The owner did not "sell out" the fans.. he made a business decision and it proved to be the best one. No one is arguing that Québec could have been viable with the 90's version of the NHL salary structure.. at least, not competitively. The salaries were going up at ridiculous speed and Aubut felt they would have lost the team (and he would have lost a lot of money) eventually.
Québec fans were pissed at him at the time, but later realized why he did what he did.
As for the players not wanting to play in Québec, other than Eric Lindros i don't recall any. A lot of players have wanted out of many cities in the NHL, that's not typical of Québec. In fact, i remember some players really loving playing there. It's quite a spectacular city, and it's a perfect example of what a hockey city is like. Another poster mentioned it, but the Québec Remparts are drawing great crowds. I have visited many cities in North America, and i must say that i still think Québec City is one of the (if not THE) most beautiful.
A complex combining the Cirque du Soleil with an NHL team would work GREAT there.
Plus, imagine the crazy rivalries a division with Montréal, Québec, Toronto, Ottawa and Boston would have.