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Let’s try to untangle Gary Bettman’s comments on the Nordiques’ bid

 David Miller
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Let’s try to untangle Gary Bettman’s comments on the Nordiques’ bid
Credit: Getty Images

Last night on RDS, Alain Crête interviewed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He was in town because the Canadiens game was also available on Prime.

And of course, the subject of the Nordiques came up.

As you can see from the interview, Mr. Bettman completely lost his smile when he realized that we were talking about the “return” of hockey to the Québécois capital.

The commissioner said he wasn’t sure how to respond to the return of hockey to Quebec City because, obviously, the door isn’t closed. But he did add something interesting.

Here’s what he had to say.

No one in a position to do what needed to be done [to bring the Nordiques back] stepped forward and presented a plan to do what was necessary to bring a team back to Quebec City. – Gary Bettman

Alain Crête asked him to repeat that it had never happened… to which the commissioner said that clubs were worth more and more. He added that no one said Quebec City couldn’t have a team.

And that led to this.

-[It never happened that someone said] this is my plan, here’s the money. – Alain Crête

-It didn’t happen. – Gary Bettman

-Never happened? – Alain Crête

-Not yet. – Garry Bettman

What’s curious is that Quebec City has already officially applied (in 2015) for an expansion franchise. But in the end, it was only Vegas that got a club.

And I’m not making this up: it cost $10 million, $2 million of which was non-refundable, to be part of the process.

Reading between the lines, it’s clear that the commissioner hasn’t changed his tune and doesn’t want to bring hockey back to Quebec City. And since he can’t have denied that Quebec City was there in 2015…

What does all this mean? Did Gary Bettman, who (I repeat myself) doesn’t want to bring hockey to a small Canadian market, make a mistake when he spoke? I don’t think so.

He knows what he’s talking about… especially when it comes to Quebec City.

In my opinion, he wanted to talk about the future (reread the answers transcribed earlier in the text in the conversation with Alain Crête) and not the past. That way, he didn’t have to lie: all he had to do was avoid answering. #LikeAGoodPolitician

This is also the opinion of Renaud Lavoie, who spoke to BPM Sports this morning. The Quebecor employee believes that, at the moment, there are no concrete plans with investors.

He thinks that if it’s going to happen, it could take money from the United States.

Does Gary Bettman think that the 2015 offer wasn’t complete, and is that what prompted him to say that? Did Quebecor not finalize its offer because Pierre-Karl Péladeau felt the NHL wanted nothing to do with it?

These are also theories that can be raised. But to me, it’s clear: Gary Bettman turned to the future last night to avoid answering the past and revisiting 2015 in depth. Quite simply.


Overtime

– Jordan Harris will play tonight. It will be an emotional game with the tribute to the Gaudreau brothers.

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