On the Move (Again)?

Photo from Le Hebdo du St-Maurice when announcing the move.

It was only a few weeks ago that we asked the question of whether or not the 3rd time would be a charm in Nicolet. The answer has arrived, and it’s a hard no. On February 12th, the team announced that it was in discussions with the town of Shawinigan for relocation. Today, we look at the specifics of the deal. 

First, Nicolet: The town has been drawing Triple A Teams since 2018. In the case of BSR, it turned out to be an emergency option. When David Lebrun and Pierre-Michel Auger purchased the La Tuque Wolves at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Grand-Mere (a borough of Shawinigan) was the desired location, but a deal couldn’t be reached in time. This resulted in, what has now been revealed as, a temporary move Nicolet. 

Next, Shawinigan or Grand-Mere? Grand-Mere (yes, French for Grandmother). Until 2002, Grand-Mere was a town. With the administrative redistricting, it is now a borough of its former neighbor Shawinigan. This explains why the two are visibly separate geographic entities, and also opens the door to territorial rights issues from a different league. 

Now the details: A pair of articles in The Hebdo du St-Maurice and the Nouvelliste offered the details of the potential move into the Grand-Mere Arena. The BSR ownership group has offered financial support to the local youth team and payment of the going-rate for ice and facility time. They’ve asked in return for in-building branding, the ability to sell on ice advertising, pre and post season ice time, dedicated locker space, and rights to the alcohol sales during their games. All of that will be decided by the town of Shawinigan in the coming weeks. The sticking point may be something completely unrelated to the lease. 

Territorial Rights: Shawinigan is home to the Cataractes of the QMHJL. The Cataractes lease at the city-owned Gervais Auto Center includes a right to veto any other team coming into the city. On average, the budget for a Senior AAA team is 1/10 of the budget for a QMJHL team. On paper, pulling that kind of money from a market shouldn’t put a dent in the finances of a QMJHL team. The reality is that in a small blue collar market like Shawinigan, the siphoning off of just a few hundred fans and one or two sponsors can make the difference between the success and failure of the bigger team. To that extent, the BSR group has offered that it wouldn't schedule games that overlap with the Cataractes game times, and won't target any of their sponsors. Additionally, they would promote the QMJHL team during their own games. 

Now- we wait. It will undoubtedly be a sensitive final few weeks in Nicolet with fans coming to grips with not only losing their team, but the reality that the team was never in it for the long haul. It will also be a tense time for the BSR owners who now face the potential of becoming homeless should the Grand-Mere deal not go through. All that, and the opening round of the playoffs. No pressure!