itself was bought for $1, taken apart in Radisson, Quebec, hauled roughly 14 hours south and reconstructed by community volunteers.
“We can’t wait to see the excitement when they meet their idols and watch the game,” Jean-Sebastien Descoteaux of the local organizing committee said. “It’s going to be another great moment.”
A Hockeyville return to Quebec
This is Hockeyville’s first stop in Quebec since Sept. 23, 2008, when Montreal beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in Roberval.
Saint-Boniface sits about 20 minutes from Trois-Rivieres and Colisee Videotron, roughly between Montreal and Quebec City. The community traces its municipal beginnings to July 1, 1855, when it was known as Canton de Shawenegan before taking the name Saint-Boniface.
The Canadiens will have the shorter trip among the two NHL clubs. Bell Centre is a little more than two hours away from Saint-Boniface, putting a familiar crest in front of a French-speaking community that has spent years turning an arena project into a Hockeyville celebration.
After the horn
Last year’s Hockeyville stop in Elliot Lake, Ontario, remains part of the event’s passing of the torch. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby drew crowds before the Sept. 29, 2024 preseason game in Sudbury, then scored twice in Pittsburgh’s 5-2 win over Ottawa.
The Hockeyville award, together with additional contributions, generated $952,787 for work at Elliot Lake’s Centennial Arena. City council later approved another $11.6 million for repairs to the building, now called Rogers Arena, in a unanimous Sept. 23, 2025 vote.
A new scoreboard was delivered and installed Sept. 14, while ice installation and interior metal siding were continuing. The Elliot Lake Vikings of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League began using the facility Sept. 4 under soft occupancy and are scheduled to open at home against the Espanola Paper Kings on Sept. 25.
Amanda McKay, chair of Elliot Lake’s local organizing committee, will be in Trois-Rivieres for the ceremonial transfer of the Hockeyville trophy.
“Life is good in Elliot Lake,” McKay said. “The excitement is certainly building, and I’m looking forward to being there for Saint-Boniface’s celebration.”
