Comments on: Is Quebec City ready to welcome back the Nordiques?

By: Is Quebec City ready to welcome back the Nordiques? Part Deux | Hockey Independent

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:15:55 +0000

[...] Things have recently picked up on the potential return of the Nordiques to Quebec City. Last week, I wrote about the current economic situation in La Vieille Capitale regarding the potential return of professional hockey in Quebec City Is Quebec City ready to welcome back the Nordiques? [...]

By: Ravnos

Ravnos — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:12:16 +0000

Don’t be an idiot. All teams go through up and down periods in terms of on-ice performance. The difference is that even in a down period for both the Oilers and Leafs, both teams are making money hand over fist because they play in markets that are crazy about hockey. Florida and Atlanta may be better right now, but their attendance is a joke and both teams are money losers. The league wants to add markets through expansion rather than relocation because it wants its slice of the expansion money pie, but relocation is more likely as Sun Belt teams continue to lose money.

By: Fred Poulin

Fred Poulin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:40:59 +0000

Here’s TSN results for Quebec City: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=327048 The score card: B+
And here’s the Globe And Mail results: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/why-not-quebec-city/article1633783/ The score card: A

By: Fred Poulin

Fred Poulin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:42:32 +0000

I would gladly welcome the Oilers and Taylor Hall in Quebec City any day of the week, but whether it’s via relocation or expansion I don’t care, as long as we get the team we deserve in Qc City.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:23:37 +0000

You people forget the fact that Bettman himself has said that these tams would more than likely come back to Canada via expansion, not relocation.

And while we’re on the subject of moving sh*tty teams, why not move the SpOilers and the Maple Laughs to Winnipeg and Quebec? Those two suck more than Florida and Atlanta.

By: George Prax

George Prax — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:50:59 +0000

Are you seriously equating the size of a team’s “fan club”, whatever that’s even supposed to be, to the popularity of a team? I would imagine TV ratings and attendance are a better measure for those kinds of things. Canadian teams don’t need fan clubs because they don’t need to bribe their fans.

It’s great to see a fan of a southern team that’s passionate about hockey and about his team, but get real dude, hockey in a city like Atlanta is a stretch at best, and that’s been a reality for decades.

By: Fred Poulin

Fred Poulin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:40:40 +0000

I never said the Thrashers didn’t have any fans, I only said their owners are losing a lot of money in the current situation. But the reality is the Thrashers averaged only 13,607 fans per game in 2009-2010, only the Islanders and the Coyotes fared worse.

By: RyanB

RyanB — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:37:48 +0000

I’m not so sure fan club membership is an accurate measure of the teams actual support. There are certainly hockey fans in Atlanta, good ones that come out an support their team every night, but I don’t think there are enough there to support a team. If there were I don’t think they’d be bleeding money the way they are.

By: hockeyfan

hockeyfan — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:15:22 +0000

Wow everyone is ready to cry foul when a team is taken away from Canada, heaven forbid! If the Thrashers move nobody will care. Well all you flamin maple leafs need to know the Thrashers have the second largest fan club in the NHL! Yes I said second!Only the NJ Devils have a larger club, another USA club. So if you Canadians are such fans how come you are not supporting your team by joining their fan clubs. Oh yea that’s right most Canadian NHL teams don’t even have one, because you all are too lazy to even start one. Sorry my bad.

By: RyanB

RyanB — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:53:57 +0000

Great post. I think Quebec City is an ideal location for an NHL team. It always was and it still is. There is sufficient population, there are hockey fans there, and there is a natural rival in Montreal. If a new building is financially viable and multiple levels of government commit to the project then the future of hockey there starts to look very bright.

I see Canada getting two more teams soon. One through relocation and one through expansion. Quebec City is more likely than Winnipeg for a relocated team in my opinion. And despite the stupidity of adding even more teams, in the near future I really think the NHL will add not one, but two, expansion teams. The league shouldn’t, but the revenue will just be too good to pass up – probably around $10 million for every existing owner for each team. One of the two expansion teams will be Canadian and this is how southern Ontario will get another team.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:52:21 +0000

Fred,
Fantastic write up. I find it almost amazing that they would stay the “Quebec Nordiques” and I hope to god they are back before we know it. Keep them Power Blues as well.

Fantastic read. Almost chill worthy! I can only imagine how quick the Nords/Habs rivalry picks up.

FWIW – Bring back the JETS, and get 2 more teams in CAN. They deserve it, and it is hockey Mecca – that lovely country up north!

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:57:02 +0000

I hope teams like Atlanta or Florida ends up somewhere in eastern Canada like Hamilton or Quebec. Someone in Quebec should try to bid for the THrashers right now. Even though the economy was bad in Quebec in 1995, it probably wasn’t as bad the current Thrashers situation.

By: Fred Poulin

Fred Poulin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:54:24 +0000

Thanks guys, a lot hinges on the feasability study; if it’s positive and the various government levels decide to contribute financially, the new arena project would finally start and allow for a plausible return of an NHL team in Qc City, if it’s negative, I highly doubt anything will ever happen…

By: PenguinsMarch

PenguinsMarch — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:06:41 +0000

I agree with Dave Morris. Out of Winnipeg, Hamilton and Quebec City, the latter would be the most viable to once more become an NHL city.

Despite the cost-certainty related to a salary cap, team owners still need a luxury-box equipped arena and it looks like Q.C. will get that.

The only thing that concerns me is what will happen in the future (10-15 yrs from now) if the economy swings back down again or if the Canadian dollar weakens, ticket sales drop, corporate box sales drop, corporate sponsors pull out, TV revenue drops, etc., might we see the same problems that plagued Winnipeg and Q.C. in the mid-90s?

The salary cap goes a long way to helping small-market cities, but as Atlanta and Phoenix show, it doesn’t guarantee financial viability.

That being said, as a Hamilton native, I will welcome the day when a franchise comes back to Hamilton or another Canadian city – and we’ll worry about the money problems later!

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Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:52 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BDGallof. BDGallof said: RT @FredPoulin98: Is Quebec City ready to welcome back the Nordiques? -> http://bit.ly/aq3lcj [...]

By: Dave Morris

Dave Morris — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:47:59 +0000

Bel effort, Fred!

Québec is a hockey market that is fuelled by a passion that drives people to spend a disproportionate amount relative to their income.

It will be, no doubt, interesting to see if the economic studies commissioned by the engaged parties support the perception.

Peladeau’s vocal advocacy, backed by the considerable means at his disposal, and his deliberate adherence to the NHL’s requisite process, puts the city in good posture to be a leading candidate.

Add to that, meetings with Bill Daly over the past year, and the declaration by Gary Bettman that a franchise in Quebec City is high on the league’s agenda, and it seems the return of Les Nordiques is a matter of when, not ‘if’.