Habs fans reaction in case of Nordiques return.

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

this pipe dream died when oil took the loonie south

That could change in the next two years. Depends on what happens with the whole OPEC vs Iran price war going on. If oil index goes back up again, you can expect the loonie to rise as Canadian major banks are highly invested in oil.

Lower CND has a good side vs NHL because teams send their canadian profits in USD so that the exchange rate makes-up for the loss of profit.

 

[rfournier103]

The rivalry? Yes!

The possibility of having the intense media pro-Quebec pressure relieved a bit? Yes!

The strong possibility of having Nordiques fans, who became Bruins fans, become some kind of disgusting unholy hybrid? No. No thank you.

Great thread. I read every single post.

This one made me laugh quite heartily...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The righteous Habs fans.

Hey, isn't that Carol from The Walking Dead?

As for the Nordiques... man, I hated them. Forget about the Bruins or Leafs this was a whole other level. Even back then the player in the league couldn't believe how insane it was. Some player came over from Calgary and said it was the most insane thing he'd ever seen and that the rivalry between the Oilers and Flames was an absolute joke in comparison. Most heated rivalry I've ever seen in pro sports.

 

[MikeKeen235]

I really wish the Nordiques return. Means more Canadian hockey team to watch and root for. I visited their arena to watch a junior hockey game... simply wow.

I would like Hamilton and Saskatoon to get a team before Vegas or Seattle. To me hockey is for Canada first and foremost.

 

[peate]

I really wish the Nordiques return. Means more Canadian hockey team to watch and root for. I visited their arena to watch a junior hockey game... simply wow.

I would like Hamilton and Saskatoon to get a team before Vegas or Seattle. To me hockey is for Canada first and foremost.

Bring back the Nords = Instant rivalry. Would be great.

Nice avatar btw, I really liked Petr Svoboda, good offensive defenceman.

 

[deandebean]

Keep them dead. I hate the Merdiques and their provincial fans.

 

[MikeKeen235]

Nice avatar btw, I really liked Petr Svoboda, good offensive defenceman.

Thx! He was one of my fav player as a kid.

 

[Scintillating10]

this pipe dream died when oil took the loonie south

Nords couldn't swing 20 million dollar team payroll before, can't see how they can do it now at 72 million.

 

[JLP]

If we add enough Canadian teams eventually one will make the playoffs

 

[badbrains]

I'd love to see Quebec get their team back. The timing is perfect for a renewed rivalry.

Habs vs Nords: two expansion quality teams battling it out for lottery picks!

 

[Scintillating10]

Watched a CBC news segment on the Jets playoff push this spring. Must be quite the thing in Winnipeg. Said this playoff run has created a billion dollars in added revenue for the city. Why couldn't they do something like so in QC?

 

[sandviper]

I would love it because other than the Bruins, there was no team I hated more than the Nords. I don’t think we’ll see the bench clearing brawls of the 80’s, but good old time rivalries is always awesome.

Only thing I won’t like is the old wounds it will open...

 

[WeThreeKings]

Watched a CBC news segment on the Jets playoff push this spring. Must be quite the thing in Winnipeg. Said this playoff run has created a billion dollars in added revenue for the city. Why couldn't they do something like so in QC?

Because the NHL wants to grow the game where the viewership and individual interest is lower.. You don't really grow the game in Quebec since it's already grown.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Nordiques suck. Go Habs.

 

[Price is Wright]

I would rather see a second team in Montreal than one team in Quebec.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I would like to see the Nordiques come back but last thing the Habs need is another rivalry! Bruins, Leafs, Sens, Tampa?, Nordiques. Most teams have 1 or 2 teams they hate. We already have too many IMO.

With the CAD being so low compared to the USD, I can't see a team coming to Canada anytime soon. When Quebec approved plans to build the new rink and the Jets got their team back, the CAD was doing very well. Not sure how the Jets are doing financially but I suspect they are doing OK cause of a loyal fan base and not much empty seats.

 

[JianYang]

But also, the habs would have never trade Roy to the Nords.


I read a journalist hypothesizing that since expansion is so costly, expansion team would want to have better opportunity to become as good as possible. This may mean looser roster protection rules.

But yeah, rivalry would't take much.

Yeah, there's no way Roy would have been traded to the nords. That was really their missing peice. As talented as they were, I doubt they were going places with thibault or fiset.

I wonder who they would have ended up with had they stayed in Quebec.

 

[Censored Toad]

Would be fun watching them be run by politics more than the Habs are.

Exactly, maybe we could do away with "THOU SHALL SPEAK FRENCH" and go with " Best person for the job" leave it to Quebec to be handicapped by language requirements.

 

[Brainiac]

before finally choosing the Habs as my team. This was when Ribeiro, Dagenais, Ryder and co were leading the team. Good times.

Good times? Holy tabarslak, man.

 

[NobleSix]

I wouldn't care.

Quebec isn't getting an expansion team. They're going to have to wait for a relocation opportunity which could be a pretty long time.

 

[le_sean]

I hope they never get a team again because it’s funnier to have the people of that region complain that the city of Montreal is much more favoured and somehow inferior because Quebec has a nicer view.

 

[Nikohab]

The battle of Quebec? Nothing betting than a good old rivalry.

 

[Laurentide]

Watched a CBC news segment on the Jets playoff push this spring. Must be quite the thing in Winnipeg. Said this playoff run has created a billion dollars in added revenue for the city. Why couldn't they do something like so in QC?

It is quite the thing in Winnipeg but the people who run the league out of New York City couldn't care less. If it were up to them, Canadian teams wouldn't be allowed to make the playoffs because all they do is cause US television ratings to drop.

I would love to see the Jets win it all this year simply because I know it would make Bettman's head explode and cause NBC to bail on their television deal. Bettman hates small market Canadian teams but he's conflicted because he's also addicted to the revenue they generate which keeps all those sunbelt teams he's infatuated with in business. He never wanted to let Winnipeg back in but once the Thrashers hit rock bottom there was no other place to put them on short notice and no one else willing to buy them. Perhaps if PK Peladeau's group had their arena in Quebec already built the Thrashers would have gone there instead of Winnipeg.

Nowadays it looks more and more like that new arena is going to become the next Copps Coliseum - a state of the art venue that will never get a team. The cost of expansion teams keeps going up and the Quebecor group wasn't able to come up with the cash when the fee was only a half billion dollars. By the time the league expands again that fee will be up around $750 million. So unless they can relocate a failed US franchise the Nordiques ain't coming back.

And more's the pity because the Habs started resting on their laurels five minutes after the Nordiques left for Denver. When they actually had some intra-provincial competition it forced them to be better. Now they can just sit back because they've got a captive audience with no viable options at their disposal.

 

[Laurentide]

Exactly, maybe we could do away with "THOU SHALL SPEAK FRENCH" and go with " Best person for the job" leave it to Quebec to be handicapped by language requirements.

And that's another thing. The Habs were in a credibility war with the Nords about which of them were more "pur laine" than the other. But the Nordiques never seemed to shy away from hiring anglo coaches like Dave Chambers. And many of their most popular players were non-francophones like Stastny, Hunter, Sakic, Nolan and even Sundin. But as soon as they left, the Habs felt compelled to hire all the francophone rejects from their front office and scouting departments who couldn't get work in Colorado. That's also when the Habs started to suck, which I don't believe is a coincidence.

If the Nords come back, they can focus on being French and the Habs can finally get back to focusing on being good.

 

[Laurentide]

The battle of Quebec? Nothing betting than a good old rivalry.

I was at the Good Friday game in 84. Best live event I have ever attended, bar none.