It will always be a very risky bet for a government to play with people’s emotions, as the CAQ is doing with a hypothetical return of the Nordiques to Quebec.
In Quebec we understood a long time ago that if we want to bring the Nordiques back, once we have an arena that meets standards, for the NHL there is only one factor that comes into play and that is the security of making money.
And to make money, the NHL must meet three criteria: a market with capacity, solid ownership and an arena that meets NHL standards.
Quebecor’s great boss, Pierre Karl Péladeau, remains convinced that Quebec has everything it needs to be successful. It remains to convince the NHL commissioner and governors, he told Paul Larocque on LCN this week.
NHL Expansions
The city’s size has had a negative impact on Quebec in the past. It remains to be seen whether the opportunity might present itself again.
It’s an open secret in the NHL that Commissioner Gary Bettman has been preparing for expansions for months, even though he publicly claims otherwise.
One would think it would be in the league’s best interest for the markets to be ready when needed. This explains why the name Quebec came back into circulation.
No need for government
However, let us be clear that the Legault government can say and do anything, it is not the one that will allow the return of the Nordic countries. Whatever he wants to dangle is not part of the win conditions.
The NHL has known very well for years that there is a lot of interest in a team in Quebec. She doesn’t need Eric Girard to get involved and exploit people’s emotions for electoral purposes to confirm this.
