Quebec still waiting patiently.

[BKIslandersFan]

Yep, there is already companies located in Quebec area who have either as a business, or on a personal level as owner of business a corporate box/season tickets for the Habs. Who says those companies wouldn't do the same for Quebec and/or quit Habs for a more regional approach in Quebec.

But is there enough?

 

[Bixby Snyder]

But is there enough?

Of course not, it's one of the reasons the Nordiques left. The money isn't there to support major league sports.

 

[SeanConn]

Yeah, can you actually not do that. It's a completely unnecessary suggestion considering my comment was clearly a direct reference to the properly spelled St. John's, Newfoundland rather than an accidental misspelling of Saint John, New Brunswick. Appreciate the thought, though. But if I had wanted to use Saint John as my point, I would have said Saint John and not St. John's.

huh?

your original quote: "MacKinnon and many Atlantic Canada kids refuse to play for French speaking teams in the Q. Go to Halifax or St. John’s and see for yourself."

There's no Q team in Newfoundland, bud. So why or what would you be going to Newfoundland to go see, exactly?

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

huh?

your original quote: "MacKinnon and many Atlantic Canada kids refuse to play for French speaking teams in the Q. Go to Halifax or St. John’s and see for yourself."

There's no Q team in Newfoundland, bud. So why or what would you be going to Newfoundland to go see, exactly? You clearly meant Saint John, NB since you're talking about the Q (and yes, I know St. John's USED to very briefly have a team in the Q ...)

Guy, read what I said again. Atlantic kids often choose not to play for French Q teams and take other alternatives. Players like Alex Newhook, Shane Bowers, etc. What would having a Q team in those locations I mentioned, which obviously aren't French, have to do with anything? I literally said to go to places in Atlantic Canada and ask of their opinions of teams in French speaking areas, nothing else. Nothing about how they feel about local Q teams. It was part of my larger point that a team in Quebec City isn't going to be a beacon for all of the English speaking people in Halifax and St. John's, which if memory holds correctly are two of the largest Atlantic Canada statements. The Nords didn't draw them in during their original tenure, it's doubtful they would do it on a second try.

 

[GordonGraham]

Good news no Habs pre season game this year looks like the league finally learned their lesson, we have moved on and dont care anymore

 

[SeanConn]

Guy, read what I said again. Atlantic kids often choose not to play for French Q teams and take other alternatives. Players like Alex Newhook, Shane Bowers, etc. What would having a Q team in those locations I mentioned, which obviously aren't French, have to do with anything? I literally said to go to places in Atlantic Canada and ask of their opinions of teams in French speaking areas, nothing else. Nothing about how they feel about local Q teams. It was part of my larger point that a team in Quebec City isn't going to be a beacon for all of the English speaking people in Halifax and St. John's, which if memory holds correctly are two of the largest Atlantic Canada statements. The Nords didn't draw them in during their original tenure, it's doubtful they would do it on a second try.

Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to travel from St. John's, Newfoundland to Quebec City? lol Of course they're not going to draw from there... people in Halifax on the other-hand, would definitely consider driving to Quebec city, especially if "their" team was playing, but yeah, doubtful many maritimers outside of some Acadians would actually cheer for the Nordiques, but even of the Acadians, most of them already cheer for the Habs...

I'd certainly go to Quebec city to see some games, it's a lot closer than Montreal. Although, Boston isn't much further from SJ.

 

[MXD]

Good news no Habs pre season game this year looks like the league finally learned their lesson, we have moved on and dont care anymore

That move has absolutely nothing to do with the NHL and/or with Hockeyville.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to travel from St. John's, Newfoundland to Quebec City? lol Of course they're not going to draw from there... people in Halifax on the other-hand, would definitely consider driving to Quebec city, especially if "their" team was playing, but yeah, doubtful many maritimers outside of some Acadians would actually cheer for the Nordiques, but even of the Acadians, most of them already cheer for the Habs...

I'd certainly go to Quebec city to see some games, it's a lot closer than Montreal. Although, Boston isn't much further from SJ.

