The Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, wishes to obtain the support of the National Hockey League (NHL) so that the Montreal Canadiens play matches in Quebec during the regular season.
Mr. Girard took stock on Wednesday of his most recent meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman last week in New York.
“What I told Mr. Bettman was that I had suggested to the Montreal Canadiens that they were now coming to play regular season games in Quebec and that if the Canadiens, because they are independent, agreed to come and play the matches in Quebec, I would like the National League to support it,” he declared in a press briefing before the council of ministers.
According to the minister, the time has not yet come for the NHL to decide in favor or against its initiative with the Montreal team.
“For the moment, there is nothing to support, I informed them of my suggestion to the Montreal Canadiens,” he argued.
Last week, the NHL confirmed to Duty that Mr. Girard discussed with Mr. Bettman the hosting of NHL games, including those of the Los Angeles Kings, next fall, at the Videotron Center.
Return of the Nordics
On Wednesday, Mr. Girard explained that he would like to host regular season games in Quebec after those of the Kings, who will hold their training camp in the capital from October 2 to 6 in addition to facing the Bruins and the Panthers.
“It’s certain that it’s the talk of Quebec in the National League,” he said.
The Minister of Finance, who is responsible for encouraging the return of a team that would fill the void left by the departure of the Nordiques, also wants to host a women’s hockey world championship and a junior hockey world championship.
As for a possible return of the Nordiques, Mr. Girard objected that the file continues to progress.
“I don’t know why you say “neutral as always,” he replied to a journalist. What we’ve always said is that there’s an amphitheater here that was built to play major league hockey. So there will be standout games. Then we would like to have regular season games. »
The Coyotes team from Phoenix, Arizona, has for several years been a source of hope for a possible move to Quebec.
On Wednesday, however, ESPN reported information indicating that this team could be relocated to Salt Lake City as part of a reorganization.