Announcement From Québec!

My translation from RDS:

According to RDS reports, an important announcement will be made this coming Thursday or Friday about the construction of a new arena in Québec City.

Régis Labeaume, the mayor of Québec, and Marcel Aubut, the former president of the Québec Nordiques held a private meeting Friday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York.

Bettman recently declared that the eventual return of an NHL team to "La Vielle Capitale" is inextricably linked to the construction of a new arena. Though he gave no guarantee, the commissioner added that Québec's candidature could be considered with expansion or the movement of another team.

According to The [Québec] Sun, the mayor Labeaume envisions using the same space as a concert venue and a hockey arena. The project will cost an estimated $400 million.

The federal government will be solicited for support. Their contributions are expected to reach $175 million.

It is worth noting that it will be exactly 30 years ago on October 10 that the Nordiques played their first game in the NHL at the old Colisée.

Note: this is also being reported at Radio-Canada and Le Soleil.

over 2 years ago JP Nikota 8 comments 0 recs |

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I welcome any team whose fanbase hates the habs as much as we do back into the fold

Refusing To Bow To Your Standards Since 2006

by JaredFromLondon on Oct 10, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting

that they met with Bettman over this and Bettman’s own statement of the “eventual return of an NHL team” to Quebec City.

I can’t help but feel that we now know the NHL’s plans for the Coyote’s should/when the court approves the NHL’s purchase of them.

Can Odin speak French?

Wings fan by birth. Leafs fan by truculent osmosis.

by SkinnyFish on Oct 10, 2009 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

heh

I kinda doubt they’d move the Coyotes to Quebec City, but I could see an expansion granting a team to Kansas City and Quebec City each.

"Life is just a place where we spend time between games. Hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death." - Fred Shero

by Karina on Oct 10, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

More teams in Canada is not a bad thing.

That said if it is the NHL’s grand plan to move Pheonix to bring a team back into Quebec City… Then it makes them look very bad with the whole Balsille thing.

by Huey2k2 on Oct 10, 2009 2:28 PM EDT reply actions

The NHL looked bad for many, many reasons throughout the relocation/sale of the Coyotes debacle, but this wouldn’t be one of them. It has been the NHL’s official position that they do not necessarily have anything against moving a team/expanding to Canada, and this would totally vindicate that part of their argument. Québec, at least it would seem, is going about this process the right way; they’re pitching their argument to Bettman early, and not prying a team away from him in an embarrassing court case. It seems like they’re willing to play ball within the NHL’s rules. It doesn’t even say that they are necessarily trying to get the Coyotes, although I guess they’re the most obvious target.

by JP Nikota on Oct 10, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I would venture a guess that given the right opportunity they would move another team to Hamilton or another spot in Southern Ontario.

Just not owned by Basillie.

Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...

by JohnnyG on Oct 10, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Ironically, all those ironic Nordiques shirts aren’t really going to be ironic anymore.

Even Godzillas Need A Home

by Robot Godzilla on Oct 10, 2009 3:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I thought the Nordiques moved due to a lack of corporate support as an important factor? Certainly all Canadian politics and Quebec studies keep emphasizing the mass exodus of big businesses from most of Quebec in general.

Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell

by bkblades on Oct 11, 2009 2:42 PM EDT reply actions