Quebec is One Step Closer to Returning to the NHL

[Brian Damage]

Quebec City says it will begin construction on a new NHL-style arena in September.

Mayor Regis Labeaume says the $400 million arena will hold about 18,000 people, saying it would be comparable to the Pittsburgh Penguins' new building.


''Today, the dream becomes a reality,'' he said at a news conference Sunday.

The arena is expected to be completed by September 2015.

The Quebecor media group has the naming rights for the future arena and was granted exclusive rights to manage the facility.

If the city gets an NHL team, Quebecor would pay $63.5 million for naming rights, plus $5 million in annual rent. Without one, the company would pay $33 million for the rights and an average of $3.15 million annually for rent.

''There are no more obstacles ... no more uncertainty about the construction of the amphitheater,'' Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said at the news conference.

Labeaume says the city can proceed with the project after finalizing an agreement with Quebecor before a March 31 deadline.

The province and Quebec City have pledged millions in taxpayer money for the project.

Quebec lost the Nordiques in 1995, when they left to become the Colorado Avalanche.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/Q...ptember-032512

[robyrob]

but do they really think that they can afford to PAY a team at the current player salaries?

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by robyrob

but do they really think that they can afford to PAY a team at the current player salaries?

If Winnipeg can do it then I think Quebec City can do it too! And this might be the perfect time with Quebec's other team, the Montreal Canadiens, doing so poorly on the ice.

[robyrob]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

If Winnipeg can do it then I think Quebec City can do it too! And this might be the perfect time with Quebec's other team, the Montreal Canadiens, doing so poorly on the ice.

no expansion team is going to be any good out of the gates - they will probably still attract fans at first, but Quebec fans are notoriously fickle, they had a LOT of years with the Nordiques being the worst team in the league.

how many years has Columbus been in the league, and they still aren't worth a crap - but at least they have enough fans willing to support them no matter how bad they get (of course they don't really have that big of a payroll either - and they seem content to keep it that way, even if it means they never have a good year)

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by robyrob

no expansion team is going to be any good out of the gates - they will probably still attract fans at first, but Quebec fans are notoriously fickle, they had a LOT of years with the Nordiques being the worst team in the league.

how many years has Columbus been in the league, and they still aren't worth a crap - but at least they have enough fans willing to support them no matter how bad they get (of course they don't really have that big of a payroll either - and they seem content to keep it that way, even if it means they never have a good year)

Let Quebec have the Blue Jackets...Columbus isn't interested in Hockey...they're interested into Ohio State. (I still wish for a Cleveland Team in the NHL, at least they'll do better there and Dan Gilbert could make the team thrive)!

[TMC]

In 1996, the Colorado Avalance lifted the Stanley Cup. But thousands of miles away, a city was mourning. This is the story of the Quebec Nordiques. A powerhouse that was built in the north but exploded in the mountains of Colorado.

Why did one of the most talented rosters in hockey history have to vanish? From the surrender of the NHL merger to the Lindros saga that changed everything, I'm breaking down the business and heartbreak of the move to Denver.

Was it a merger? Was it a robbery? We look at the $6 million entry fee and stripped naked roster rules that forced Quebec to start from zero, only to build a champion they'd never get to claim.

Subscribe for more teams the NHL left behind.

Comment below: Do you think Quebec will ever get a team back?

Timestamps:

• Intro: 0:00
• The Early Years 1:12
• NHL Merger 2:22
• Cold Hard Truth 4:17
• Lindros Deal 5:15
• Relocation and Cup Win 7:11
• Outro 9:08

In 1979, the Quebec Nordiques — the proverbial little brothers of Quebec hockey — became an NHL franchise. And, mon dieu, what a run they had. Between their epic battles with Montreal, the brilliance of the Stastny Brothers, and, of course, L’affaire Lindros, the Nordiques were consistently one the NHL’s most compelling teams. That is, until their bitter end...

In this All Sports History video we'll look back at what happened to the Quebec Nordiques when then owner Marcel Aubut sold the team to the COMSAT entertainment group, who then moved the team to Denver, Colorado.

Here's what this "Quebec Nordiques History" video covers:

The Quebec Nordiques were one of the few WHA teams to merge with the NHL in 1979, where they would stay for the next 16 seasons. So what exactly led to the team leaving the city they called home for so many years? In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how a small market team defied the odds, developing intense rivalries and cementing their legacy as an iconic franchise along the way.

We'll also look back at some Quebec Nordiques highlights throughout their history, like the how the team name came to be and the design of their unique igloo and hockey stick logo. Then we'll go through playoff runs of the late 1970s and through the mid 1980s, featuring matchups like the Quebec Nordiques vs Montreal Canadiens (ex. April 20, 1984 - The Good Friday Massacre), and the Quebec Nordiques vs Boston Bruins. Finally, we'll see how the team's legacy continues on to this day with the Colorado Avalanche donning Quebec Nordique inspired retro reverse jerseys.

What did you think about the Nordiques moving to Colorado and becoming the Avalanche? And what’s one of your favorite memories of the Nordiques? Or even about the WHA merger with the NHL? Let me know in the comments below!

The Quebec Nordiques were built to win - but just as they were hitting their stride, the NHL sold them off. This is the story of how money, politics, and broken promises led to one of hockey’s most painful relocations. This is the Greatest Franchise The NHL Abandoned...

The complete story of the Quebec Nordiques, from their 1972 WHA beginnings to their heartbreaking 1995 departure. This video covers how the Nordiques became a beloved symbol of French-Canadian identity with their blue jerseys and distinctive igloo logo at the Colisée de Québec.

We examine the team's early success with stars like Marc Tardif and Real Cloutier, their 1977 Avco World Trophy championship, and their 1979 entry into the NHL alongside the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers.

See how the Nordiques built competitive teams through the 1980s with Michel Goulet, Peter Stastny, and the famous "Battle of Quebec" rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens. Then follow their decline, rebuild with Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin, and the financial struggles that led to relocation.

The video also explains how the team became the Colorado Avalanche and immediately won the 1996 Stanley Cup, plus the ongoing efforts to bring NHL hockey back to Quebec City with the Videotron Centre.

The NHL saw the failure of a few teams in its history, but no other team failure made as much noise as the Nordiques leaving Quebec City back in 1995. Even with a solid fanbase the Nordiques since the very beginning, we're struggling financially and on the ice, but how could an NHL team fail in Quebec where people love hockey?