After the cancellation of a meeting last November, the “minister of the Nordics” finally resumed his meeting in New York today with the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL). The possibility of bringing a professional team back to Quebec was certainly on the menu.
On the sidelines of his meeting with investors in New York, following the tabling of the budget, “a courtesy meeting” with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was on the Minister of Finance’s agenda, Eric’s office confirmed Girard to our Parliamentary Office.
This is a “private meeting”. His team had nothing to specify about the content of the subjects that were to be discussed there. However, possible expansion and the possibility of bringing a professional team back to Quebec had to be part of the discussions.
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Deputy Commissioner and Gary Bettman’s right-hand man, Bill Daly, simply told the Newspaper shortly after 1 p.m. that “yes, the meeting took place”. When asked for his thoughts on the meeting and whether possible NHL expansion was on the agenda, Daly did not respond.
Last October, Mr. Girard reaffirmed his desire to demonstrate to the NHL that the national capital is a city of choice for a professional hockey team. The minister first spoke with Bettman via videoconference in January 2022, then another time in person in New York, in May of the same year.
Archive photo, Stevens LeBlanc
“When I go to New York, if Mr. Bettman is in New York when I am there, I take the opportunity to go say hello and remind him that Quebec is a dynamic city with infrastructures,” he declared during a press briefing with the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand.
Meeting canceled
Moreover, he already planned to discuss the return of the Nordiques with the commissioner during a meeting last November. However, the minister had decided to cancel this meeting with the investors and the commissioner due to negotiations with the public sector which were becoming more complex and dragging on.
Archive photo, AFP
The minister thus wanted to focus on the government’s financial framework.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Finance appeared to have two missions during his visit to New York.
The first being to reassure investors following a deficit budget. The second: convince Gary Bettman of a possible return of a professional hockey team to Quebec.
Also last October, Minister Girard maintained “that in the medium term”, it was still possible that there would be an expansion in the NHL.
“I heard Quebec City as a possible candidate so I think all of that is positive. There will first have to be an expansion, then there will have to be a competitive application and there will be a process. In these matters, we need a long-term vision,” he said, claiming that the city “has changed” since the Nordiques left for Colorado.
THE “NORDIC MINISTER” OVER TIME…
November 19, 2021
Prime Minister François Legault announced that his Minister of Finance Eric Girard would lead the file for the possible return of the Nordiques.
December 10, 2021
During the NHL governors’ meeting in Palm Beach, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was vague about his upcoming meeting with Minister Girard. “I think I have a meeting with the Prime Minister. If I am wrong, I apologize to the minister. I don’t remember the date and I don’t know the details of what they want to talk to me about. I am always happy when a political leader wants to meet me,” he said without conviction.
January 13, 2022
First contact between Minister Girard and Gary Bettman via the Zoom web platform.
May 19, 2022
First in-person meeting in New York, between Mr. Girard and the commissioner, in the NHL offices. The minister described the meeting as “extremely positive.”
June 15, 2022
Returning to this meeting with the minister, Gary Bettman indicated that the latter had mainly discussed with Wayne Gretzky and that regarding the return of the Nordiques, “We reiterated that there was nothing new about the return of a team in Quebec or about the idea of holding matches there [de saison régulière].”
End of November 2023
An in-person meeting scheduled to take place in New York was canceled at the last minute due to difficult negotiations with the public sector.
January 24, 2024
A Salt Lake City group is formally calling on the NHL to begin an expansion process.
March 12, 2024
It is the turn of a group from Atlanta, whose spokesperson is former player Anson Carter, to formally demand an expansion team.
April 2, 2024
Minister Girard met with Gary Bettman, but did not comment on the nature of the discussions with the commissioner.