A night of QMJHL hockey outdoors

TROIS-RIVIERES, QC - The temperatures were low but the vibes were high at the Hippodrome racetrack on Friday night.

The Victoriaville Tigres edged the Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in the second game of the 55 Cup, a four-team tournament that also includes the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Shawinigan Cataractes. Victoriaville and Drummondville will meet in Sunday's final while Sherbrooke and Shawinigan will play for third on Saturday.

The Hippodrome is quite a venue, with horse racing on this site dating all the way back to 1830. This was my 14th outdoor hockey game and fourth non-NHL – but a couple of those non-NHL games were played the day after an NHL game at the same venue. The Hippodrome had an impressive setup given that these QMJHL games are the highlight of a week long hockey festival.

The most challenging part of the event was finding the entrance. Once fans made their way in, they were greeted to an area of food trucks and sponsorship activations.

There was also a merchandise trailer.

Checked out the end zone seating first. The ice was built on the track and temporary bleachers were setup around it, making sight lines much better/closer than most outdoor games.

The worst part about this game was that the bleachers were covered in ice and snow. Hard to keep the feet warm after a while. The world junior outdoor game in Buffalo had the same issue.

The view from up top.

Anthems. Jeff Hopkins was one of the referees.

Here's a video to give you a look around. The VIP and media areas were indoors.

Perhaps the best feature were these fire pits that were placed around the "concourse" area. I've never seen this at any other outdoor game. They also had piles of wood sitting next to them and fans could just toss them in.

Intermission pic.twitter.com/fYDn48IHik

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) December 6, 2025

The crowd was quite light with the official attendance being 2,296. I'm sure the organizers were hoping for much bigger crowds. But it was uncomfortably cold, so it's understandable. The fans that were there were into it, though.

Always nice to see a Vincent Sevigny jersey.

As for the game itself, the ice conditions seemed pretty good and the players seemed very comfortable. There were a number of big hits and scrums. Other than dealing with net peg issues a few times, there were no ice delays.

The Tigres hung on for a 3-2 win – a big win if you're already keeping an eye on the playoff race.

After the game, fans could stick around and watch a performance on a stage located between the rink and the casino.

Overall, other than the temperature, this was a great experience. The fact that most of this venue was built on a temporary basis also makes you wonder if we might see more outdoor games pop up around the QMJHL in the near future. People love to hate them, but they're a blast to attend.