Premier Legault to announce plans to boost number of Quebecers in NHL

Quebec Premier François Legault is scheduled to make an announcement later Thursday related to the development of professional hockey in the province.

Legault has been dropping hints about his plans over the past few weeks, and he tweeted a photo of himself in late October related to his discussions with the head of Hockey Quebec about ways to increase the number of Quebecers in the NHL.

The premier told a radio station in Quebec’s Mauricie region last week he wanted to improve the training of “future” NHL players in the province.

He said Quebecers’ pride in the Montreal Canadiens would be boosted if the NHL team had more players from the province.

In May, Legault publicly lamented the absence of Quebec-born players on the Habs’ roster after the team didn’t dress a single Quebecer for one of its matches — a first in the team’s history.

The Canadiens are currently ranked 29th in the NHL, having won four of 18 games.

by The Canadian Press