Thank you, agreed. Almost word for word my comments earlier in this thread, including the Acadians part. Someone was saying earlier that a respectable portion Atlantic Canada and New England French speakers would gladly be part of a Nords 2.0 market and that's not living in reality.

 

[SeanConn]

Thank you, agreed. Almost word for word my comments earlier in this thread, including the Acadians part. Someone was saying earlier that a respectable portion Atlantic Canada and New England French speakers would gladly be part of a Nords 2.0 market and that's not living in reality.

Well, pretty much most of the French speakers in the maritimes are Acadians, right? Though many have been fully assimilated and don't even speak French anymore, of those bunch, they'd probably feel no affinity towards a hockey team in Quebec at all...

It's not like many Francophones in the maritimes and New England live driving distance to Quebec City... of the ones in New Brunswick and Maine who are close to Quebec city... that's like what 100k people tops? big deal lol.

I feel bad for Quebec building that arena, but I doubt they're going to get a team unless one of the current teams relocates.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Well, pretty much most of the French speakers in the maritimes are Acadians, right? Though many have been fully assimilated and don't even speak French anymore, of those bunch, they'd probably feel no affinity towards a hockey team in Quebec at all...

It's not like many Francophones in the maritimes and New England live driving distance to Quebec City... of the ones in New Brunswick and Maine who are close to Quebec city... that's like what 100k people tops? big deal lol.

I feel bad for Quebec building that arena, but I doubt they're going to get a team unless one of the current teams relocates.

Just going off of the last census, about 200,000 of the 300,000 French speakers in the Maritimes are Acadians. According to the census and personal experience, most of those Acadians are bilingual. There's less than 100,000 French speakers in New England. The argument that they're going to be a beacon for all Frenchies outside of the province and the few hundred thousand (and increasingly bilingual) that live around Montreal just isn't true. It is a shame they won't get a team unless some team gets into an Atlanta situation where they don't have a building to play in and the owners will talk to anyone with a checkbook because Quebec City deserves a team, even in my opinion they deserve it more than Vegas. But that's not how the NHL works because if every market people thought deserved a team got one, the league would collapse. It's about growing the game and adding hockey fans, everyone in QC already is one. Sadly that will rule them out of negotiations where the NHL has a say, which is nearly every single one.

 

[powerstuck]

But is there enough?

Let me put it this way...
Category A : Big enough companies to have corporate boxes in both arenas. Exemple : Desjardins whose HQ is in Levis (south-shore of QCCity) who also have whole ''Desjardins section in Bell Centre''. Other banks and financial companies. In that category you can add every and all insurance company there is in Qc. The biggest ones SSQ, La Capitale, Industrielle Alliance...all have offices if not HQs in the city. There is also a tech sector (Olympus), a few pharmaceuticals companies (among whose are BD and GSK), a few gaming studios including Ubisoft. You've got oil industry with Valero (Ultramar) in Levis (2nd biggest oil refinery in Canada in terms of treatment capacity). Companies that have renting space (for the lack of other definitions) like Cominar, Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Category B : Could be big or mid-sized companies. Those may be everywhere in Quebec but would jump at an opportunity to be visible in Centre Videotron. I would put Couche-Tard stores/gas-stations in this category. They also own Mack's and another brand all over rest of Canada and US.

Category C : Last but not least. The local companies. Companies that may have business over Quebec, Canada and world but that have only offices in the region. Here you can have some of the big trucking companies (Robert, Trans Force). In my previous exemple (earlier post), Autobus Auger, a big bus company, mainly school buses. They have a dozen of smaller branches all over the south-shore but even on the north-shore. The owner of the company already has a corporate box in MTL. Sends employees and business partners as gifts to see Habs games. Another company, Autobus Laval, they are the official transporter for the Pee-Wee tournament for years (have school buses, coaches and even a bulk trucking branch). Other rich families like the Dallaire family who currently has major development projects in the city (both residential and commercial) and are close to the current city administration (read about the project Le Phare).

