Bring back the Nordiques

[dash]

News conference being held today to announce plans for a brand new $400 million arena. Looks like no federal money either (city and province picking up the tab).

Can we get Le Petit Tigre behind the bench again?

CBC News - Politics - Quebec City to announce arena plans

 

[SLY]

I'm all for it, move Phoenix there. I like more teams up North. Or move Florida there and/or Winnipeg.

 

[sportfan09]

rather see the whalers

 

[SLY]

rather see the whalers

I'd love that, but this state can't support it. They wont front money for a new arena, and the NHL wants all the luxury boxes, which is a big reason they went to Carolina. They had a higher average attendance here than they do in Carolina. I mean, it is possible, I wouldn't rule it out for good, but it wouldn't be for a long time.

 

[Automattic]

Take Colorado back.

 

[sportfan09]

Take Colorado back.

screw that hell with canada they should be all shipped here anyway since america pays their players lol...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

was it le colisee or the forum that had the tasty chien chauds?

 

[KennyBanyeah]

was it le colisee or the forum that had the tasty chien chauds?

Both!!!

 

[Slimpikins]

I would love to see the Nordiques back. Montreal could use a close rival and I would really enjoy watching two French Canadian fanbases go at it.

 

[Bizzle McDizzle]

I'd love that, but this state can't support it. They wont front money for a new arena, and the NHL wants all the luxury boxes, which is a big reason they went to Carolina. They had a higher average attendance here than they do in Carolina. I mean, it is possible, I wouldn't rule it out for good, but it wouldn't be for a long time.

? seriously?
In the late 70's early-mid 80's, when I lived in CT, they may have had decent crowds, but lets not kid ourselves with a history built from nostalgia...
In the last 8 seasons before they moved, 89/90 - 96/97, they broke 13K twice, 12K once, and had 5 seasons under 12K. With those 5 being 5 of the last 6, when they had the "save the franchise" attempt and spiked attendance to 13,680 in the last year.

 

[BostonAJ]

? seriously?
In the late 70's early-mid 80's, when I lived in CT, they may have had decent crowds, but lets not kid ourselves with a history built from nostalgia...
In the last 8 seasons before they moved, 89/90 - 96/97, they broke 13K twice, 12K once, and had 5 seasons under 12K. With those 5 being 5 of the last 6, when they had the "save the franchise" attempt and spiked attendance to 13,680 in the last year.

Still makes no sense to me. If you used to live up north, you know that it's a much bigger part of the culture. Kids play pond hockey after school and street hockey in the summer. You go into someone's garage and see old hockey equipment lying around. Tons of schools offer it as a sport. If the Whalers can make it in a small, NASCAR-rabid city like Raleigh, they should have even more easily made it in Hartford. That move and the Winnipeg-to-Phoenix move are head scratchers for me.

I still don't think location was the problem.

 

[Bizzle McDizzle]

Still makes no sense to me. If you used to live up north, you know that it's a much bigger part of the culture. Kids play pond hockey after school and street hockey in the summer. You go into someone's garage and see old hockey equipment lying around. Tons of schools offer it as a sport. If the Whalers can make it in a small, NASCAR-rabid city like Raleigh, they should have even more easily made it in Hartford. That move and the Winnipeg-to-Phoenix move are head scratchers for me.

I still don't think location was the problem.

for the 1,000,000,000,000th time...

Raleigh is College BB rabid.

CHARLOTTE is NASCAR rabid.




Culture doesn't pay the bills.
Location was definitely a problem in a way.
Hartford was just unfortunately located halfway between 2 original 6 teams within a couple of hours drive, with NYI and NJD in the mix too.
Those embedded in the hockey culture culture would have grown up in a Rangers or Bruins house (Rangers for me).

So kids growing up in the 70's and 80's, though embracing the local team, still had grown up in a Rangers or Bruins house, so the Whalers had that going against them. How many current hockey fans are fans of their favorite team because their dad or parents were? Probably a high percentage. Or in my case, my dad wasn't a hockey fan, but all my friends were from Rangers houses, so that's where I grew up attaching my allegiances to.
Yes, I did go to Whalers games, and I did live in Connecticut. But I was still a Rangers fan. Though I can't prove it, obviously, I would guess a lot of hockey fans outside of t6he immediate Hartford area probably were the same.

Here hockey was something new, whithout those issues. At first that may sound bad, but this area has been riddled with houses divided forever, between NC State, UNC and Duke. The Panthers were too far away in Charlotte, so never really caught on here as the "local" team.
The 'Canes gave the people in this area a team to actually unite with and cheer for together. So one house may have dad as a UNC fan, mom wearing State red, junior wearing Duke Blue... but they all have 'Canes jerseys.

 

[forty_three]

It must be THIS uniform:

Helmet and all

 

[NullDefault]

There's teams that I miss having in the NHL but none more than the Nordiques. I've been impressed with the Yotes over the past couple of years and if the town really supported the team I wouldn't want them to lose the franchise, but with the attendance issues they have maybe it's time to cut and run and give the franchise to a fan base that will sell out the house every night.

 

[NullDefault]

I want to add that I understand what Bettman is trying to do by bringing hockey to these areas but what he doesn't understand is how the low attendance at Phoenix games really sinks the sport in non-traditional markets that don't have teams. I live in Oregon and one of the most common arguments as to why hockey is a marginal sport in the U.S. is because of Phoenix. I had friends that went to ASU and Arizona during college and the low interest in the team definitely left an impression as to how they perceive hockey today.

 

[BostonAJ]

It must be THIS uniform:

Helmet and all

Wow. They were really form-fitting back then, huh? I can almost make out Goulet's nipples.

 

[BlueandWhiteForever]

Quebec City and Southern Ontario will have a team and second team respectively sooner or later. The team in Quebec will be a relocation. I'm betting that it's the Thrashers. The second team on Toronto area will be expansion.

 

[SLY]

expansion. I highly doubt there will ever be more teams added to the NHL.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

What would the divisions look like if Quebec came back?

 

[jstewismybastardson]

expansion. I highly doubt there will ever be more teams added to the NHL.

contraction followed quickly by expansion ... this way the owners get their massive expansion fee (which doesnt count in total league wide revenue when calulating the players share)