TORONTO – Some fans wishing for the return of the Nordiques to Quebec may have had the impression of fully experiencing Groundhog Day on this Friday, February 2, 2024, but it is certainly too hasty to come to any conclusion regarding a possible expansion into the NHL.
Commissioner Gary Bettman therefore spontaneously went into a long list of American cities when he was questioned on this subject, Friday in Toronto, during his press conference presented as part of the All-Star Game. Is this automatically a disavowal for Quebec? There is nothing less clear.
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“If we decide to expand and Quebec expresses the necessary interest for that to happen, we will analyze [la candidature]“, he replied, when he was reminded that the former city of the Nordiques could logically be in the running again.
“There are several cities that want a team,” he immediately added.
Cincinnati comes out of nowhere
Earlier, Mr. Bettman had listed potential markets, including Cincinnati, but never mentioned Quebec.
“Some people have mentioned to us that they want to have an expansion team, we’ve talked to people in Houston, in Atlanta, in Cincinnati, in Kansas City,” he said, even adding Omaha, Nebraska. .
While he has always liked to play hide and seek, the commissioner was frank when contacted about Salt Lake City and the open letter recently published by the Smith Entertainment Group asking the NHL to open a review process. ‘expansion.
“What’s happening is people are expressing wishes, but we don’t have an expansion process in place,” said Mr. Bettman, who was then accompanied by his deputy Bill Daly. We listen to those who show interest and it’s fair to say that Utah has expressed interest, being aggressive and showing a lot of energy.
Little secret keeper
Speaking of Quebec, we learned that businessman Pierre Karl Péladeau is expected in Toronto this Saturday as part of the All-Star Game. If he was invited as a broadcaster, thanks to the TVA Sports channel, the opportunity will undoubtedly be great to discuss different subjects with NHL leaders.
In Friday morning’s edition of Quebec Journalcolleague Kevin Dubé reported, citing a source close to the NHL, that the famous letter published by the Salt Lake City group was not a coincidence.
However, if a new expansion process awaits the NHL, the commissioner is careful not to talk about it openly. Still according to information collected by The newspaperQuebec would rather be in the race for a team, despite the exorbitant price that expansion would cost.
The Arizona groundhog
In the thorny issue of the Arizona Coyotes, the president of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), Marty Walsh, did not hesitate to criticize this organization on the sidelines of this same hockey conference. press.
According to him, the Coyotes missed two deadlines in order to move forward with a new amphitheater project. Mr. Bettman, for his part, confirmed that owner Alex Meruelo assured him last week that he would find a place to build a new arena. So Groundhog Day sometimes also happens in the southwest of the United States.