New NDG hockey team brings semi-professional series back to Montreal

The Montreal Mounties is the city’s first senior level team in more than 15 years

SportsStephanie Manning — Published October 17, 2023 3 minutes

“It was always about how there was no team in Montreal and how we’d like to have one,” he said. 

Boudreau took matters into his own hands in June 2023 when he founded the Montreal Mounties. Now part of the LHSE, the Mounties are the city’s first team at the senior AA level in more than 15 years.

A Concordia student in kinesiology and exercise science, Boudreau said the team fills a void for players in the city. “Montreal players typically have to drive an hour to go and play a home game. So, when you count 20-game seasons, it’s a lot of driving, a lot of snowstorms in the winter,” he said.

Boudreau understands the needs of hockey players well. He played competitively as a student at Collège Notre-Dame, where he now coaches. Despite currently nursing a foot injury, he plans on taking to the ice again as a member of the Mounties.

However, Boudreau wants the Mounties to cater to more than just players. He said he hopes the cheap ticket prices—$10 for adults and $5 for kids (free with a youth hockey jersey)—will attract local families who find professional games too expensive. Over the past decade, the Montreal Canadiens’ “fan experience” increased by 25 per cent to about $550 USD.

“Hopefully, garnering interest through that might be a secret to our success,” Boudreau said.

Montreal’s last semi-professional team was the Verdun Dragons, who stopped competing after 2006. Boudreau has a theory about the long absence: “It’s extremely hard, as I’m learning, [founding] a project like this in Montreal,” he said. Most teams are non-profit and rely on sponsorships, but Boudreau said many businesses in the city are already committed to supporting other projects. “Everyone here is super [solicitous],” he said. 

Finding ice time was another challenge, as most prime practice slots were already taken up by youth groups, but Boudreau eventually found the team a late evening slot at Aréna Doug-Harvey in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, where they were practicing on Sept. 20. It was 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, so the lobby and the rinkside seating were mostly empty.  

Mounties defenceman James Hatzepetros met Boudreau on the hockey team at Collège Notre-Dame before Hatzepetros spent time competing in Europe. He said he’s been thoroughly enjoying his time with the team. “It’s not many practices, but it’s just a lot of fun being able to play at that competitive level,” he said.  

Should the Mounties have a good season, Hatzepetros said more Montrealers might be enticed to sign up. “I think we could be a really good team for a lot of people to come watch,” he said.

The Mounties played five games so far and celebrated their first win on Sept. 30 against the Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan Jaguars—followed by a second win against the Jaguars on Oct. 14.

Head coach Sean Gilbert said the main goal for the season is to be competitive. “We will surprise, and hopefully we could play for 50-50, so 10 wins, 10 losses,” Gilbert said. “It’s going to be a good start for an expansion.”