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Trois-Rivières Lions: from near bankruptcy to Kelly Cup final

Originally posted on Dose.ca  |  Last updated May 31, 2025 10:38 AM ET

Last April, the Montreal Canadiens’ Trois-Rivières-based reserve club was on the brink of collapse.

Despite the nice project and the nice idea of adding a third-tier team to the Habs hierarchy, the Lions were really in a bad way, as they were on the verge of bankruptcy, and therefore on the verge of losing their team.

A move seemed imminent, but in the end, the team was saved by the skin of its teeth.

In short, unlike the Newfoundland Growlers, who were in the same situation at the time, the Lions survived, much to the delight of hockey fans in Trois-Rivières.

As a result, the Canadiens kept their ECHL affiliate, which helped the Laval Rocket to better manage its roster by recalling Lions players on occasion.

And now, just over a year later, much to everyone’s surprise, the Trois-Rivières Lions are in the Kelly Cup final, which kicks off tonight.

They will face the Toledo Walleye. Game #1 will be held in Toledo, Ohio, starting at 7:15pm.

The Lions have gone from near-inevitable bankruptcy to the ECHL Finals in the space of just over a year.

It’s an absolutely astonishing turnaround, and all the better for it.

It’s also worth noting that, to qualify for the final, the Lions defeated the three-time Kelly Cup champions, the Florida Eveblades.

We don’t often, if ever, talk about the Lions, but in this case, it’s well worth highlighting this great achievement.

A lot of good people are involved in managing and setting up this team in Trois-Rivières, and it’s totally deserved.

The whole staff must be so happy and excited about this incredible season, which could be crowned with an ECHL championship.

Seriously, that would be absolutely brilliant, and would help attract even more people to Trois-Rivières at Colisée Vidéotron.

Here are the dates for the final series, in case you’d like to check it out.

Note that the Lions’ top scorers in the playoffs are Alex Beaucage and Anthony Beauregard, with 14 points each in 16 games.


Overtime

– Read more.

– For those interested.

– Please note.

– Nice win for the Alouettes.

– Ohtani gets the better of Judge.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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