Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Every time expansion gets discussed in the NHL, Quebec City is at the forefront of the public conversations.
The city made a bid to get another team at the same time as Vegas, but the NHL’s executive committee wasn’t convinced and only voted in the Golden Knights. But that hasn’t stopped the talk, nor should it have.
The Hockey News’ continuing web series on NHL expansion looks at one of the cities that could wind up hosting the NHL’s 33rd or 34th franchise. This writer recently said expansion will likely happen in the next handful of years, but in these stories, we’re looking at the cities that could be candidates for a new team once expansion happens and examining how compelling their case is to land a new team.
Last Thursday, we began the expansion evaluation process by looking at the city we see as one of the odds-on favorites to get an expansion team – Houston. We then turned our focus to Phoenix on Friday and Atlanta on Saturday. Sunday, we broke down the prospect of a second team in Toronto.
In today’s file, we’re shifting our attention to the place that could be the emotional favorite to get an expansion team: Quebec City.
QUEBEC CITY
Population, Quebec City proper: 549,459 (as of 2021 census)
Population, Quebec City metropolitan area: 839,311 (as of 2021 census)
Quebec City is Canada’s 12th-largest city and seventh-largest metropolitan area. If it got another NHL team, the Quebec City metropolitan area would slightly edge out Winnipeg’s for the label of the NHL’s smallest market, although Winnipeg has a larger population in the city proper.
When Quebec last had an NHL team, the Nordiques struggled at times to fill their arena, but absence has made the collective heart grow fonder. This is why Quebec City will continue to make its voice heard as a location that deeply desires another NHL team.
Related: Quebec Government Feeling Heat for Deal to Host Two L.A. Kings Exhibition Games
TV Market Ranking: Per Statista.com, Quebec City is the eighth-largest media market in Canada, with 1,161 TV households. Again, only Winnipeg (1,134 TV households) would be a smaller market than Quebec City would be if it rejoined the group of Canadian towns with an NHL team.
Arena: Since 2015, Quebec City has been home to the Videotron Centre, an 18,259-seat arena with all the bells and whistles of a state-of-the-art, NHL-caliber rink.
The publicly owned Videotron Centre is home to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts, which led the league in average attendance last season at 9,840 fans per game. It also hosts high-end concerts for stars including Celine Dion and World Wrestling Entertainment.
The building easily could handle an NHL team, but would it sell out each and every night? That’s a key question for Quebec City’s proponents to address.
Of all the cities in the running for an NHL expansion team, Quebec City arguably has the most NHL-ready infrastructure right now and history of loving the game, even if there remain other questions about corporate support, the Canadian dollar and more.
Hockey History: Few, if any, cities get the support for hockey that Quebec City does.
While the Nordiques relocated to Colorado in 1995, Quebec City remains emotionally connected to the NHL product. And if an expansion team in Quebec City managed to go on deep Stanley Cup playoff runs, we’d imagine it would generate even more fans than the city had the first time.
The full history of hockey in Quebec City would fill a book, probably more. It goes back almost as long as the “Montreal rules” of ice hockey have existed. Any brief mention of its history won’t include most of it.
That said, the Quebec Bulldogs won two Stanley Cups in 1912 and 1913. The Nordiques won the World Hockey Association’s Avco Cup in 1977 and joined the NHL in 1979. Franchise legends include Michel Goulet, Peter, Anton and Marian Stastny, and Joe Sakic, while Mats Sundin, Dale Hunter, and Peter Forsberg are other notable Nordiques. The season after it relocated to Colorado, the franchise won the Cup.
The Quebec Remparts most recently won the Memorial Cup in 2023 as well.
Related: Archive: All-Time Great Lafleur Finished Hall of Fame Career With Quebec Nordiques in 1991
Why Quebec City Is Worth Considering
For starters, the intra-state rivalry between Quebec City and Montreal would instantly be revitalized with two NHL teams in the province. Let’s call a second Quebec team the Nords 2.0, as such a franchise would be one of the most exotic groups with a robust history to build off of.
Concerns about the financial viability of a Quebec City team are among the primary reasons it hasn’t got another team the way Winnipeg and Atlanta have in the past. The dominant French-speaking demographic might also be seen as a drawback for English-speaking players and staff, who would essentially have to learn the language to get by in the city. But we think the different language and culture should be a selling point for any ownership group looking to bring an expansion team to Quebec.
When you talk to veteran NHL observers, there doesn’t seem to be any real change in the league’s unwillingness to return to Quebec City. The relatively small population, questionable corporate support, dollar and potential in other United States markets are the biggest issues for the city to overcome, and there’s no guarantee it can overcome them.
Perhaps that situation will change if the NHL expands to 35 or 36 teams and Quebec City moves closer to the front of the line. But as it stands, Quebec City may have to sit back helplessly as places like Houston, Atlanta and Phoenix get first crack at hosting another NHL team.
It may not sound fair to a city that has always adored hockey, but it’s Quebec City’s current reality. That should not stop fans from lobbying for the NHL’s permanent return to the capital of ‘La Belle Province.’
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
Related: Opinion: Like It Or Not, Prepare Yourself For Even More NHL Expansion
Related: NHL Expansion: Why Atlanta Could Make Waves By Landing Third NHL Team In City’s History
Related: NHL Expansion: Why Houston Is a Favorite To Land a New Team
Related: NHL Expansion: The Very Good Case for Why Toronto Should Get a Second Team
Related: NHL Expansion: Why Arizona Should Be Considered for Another Team After It Lost One
News Summary:
- NHL Expansion: Quebec City Has NHL-Ready Rink and Passion. Will It Get Another Shot?
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.