So, those are just a few exemples of companies. But I do think there is enough support. Of course, corporate boxes won't be sold for the same price in Quebec as they are in New York or Toronto but in the end, that's something that league already knows and lives well with in Winnipeg (just one exemple) and other smaller NHL markets.

 

[GordonGraham]

TVA sports guy on 6 pm news said its too late for a preseason game this year and that for 2020 they are working on a game that doesnt involved the Habs

 

[Fenway]

TVA sports guy on 6 pm news said its too late for a preseason game this year and that for 2020 they are working on a game that doesnt involved the Habs

The Bruins had issues in Quebec City 2 years ago as the airport there does not have US Customs preclearance - Their charter had to land at Logan, clear customs and then take another flight of 15 miles. Remember in the preseason teams fly in and out the same day.

Flight route from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED) - AirCalculator.com

 

[Hal1971]

Of course not, it's one of the reasons the Nordiques left. The money isn't there to support major league sports.

Yep, this is also why the jets left and look where they are now and also succesful.... Quebec from 1995 and Quebec now are not the same.

 

[Deadpool8812]

The NHL is keeping Quebec City as an option in case a struggling franchise needs to relocate in a jiffy. Forget about expansion for la Vieille Capitale.

Arizona, Florida...two teams that should have been re-located years ago

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Arizona, Florida...two teams that should have been re-located years ago

The team in the market that gave more public money support to a team than any other market and the team owned by people that have expressed zero interest in relocation should have been relocated years ago?

I get it, low attendance markets, but you can't force an owner to sell (unless they pull a Sterling) and I still think that the NHL wanted to keep the public gravy train running as an example for other markets to hopefully emulate if push came to shove (granted, lasted far longer than anybody anticipated in the NHL's office).

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Arizona, Florida...two teams that should have been re-located years ago

A decade ago people were saying the same thing about Nashville. They were a few handshakes away from Balsillie taking them back with him to Hamilton. Now the Preds are about as close to a model franchise as a non-traditional market can get. It wasn't very long ago that the Canadiens, an Original Six powerhouse with one of the biggest and most loyal fanbases in the league, were in near financial ruin. Lemieux had everyone around him telling him to go to a brand new and free arena in Kansas City rather than stay in Pittsburgh. Around the turn of the century, the Blackhawks made playoffs 1 time in 10 years and were ranked the worst franchise in all of pro sports under Dollar Bill Wirtz in 2004.

Every franchise goes through their rough patches. It's short sighted to say that they should be relocated when any team can succeed anywhere given the right circumstances.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Every franchise goes through their rough patches. It's short sighted to say that they should be relocated when any team can succeed anywhere given the right circumstances.

excellent turn of phrase there, as a description of those saying that here

 

[HugoSimon]

Guy, read what I said again. Atlantic kids often choose not to play for French Q teams and take other alternatives. Players like Alex Newhook, Shane Bowers, etc. What would having a Q team in those locations I mentioned, which obviously aren't French, have to do with anything? I literally said to go to places in Atlantic Canada and ask of their opinions of teams in French speaking areas, nothing else. Nothing about how they feel about local Q teams. It was part of my larger point that a team in Quebec City isn't going to be a beacon for all of the English speaking people in Halifax and St. John's, which if memory holds correctly are two of the largest Atlantic Canada statements. The Nords didn't draw them in during their original tenure, it's doubtful they would do it on a second try.

Your taking about people not wanting to play in a minor league, which is for various reasons a step below the OHL in the minds of many atlantic Canadians.

It has just as much to do with the fact that the league is operating in little towns like bathurst as it is not wanting to be busing around in rural quebec.

Conflating Baiecommeau with QC is a joke.

This isn't the 1980s.

No one in the east cares about the french thing.

My dad isn't all of a sudden hoping on a 24 hour trip just to see the Nords, just because they are close by. He'll do so because my mom has been nagging him for 35 years to visit the place.

QC for a lot of east coasters is one step away from being a major vacation hub. Adding in the nordiques would be that element.

