More than 15 years after Radio left
The LNAH has been working for several months on a project aimed at establishing a concession for its circuit in Quebec.
“It’s very serious and very specific,” the group’s leader, Jessy Girard, confirmed to the Journal. It's not a hiding place: it would be logical for us to be in the Quebec market. We don’t need to do a big study to see that it could be key.”
The LNAH only has six teams this season: Saint-Georges, Thetford Mines, Laval, Jonquière, Rivière-du-Loup and Sorel-Tracy.
“We would like to go up to eight teams because we know that we have a lot of good players that we cannot accommodate in our league full-time due to the fact that we only have six teams,” explains M. Girard, who does so He doesn't hide the fact that Saint-Hyacinthe is also an attractive market for his league.
The problem: ice cream hours
The project to return the LNAH to Quebec is not just a fantasy. The LNAH has already established the business model and put together the typical budget for a car dealership in Quebec.
One key aspect means the project may not come to fruition as quickly as next season: ice hours.
This is because the LNAH has selected the L'Ancienne-Lorette multidisciplinary sports complex as an ideal home for a future concession. The question therefore remains whether the amphitheater can provide the professional circus with the necessary ice hours and, in addition, continue to adequately serve the minor ice hockey sport and all other activities that currently take place at this ice rink.
The applications have been made and Mr Girard and the LNAH are awaiting a response, whether positive or not.
“I'm just a phone call away. If it's not for next season, we'll wait two or three years. No matter, it remains a short-term project,” mentions the commissioner, who is also considering the Youth Pavilion and the Complexe 2 Glace Honco in Saint-Romuald as possible home sites for a team in Quebec.
An owner?
“If the project is this far along, it is because one or more owners have shown interest in revitalizing the LNAH in Quebec,” Jessy Girard was asked.
“Before we have an owner, we want to be sure we have a stable team and for that we need world-class hockey operations. Before I consider bringing in an owner, I would like the league to sit down with the city and the arena and come to an agreement. We can then move on to the next step. If we are ready to present a project, I am not worried that we will be interested.”
Remember that there has been no LNAH team in Quebec since Radio X left in 2008 after five seasons.