A few years ago I wrote about the possibility of the Québec Nordiques coming back to the NHL. It eventually turned out that the rumours were but another tease for fans of the long-maligned franchise.What's old is news again (French): former players Michel Goulet and Kevin Lowe are getting behind an effort to build an NHL-ready arena in Québec. So far the initiative looks a little shaky; there is no franchise available, expansion is a non-starter in this economy (aside: I've quickly grown tired of the expression "in this economy"), and NHL ticket prices are way out of reach for the old Nordiques fanbase.
So far it simply has the appearance of a couple of ex-NHLer's going out on a limb for an old buddy. I would be shocked if anything came of this particular effort. Besides, building an NHL-ready rink hasn't exactly made the Jets rush back to Winnipeg.
1 comments:
I agree, it's a heck of a long shot, but I don't think it's totally out of the question.
As far as ticket prices, I think that's misinterpreted. True, you won't have the corporate support you'd have in Montreal or Toronto, but that doesn't mean you can't sustain a franchise. You can still charge a decent ticket price in that market, compared to say Tampa, where they're selling season tickets for $249. No, not per ticket, but FOR ALL 41 GAMES!
The biggest stumbling block for Quebec has always been the arena. If they can eliminate that, then we can see if there's anything else standing in their way.
Plus, "IN THIS ECONOMY", getting infrastructure projects approved for funding should be a bit easier, so now's the time to give it a shot.
I wouldn't bet on it working though!
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