Jump to content

Brossard - Montreal, where to stay?


huzer

Recommended Posts

I've been to Montreal many times, but the last time was roughly 20 years ago. I've signed my son up for the Canadiens Hockey School next summer. Who knows how long he will play, but right now, he loves hockey, loves the Habs, and could pick out probably 80% of the team if he saw them. I figured now is a good time to do it, while he's still enamored with the team. (I wish the Avs offered something similar, but they don't. Even if they did, it wouldn't be nearly as exciting for him.) He's been playing for 3 years, and will be 7 and a half for the camp. Believe it or not, other than the travel costs associated, the actual camp itself is less expensive than most camps out here.

That said, I've never been to Brossard. Google maps show me where it is, but when we come next summer, is it reasonable to stay in Montreal and commute to the practice facility? How's rush hour? It seems I'd be going opposite directions of traffic. Or are there decent places to stay closer to where he will be playing? I know I could google/tripadvisor everything, but first hand accounts help, too.I also have plenty of time to figure it out.

After the week in Montreal, we'll then head down to my camp in NY for a week and enjoy some time on the river. We don't have much recreational water out in Colorado!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That said, I've never been to Brossard. Google maps show me where it is, but when we come next summer, is it reasonable to stay in Montreal and commute to the practice facility?

-Reasonable, yes. Easy, maybe not. Gotta know that for the next 2 to 3 years, the access to the bridge leading to Brossard will be highly obstructed by a major construction project to replace the biggest interchange of Montreal. I'm not even talking about the replacement of Champlain Bridge that could occur in the next 3 to 5 years.

How's rush hour? It seems I'd be going opposite directions of traffic.

- That's right. Should not be that hard on you.

Or are there decent places to stay closer to where he will be playing? I know I could google/tripadvisor everything, but first hand accounts help, too.I also have plenty of time to figure it out.

- Of course, you could always try to stay in Brossard. My advices here would depend on your budget, what kind of housing you're looking for (hotel, condo, appartment, house) and what you want to do while you're staying here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

Fun times. We ended up staying near the rink, at Alt DIX30. My son had fun at the camp. Took pictures with Mccarron and Plex. Simon Bourque and Mcniven were on the ice with them almost every day, too. Bouillon also was on the ice with them a couple of hours one day. His "big" picture was with Bergevin in his office. All in all, it was a good experience and priced decently, considering what camps cost here. 

 

I'd say my proud papa moment was when he came out for his first game, and they had put an A on his jersey. Pretty cool. Kinda neat seeing him line up with Mccarron too.

 

While he was on the younger end of the spectrum, I'd say his skating was on par with other kids in his group. The USDM really focuses on skating at 8u/mite level. It's obvious the Canadian kids work much more with the puck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's nice to hear, huzer. Colorado is a little different than California I suppose but it doesn't surprise me that the camp is cheaper in Montreal. I live in California now and it seems there are junior leagues out here that are about $2000 for 20 games, or $100 a game. When I was back in Montreal, the same league would have probably cost $250 for the season.

 

It's not exactly the same thing though as this sounds like it was a lot more exciting considering he had the opportunity to meet some of the professional Habs players themselves. I'm sure he'll remember it forever. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next time we go back east, I can see doing a hockey camp at Clarkson, a D1 NCAA school. They do hockey camps as well, and it's about 5 minutes from my camp in NY. Even if it's a bit more than other camps, being on the water in NY is nice, and we won't have any hotel costs. The camps in CO aren't too bad cost wise, but after the exchange rate when we paid for it, I was just surprised that a camp with an NHL team was cheaper than one with his regular old coaches, especially since they give the kids a , Habs workout gear, Habs jersey and socks.

 

I have to agree on season costs. Even at the 8u (mite) level, we'll be at probably $1,500 or so this year, not including gear. They're limited to no more than 24 games/season by the state. He'll be on the ice 4 times/week. Ice time is anywhere from 1-1.5 hours.

 

Once he hits squirts next year, I'm pretty sure we'll jump over the $2k mark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...