Kings To Play 2 Preseason Games in Quebec City

Well, it’s not quite Australia, but we’re on the road again come the preseason.

As part of the club’s 2024 preseason schedule, the LA Kings will play two games in Québec City on October 3 and October 5, it was announced this morning by the team during a news conference in Quebec.

The Kings will faceoff against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, October 3, followed by a game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, October 5. The team will hold a portion of its 2024 training camp at the Videotron Centre in Québec City, scheduled to begin on October 2. The visit to Quebec City will be the first for the NHL in more than five years, playing in a building that is widely considered to be NHL ready.

Today’s announcement coincides with the Kings’ inability to play home preseason games in advance of the 2024-25 season due to the final phase of renovations taking place at Crypto.com Arena. While the Kings were able to host exhibition games in the fall of 2023, all home preseason contests came in the final week of the preseason, impacted by the second wave of renovations. The final set of enhancements are scheduled for completion prior to the start of the regular season and the Kings will return to hosting preseason home games at Crypto.com Arena for the 2025-26 season. The Kings will announce additional 2024 preseason contests at a later date.

This past fall, the Kings became the first NHL organization, alongside Arizona, to play preseason games in the Southern Hemisphere. The Kings and Coyotes played a pair of exhibition games in Melbourne, Australia at the historic Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open. The Kings have, historically, been at the forefront of trips into new markets – The Kings have twice opened the regular season in Europe and they were the first NHL club to visit China, not to mention games played in Las Vegas each season until Vegas got its own NHL club. On top of the renovations, it’s another trip to grow the game and the brand outside of Los Angeles, something that the Kings value organizationally.

While the Australia trip here this fall certainly had its drawbacks from a travel perspective, the team-bonding elements were unmatched. More than a week together, on the road, to open a season had its perks and it’s something that several players have touched on as a benefit to the Australia trip. Perhaps it’s part of the reason the Kings are 7-0-0 on the road here in the early goings. In the past, NHL teams regularly got away during training camp, holding a part of their camp at a neutral site, to incentivize early-season bonding and team growth. Québec City presents another unique opportunity for the Kings to do that once again this fall.

On top of the team benefits, the Kings currently have forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Phillip Danault on their NHL roster. Both players are from the Province of Québec and played their junior hockey in the QMJHL. Defenseman Jordan Spence, while not from the Province of Québec, played his junior hockey in the QMJHL as well. Certainly some ties on the current Kings roster heading into the games in QC.

Kings President & Montreal Native Luc Robitaille
I’m very pleased to be able to wind up our preseason schedule at the Videotron Centre. I know how passionate Québec City fans are about the game. We will be very proud to play here next fall. Fans will be able to see our stars and watch young players compete for a spot in our 2024-25 line-up.”

COO of Quebecor’s Sports and Entertainment Group and President of Gestev, Martin Tremblay,
Québec City area fans will get to cheer for NHL teams at the Videotron Centre again. It’s a true privilege to welcome such a prestigious organization as the LA Kings for the final week of their training camp. I thank their president, Luc Robitaille, for his confidence in Gestev.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. (ET) on Friday, November 17, by visiting lecentrevideotron.ca.

About the Videotron Centre
The Videotron Centre is a multipurpose arena that opened on September 12, 2015. Multiple configurations make it suitable for major music concerts and sporting events alike, with seating for more than 18,000 for games and more than 20,000 for concerts. The Videotron Centre is the home of the Québec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and can also host professional hockey games as it meets National Hockey League (NHL) standards.