Hockey

Nordiques: two Québécois multi-billionaires decline to buy an NHL team
Mathis Therrien
Nordiques: two Québécois multi-billionaires decline to buy an NHL team
Credit: Getty Images

Ah, the famous potential return of the Quebec Nordiques.

A Québécois dream that won't die, but will probably never come true for a number of reasons.

Obviously, Gary Bettman will never prioritize Quebec City for potential NHL expansions, which is true, but there's more to the story than that.

Indeed, you have to look at your own backyard rather than putting the blame solely on the NHL and the fact that it clearly prioritizes American markets.

Internally, the big problem is that there are no Québécois buyers who want to bring the Nordiques back to Quebec City.

Indeed, a recent Radio-Canada article reveals that two ten-billion-dollar Québécois multi-billionaires have turned down the idea of potentially buying a hockey team.

That's what Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard said when he tempered expectations of a potential Nordiques comeback during his appearance on ICI RDI's Mordus de politique.

It's a shame, but that's the sad reality in Quebec right now: no one wants to embark on such a project, which costs two billion dollars and will bring in very little money annually.

The Centre Vidéotron, an NHL-calibre amphitheatre, will have to wait before getting its own team, and will probably have to settle for the Colorado Nordiques.

Indeed, Joe Sakic, president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche, has set his sights on seeing the Avalanche play a game in Quebec City in Nordiques colors, that is, in the jersey the Avalanche will be wearing this afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens.

It's a great idea from the last captain in the history of the Fleurdelisés, and it shows just how much he holds Quebec City dear to his heart.

Let's see if it's a project that will see the light of day, when it certainly has a better chance of coming to fruition than the Nordiques' complete return to Quebec City.


Overtime

– A nice gesture from the Stars.

– The absence of Barkov and Tkachuk hurts the Panthers.

– It'll be interesting to see what the Ducks do.

– It's going to come down to nothing.

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