TORONTO – Head coach Rick Bowness, who wore the Remparts' colors as a junior, is pleased with the Jets' good season in small-market Winnipeg and would like to see the Quebec Nordiques return to the National Hockey League.
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“The more Canadian cities there are [dans la LNH]”The better, and Quebec would obviously be a fantastic franchise,” Bowness said in an interview with the Journal on the sidelines of the All-Star Game in Toronto.
Rick Bowness coached Team MacKinnon during the All-Star Game in Toronto on Saturday. Photo Cole Burston/Getty Images via AFP
Later on Saturday, still in Toronto, it was Pierre Karl Péladeau, the great boss of Quebecor, who confirmed on the TVA Sports Network his interest in the return of NHL hockey to Quebec. He also confirmed information from the Journal de Québec that the idea of joining forces with partners to form a consortium is on the rise.
“It's a good idea, and it's not an original formula: more and more we see that it is, given the value of franchises in all professional sports,” Mr. Péladeau said when asked about the issue.
We know that Quebec already has an amphitheater capable of hosting an NHL club. At the All-Star Game, Commissioner Gary Bettman specifically reminded that no expansion process was underway, even though several cities expressed interest.
“Quebec is a hockey city, there is a solid base of passionate fans, it would be wonderful to see a club there again, but decisions like that are made way above me,” agreed Bowness.
An old hand
Bowness was born in Moncton, New Brunswick and grew up in Nova Scotia before getting to know Quebec better. From 1972 to 1974 he played for the Remparts in the junior division.
“André Savard was my captain my first year there,” he said. When I arrived I didn't speak a word of French, but I remember André still managed to help me integrate into the team.
“We had a good team and a lot of good players, including Jacques Locas, Réal Cloutier and Guy Chouinard,” said Bowness. I often found myself in the third row, behind them.
Bowness, now 69, also experienced the Nordiques era well, first as an NHL player and then during his long coaching career, which has now spanned five different decades. His first job on the bench of a National League team was in Winnipeg in 1984. After a stint with the Sherbrooke Jets farm club in the American League, he became an assistant to Barry Long. One Brian Hayward was the caretaker.