Remparts ready to host history
By Will MacLaren
For the third time in 25 years, the Memorial Cup will be contested in Quebec’s capital city. And one of the people primarily responsible for the tournament’s return to la belle province in 2028 can’t wait to reward one of the CHL’s most rabid fanbases.
Tommy Castonguay is the Vice President of Operations for the Quebec Remparts. He was with the organization for its unsuccessful bid to host the 2022 event, a tournament ultimately hosted, and won, by the Saint John Sea Dogs. At that time, only seven years had elapsed since the franchise last welcomed junior hockey’s most historic tournament. But while the 2015 was all about bidding a fond adieu to the venerated Quebec Colisee, the 2028 Memorial Cup will focus on the latest chapter in Quebec City’s storied hockey history.
“We really wanted to have this event for the first time at the Videotron Center,” Castonguay explains. “We believe this venue has everything needed to make it a wonderful event. It’s not only the venue, though. The community is also ready to have another Memorial Cup here in Quebec City.”
That community has proven year in and year out to be among the most faithful junior fans on the continent. While the Remparts have rewarded this devotion with a Gilles-Courteau Trophy Championship in 2023 and Memorial Cup wins in both ’23 and 2006 (not to mention a title from the original Remparts in 1971), the fans have done their part by keeping the seats at the 18,259-seat Videotron Center well occupied. The club has welcomed over 300,000 fans per season through the arena doors in each of the past four seasons. Overall, the modern incarnation of the club has reached that milestone 18 times since relocating to the old Colisee in 1999.
“For us, it’s a way to give back to the community that supports us each year,” Castonguay explains of the franchise’s eagerness to bid on the event with such rapidity. “We’re lucky to have such a strong fan base here in Quebec. The fans care about our team here. I know we have a bigger market than the average in the CHL but the fans love hockey, they love sports and they love sporting events. We don’t just want them to enjoy the games, though. We’ll have a fan fest right in front of the arena on Place Jean Beliveau. It’s going to be huge.”
Another thing that’s proven huge is the support from many critical partners. From city council to the Canadian Armed Forces, including a letter of support from Louise Des Roches, the Chief of Protocol and Public Relations Operations for the Department of National Defence, to local First Nations communities, the desire to bring the CHL’s crown jewel event back to the Quebec City has been overwhelming.
“We’ve had great support from everybody,” Castonguay says. “We think it will be something that will reunite the community as a whole.”
COMME C'EST BEAU. #DeQuébecPourQuébec | https://t.co/pF1UJmVjxb pic.twitter.com/inGZk8NTgk
— Remparts de Québec (@quebec_remparts) October 22, 2026
The allure of hosting the Memorial Cup has been born from something methodical. Since earning the top prize in Kamloops three years ago, the club has preached patience and planning. Castonguay can easily visualize how all the pieces, on and off the ice, should come together over the next year and a half.
“The city is built for it,” Castonguay points out. “The venue, the community and, obviously, our team are built for it. We’re on a five-year cycle. The roster is completely new since we won in 2023. Everything is built to make history.”
While the team, which has hung out at or near the top of the QMJHL standings all season to this point, has been carefully put in place, the work in the boardroom to improve on the Remparts’ 2022 bid has constantly been in the forefront.
“Being part of a major sporting event and concert organization like (team Owner) Quebecor, we wanted to show it wasn’t just the Remparts behind this bid, it was the entire organization we are part of,” Castonguay stresses. “I also think we didn’t have enough community involvement in our 2022 bid. We took that into consideration with our 2028 bid.”
As good as the team on the ice will be looking over the next two campaign, Castonguay is quick to acknowledge the team off the ice that reflects the commitment to excellence that has defined both the Remparts and its latest successful Memorial Cup bid.
“I’m lucky to work with such a strong organization,” he says with deep sincerity. “We have our Assistant GM, Nicole Bouchard, who has been in hockey for more than 45 years and with our team for 28 years. Our GM, Simon Gagne, works hard at building a team that’s going to have a strong chance at winning a championship. We have a very strong foundation and support from all of our staff.”
Everywhere you look, pride and desire are on full display within the Remparts organization. Now, the countdown is on to show it to the rest of the hockey world.