When people start making up black and white arguments like

either all atlantic Canadians will flock to QC or they won't ever, you know they are making an argument based on emotion not reason.

Were talking about percentage points.

If the EastCoast is 2 percent of the fanbase that is absolutely massive for QC.

Small numbers add up to alot, when your 75-85 percent capable of supporting the team with people directly from your city.

It's not just about proximity much like the Jets the Nordiques have an aura around them, they've been gone so long to many they are just that cool team people knew use to exist.

If the Nords come back they won't be the only team getting attention but they will certainly change the geography of the east coast.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Your taking about people not wanting to play in a minor league, which is for various reasons a step below the OHL in the minds of many atlantic Canadians.

It has just as much to do with the fact that the league is operating in little towns like bathurst as it is not wanting to be busing around in rural quebec.

Conflating Baiecommeau with QC is a joke.

This isn't the 1980s.

No one in the east cares about the french thing.

My dad isn't all of a sudden hoping on a 24 hour trip just to see the Nords, just because they are close by. He'll do so because my mom has been nagging him for 35 years to visit the place.

QC for a lot of east coasters is one step away from being a major vacation hub. Adding in the nordiques would be that element.

When people start making up black and white arguments like

either all atlantic Canadians will flock to QC or they won't ever, you know they are making an argument based on emotion not reason.

Were talking about percentage points.

If the EastCoast is 2 percent of the fanbase that is absolutely massive for QC.

Small numbers add up to alot, when your 75-85 percent capable of supporting the team with people directly from your city.

It's not just about proximity much like the Jets the Nordiques have an aura around them, they've been gone so long to many they are just that cool team people knew use to exist.

If the Nords come back they won't be the only team getting attention but they will certainly change the geography of the east coast.

People in Atlantic Canada will not simply cheer for a QC team because it's geographically their closest team. For a lot of the Maritimes, Boston is almost the same distance as QC. They will especially not cheer for a QC team if it's a linchpin of Quebec nationalism as the Nords and fictional Nationals were.

Baie-Comeau* and Québec City have a lot in common, with respects to their roles in the QMJHL and NHL. Small and out of the way markets, almost exclusively French speaking and not overtly welcome to Anglos, and not nearly as appealing as other bigger cities

That whole tourist spot team idea is nonsense. That was a major factor Vegas had to overcome for the league, and they solved it be selling whatever insane number of season tickets and luxury box suites they sold. They had to prove to the league that local people and companies would support the team, not the tens of millions of tourists that visit for a week. It's not rational to think that the NHL or any NHL team owner will care about people a very long drive/flight away coming for a maximum of two or three games per season. No rational owner with a billion dollars on the line would buy a team in QC because "Quebeckers love a road trip" as some posters have put on this thread. QC would pack the house for 41 home dates easy, no one's ever doubted that. But like Winnipeg, a small market with a low income per capita and relatively few company HQs has more issues than a rabid and loyal fanbase can solve.

The NHL when looking at teams, both with the last two expansion teams and with current teams, really only care about where the population is based, their income, their TV presence, and where the arena is. For Quebec, it's close but not close enough for a lot of very small regions in what would be one of the smallest and most cash poor markets in the league and a TV market that would be aimed almost exclusively at French-Canadians, unlike Montreal where over half the metro area speaks English or is bilingual. The rink's good, the fans are good, that doesn't make a solid NHL franchise.

 

[Forsead]

People in Atlantic Canada will not simply cheer for a QC team because it's geographically their closest team. For a lot of the Maritimes, Boston is almost the same distance as QC. They will especially not cheer for a QC team if it's a linchpin of Quebec nationalism as the Nords and fictional Nationals were.

