Quebec’s appetite for professional hockey continues unabated, almost 30 years after the painful departure of the Nordiques. While many still hope for the return of the Bettman circuit to the capital, others believe that the arrival of a professional team in Quebec now means women’s racing.
Since its inaugural match on 1er Last January, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF) attracted crowds – and made many dream in Quebec, a city which still mourns its Fleurdelisés and which is losing a little more hope of seeing the National Hockey League (NHL) again. every time Commissioner Gary Bettman looks up to his market.
“The NHL will never return to Quebec,” said Limoilou advisor Jackie Smith last month. “Let’s leave the past behind us: the future of professional hockey in Quebec is female. »
Several advantages in favor of Quebec
The elected official is not alone in having this conviction: many see in the advent of the LPHF a lifeline for the return of a professional team to Quebec.
“I have been doing research on women and sport for almost 30 years, and here, I really feel that something is happening,” says Guylaine Demers, full professor in the Department of Sports. physical education at Laval University. “Quebec is dying to have a professional team: if it’s also female, for me, it’s fabulous. »
The capital region has several assets in its wardrobe to attract the circuit created by multi-billionaire Mark Walter and Billie Jean King, former tennis champion who became an apostle of the recognition of women in sport.
Quebec fans first feel an unwavering attachment to their local clubs. The Remparts, a major junior hockey team whose players are barely out of adolescence, regularly attract more than 10,000 spectators to their games, with a peak of 15,000 people for the current season reached on December 28 — a crowd to make the Arizona Coyotes salivate.
I’ve been doing research on women and sport for almost 30 years, and here, I really feel that there is something happening.
Quebec and its market have also matured since 1995: the airport has grown in size, as has its amphitheater, and Quebecor is not closing the doors of its Videotron Center in the face of a possible women’s team.
“We are always exploring new opportunities,” wrote to Duty the conglomerate’s Sports and Entertainment division. We noted the interest of fans in women’s hockey and are observing the deployment of the LPHF. »
Another ace up Quebec’s sleeve, according to Guylaine Demers, is “the ability of the local business community to mobilize to support and embark on a project like this.”
Jacques Tanguay, entrepreneur behind the stores of the same name, considers the new women’s league “very interesting” – to the point where, if the LPHF takes up residence in the capital, he intends to be one of the sponsors.
“It’s only going to grow over the years,” analyzes the former president of the Remparts about the Professional Women’s Hockey League. “It’s a bit like the National League when it started: there were only six teams and from there it evolved. »
The winning conditions
Despite the enthusiasm generated by the new league and the media hype that has surrounded it since its birth, some in Quebec remain skeptical. The caliber of the women’s circuit, deplore several supporters, suffers from comparison with the National League.
This is an unfair parallel in the eyes of Laurence Beaulieu. A former defender in the defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League, she remembers the constraints that hindered the development of female hockey players before the birth of the LPHF.
“I played professionally at the time when it really didn’t pay,” remembers the woman who coaches various women’s teams in Quebec. You had to juggle a full-time job, sometimes also finishing college, and then playing and training three or four times a week. Not to mention the games away from Montreal: we went to Calgary, we even sometimes went to China in those years! It wasn’t a professional lifestyle, because we had to stay up late all the time. »
In its infancy, the National Hockey League did not display the same level of play nor the same coaching as today. Hockey players went to play after their work day and smoked cigarettes in the locker room: times have changed – as have the performances and salaries of athletes.
Laurence Beaulieu also recalls that LPHF players earn an income for the first time in their lives – around $75,000 on average – which allows them to devote themselves to their sport.
“There are some very talented girls currently, but what we see today will certainly not be comparable to what the players will give in 10 years,” she believes. They will now benefit from a better lifestyle which will allow them to perform better. »
Take his time
Before precipitating a possible expansion in Quebec, it will be necessary for the enthusiasm to continue and for the League to ensure its profitability.
“It’s a sporting activity and, for the public to get on board, they must be able to experience emotions while attending the matches,” remarks Jacques Tanguay. It’s off to a very, very good start, he adds, because I think there is excellent caliber in these teams. There are players who come from Europe, Asia, North America: they are the best in the world in this league. »
The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, has been a supporter of the Nordiques from the start – but he has long since mourned the loss of the team.
“I don’t want to be the one who, after being left behind 25 years ago, still hopes for the return of his wife,” illustrated Bruno Marchand last year, when the government was throwing away a few million to lure the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec and fuel the pipe dream of a possible return of the Nordiques.
Today, the mayor says he is in favor of welcoming a team from the LPHF to Quebec. Nothing like a new flame, after all, to console yourself with a love that doesn’t want to die.