No way does Quebec City push ahead with a new arena without some strong assurances from Bettman that they'll be getting a team in short order. So where does this team come from?
This post was edited on 10/16 5:40 PM by Blades of Steel
Posted on 10/16 5:38 PM | IP: 64.59.144.23
Well from what I read Quebec is eyeing for the Olympics and having an arena would be a must. Nice starting point, Jerry Jones headed a bid years ago for the summer Olympics to get a measurement for the current Cowboy stadium and don't be surprised if he bids again in the future.
Posted on 10/16 5:44 PM | IP: 66.25.43.67
I voted for the Yotes...and Dale Hunter will be the teams first coach. For some strange reason I always had a connection with the Nordiques even though I was born a Leaf fan, perhaps because of the hockey tournaments that I played in the old Collisea and the way the city treated us. Exceptionally good is all I can say. Ice breaker rides, Mayor's dinner, special banquests etc etc etc etc..... Still have my original Hunter jersey..... although the fluer delei (sp?) has started to peel off.....Oh man the Nordiques used to have this fan who was a classic. Older man in a fedora hat with a lit cigar who would dance in between tv commercial breaks in the aisle ways. Nobody probably remembers him but he was a season ticket holder and he was on tv a lot during the Nordiques hayday....
Posted on 10/16 8:32 PM | IP: 64.231.213.113
I'm with you shakes. Growing up as a Leaf fan in the 80's, you felt a bond to the struggling teams later on. I also grew up thinking it was really cool that three brothers played on the same team, Michel Goulet, Hunter, Cloutier. There was something mysterious about them to me. Anyway, was definitely bummed when they bailed to Colorado.
But in all reality, the league and it's owners would have to be as high as Rodney King the night he got beat to put a team back in Quebec prior to a new team in Toronto/Hamilton/Kitchener. It just doesn't make sense.
The corporations just aren't there. It is a great town, who would undoubtedly sell out, but the corproate sponsorship isn't there.
There was a great article posted the other day discussing how the team was losing money before they left with a $12M payroll.
I'd love to see it happen, and would support it as fervently as I did the move to Hamilton, but I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately Quebec is a pawn in Bettman's PR game.
Posted on 10/16 9:11 PM | IP: 75.85.59.56
Seems like that as of now the Islanders are the best possibility, but the best choice would be Atlanta with Kovalchuk already as the marquee name, if he will be re-signed, which i see happening.
Posted on 10/16 9:47 PM | IP: 98.77.178.22
How could it be the Yotes and Dale Hunter? You don't think they will replace Tippet for Hunter, no way in hell.
Posted on 10/17 8:33 AM | IP: 66.25.43.67
Quebec can eye the Olympics all they want, but the IOC isn't going to have much interest in coming back to Canada for another 20 years at which point the arena would be out of date, and even then it might be to Toronto with the summer games. They're not spending $400 million now for the possibility of the Olympics well down the road.
Posted on 10/17 8:55 AM | IP: 70.68.17.10
good point but they haven't spent anything yet except the money for the feasibilty study.
Posted on 10/17 8:58 AM | IP: 66.25.43.67
I agree that the GTA makes much more sense, but it seems the owners and Bettman want to save that for expansion and not relocation. In the mean time, there's a number of struggling franchises south of the border and relocating one of them to Quebec would appease a lot of Canadians.
Posted on 10/17 9:08 AM | IP: 70.68.17.10
I am totally for seeing franchises going back to the Great White North, I wish the league and owners would be more financially responsible with their franchises in the US and attempt to avoid any contraction.
This post was edited on 10/17 9:53 AM by upice
Posted on 10/17 9:51 AM | IP: 66.25.43.67
Personally I think Winnipeg is first in line - they already have an NHL arena built there. I'm not sure who buys the team, but there are always rich men around who want toys. I'd think Phoenix goes back there.
After that - maybe Atlanta? I'd think it's the most likely to relocate. Why no team in Portland or Seattle by the way? Bigger, nothern US markets - you'd think they would be in the running.
Posted on 10/17 11:57 AM | IP: 99.245.197.32
Everybody keep an eye on the Quebec story and report back any NEW info.
Posted on 10/17 12:14 PM | IP: 66.25.43.67
I agree Hamilton would make the NHL a lot more money in expansion fee's and allow the NHL to negotiate with the Leafs or Buffalo if there will be any costs associated with moving there that would then be passed on to the new owner on top of the expansion fee's.
However the caveat is that it appears that the NHL has to many teams to relocate in the near future before this happens.
Posted on 10/17 8:35 PM | IP: 64.231.213.113
Yes your probably right on the relocation and the lack of corp sponsors.
Corporate sponsorship is there in southern Ontario for sure but Im not to sure if it is a relocation point or an expansion city.
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