Baie-Comeau* and Québec City have a lot in common, with respects to their roles in the QMJHL and NHL. Small and out of the way markets, almost exclusively French speaking and not overtly welcome to Anglos, and not nearly as appealing as other bigger cities

That whole tourist spot team idea is nonsense. That was a major factor Vegas had to overcome for the league, and they solved it be selling whatever insane number of season tickets and luxury box suites they sold. They had to prove to the league that local people and companies would support the team, not the tens of millions of tourists that visit for a week. It's not rational to think that the NHL or any NHL team owner will care about people a very long drive/flight away coming for a maximum of two or three games per season. No rational owner with a billion dollars on the line would buy a team in QC because "Quebeckers love a road trip" as some posters have put on this thread. QC would pack the house for 41 home dates easy, no one's ever doubted that. But like Winnipeg, a small market with a low income per capita and relatively few company HQs has more issues than a rabid and loyal fanbase can solve.

The NHL when looking at teams, both with the last two expansion teams and with current teams, really only care about where the population is based, their income, their TV presence, and where the arena is. For Quebec, it's close but not close enough for a lot of very small regions in what would be one of the smallest and most cash poor markets in the league and a TV market that would be aimed almost exclusively at French-Canadians, unlike Montreal where over half the metro area speaks English or is bilingual. The rink's good, the fans are good, that doesn't make a solid NHL franchise.

Quebec city had the most mitigated response for Quebec sovereignty referendum amongst widely majority french canadian ridings. Maybe check an history books and then talk about Quebec. Plus, it's pretty much a moot point since it's dying anyway.

You should read some posts before yours, some of the maritimes would come. Not all and they wouldn't necessarily be Nords fans, but that's not all what’s matter. They would helps to pack the house, that's it. It's still a necessary income for a team and a must have. Most if not all of Quebec city center have bilingual peoples working in it. Pretty much everybody aged 35 or less in Quebec city have a very functionning english, stop living in the 80s.

Baie-Comeau and Quebec City have nothing in common like you claims, have you been to either one ? The former is a 800 000 + population city with an historic touristy attraction center and the other is a small 22 000 population isolated town.

Lower income in Quebec city is less a problem since a big part of the peoples works for the government and while they have less income as their salary is lower, they have a guaranteed pension. They have much more money to spend. Plus, the low unemployment rate is incredible.

Even the business sector is rising and getting good.

The problem with Quebec city is this : it's not a new market for the NHL. Plus, the potential owner is a big minus for the NHL.

 

[Fenway]

The problem with Quebec city is this : it's not a new market for the NHL. Plus, the potential owner is a big minus for the NHL.

The Quebec City market is far more complex than just looking at core population figures starting with if you increase the radius to 100 miles from Centre Videotron it exceeds Winnipeg. The Nords had fans in Western New Brunswick and MAINE and for a few years, they had an English radio network based in Presque Isle, Maine.

Colisée was one of the best arenas I have ever been in ( the hot dogs were the best ) and by 1995 they were a real threat to the Canadiens who at that time also had severe financial problems building the Centre Molson. The exchange rate was brutal back then as I remember Montreal bars happily giving $160 CDN for $100 USD.

Quebec only has one slim chance of getting an NHL franchise and it would require the city severing ties with Quebecor and giving the keys to the arena to Eugene Melnyk. That is an awful deal with the devil but is there any other option for them?

 

[filip85]

The Quebec City market is far more complex than just looking at core population figures starting with if you increase the radius to 100 miles from Centre Videotron it exceeds Winnipeg. The Nords had fans in Western New Brunswick and MAINE and for a few years, they had an English radio network based in Presque Isle, Maine.

Colisée was one of the best arenas I have ever been in ( the hot dogs were the best ) and by 1995 they were a real threat to the Canadiens who at that time also had severe financial problems building the Centre Molson. The exchange rate was brutal back then as I remember Montreal bars happily giving $160 CDN for $100 USD.

Quebec only has one slim chance of getting an NHL franchise and it would require the city severing ties with Quebecor and giving the keys to the arena to Eugene Melnyk. That is an awful deal with the devil but is there any other option for them?

Relocation...Florida or Arizona ?

 

[Fenway]

Relocation...Florida or Arizona ?

If Arizona relocates it will be to Houston

Florida just spent millions to get Q - there are not moving anytime soon.

 

[filip85]

If Arizona relocates it will be to Houston

Florida just spent millions to get Q - there are not moving anytime soon.