Very Interesting Statement by Gary Bettman About the Return of the Quebec Nordiques and an Expansion Announcement Being a Real Option

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Elliot Ben Jacob
October 22, 2023 (2:51 PM)

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For about fifteen years, the topic surrounding the potential return of the Quebec Nordiques has been a hot topic in Quebec news.

Despite all the efforts made to promote the establishment of a new NHL franchise in Quebec, the Videotron Center, inaugurated in 2015 at a cost of 370 million dollars, is still waiting to permanently see professional hockey again.

But there seems to be hope as reported by Marqueur, it seems that the NHL is moving forward with the expansion project in the coming years.

At least that's the opinion of reporter Pierre LeBrun, who made this interesting statement on TSN following comments by Gary Bettman about the potential arrival of new teams in the NHL.

"For me, it's not 'if', but 'when'. You felt that hearing Gary Bettman and clearly seeing his body language at the governors' meeting in New York, Wednesday."

"It seemed like he was about to say something is coming, but he said, 'No, we are not ready yet.' However, he then spoke about the recurring interest expressed in conversations he has with four cities: Atlanta, Houston, Salt Lake City, and Quebec."

Quite interesting words from LeBrun, but as we know, hockey fans in Quebec City have been disappointed several times in the past.

However, the fact that Quebec was mentioned by the NHL's top executive can still be seen as a positive sign and that league officials are still interested in this market.

That said, while Houston and Atlanta seem to have a slight lead over Quebec and Salt Lake City for now, we shouldn't rule out the possibility of the league adding four new teams in the coming years because it's easier to operate with an even number of teams in a single conference, 18 times two equals 36, rather than an odd number, 17 times two equals 34.

Alright, this is a rather personal suggestion, but the NHL would benefit from expanding its ranks because we can expect other major leagues (NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball) to also decide to add new teams in a few years.

Even if the price of a new NHL franchise approaches a billion US dollars, we can still hope for a bid from Quebec City when the league decides to start its expansion process and from that moment on, hope will be back.

The question remains: for how long?