Written by guest contributing author,
Felix Brousseau.
The rumor mill is on at full throttle. Well, it’s been a while now that rumors run about the possible comeback of the Quebec Nordiques. A dream for some which could now be a reality according to the last news from RDS.
According to them, Quebec’s mayor, Régis Labeaume, as well as the team’s former president, Marcel Aubut, met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in New York.
As we might recall recently, Bettman made a comment during the Phoenix Saga about a possible return of the former NHL franchise in the Vieille Capitale. This being conditional to the construction of a new venue instead of the, well lets say it, “decaying” Pepsi Coliseum.
Saying it is easy, but doing it is something else. The main obstacle to such a project was mainly finding the funds. Financing a 400M project is quite something for a market like Quebec City and the obvious (and maybe only viable) way of doing it is obtaining the favors of a private investor(s) who has pockets deep enough for such a project. This kind of investor does not flow in Quebec and usually are located (and have interest) in Montreal. Also, the problem of corporate boxes. Essentially, one of the problems is financing a new amphitheater. Without it, no Nordiques!
Back to the topic. RDS claims an important announcement will be made about the coliseum. If we think about it logically, that means that a private investor was found. This investor was allegedly cited during a CHOI radio broadcast as Red Bull GmbH. Yes, the Red Bull cans company behind les Nordiques!
Ok Quebec citizens (and I), let's calm down and think logically about the plausibility of such a declaration; Red Bull, as a business, is going very well. In 2006, they recorded a net income of about €650 million (which is about a billion US$). It has many interests in traditional sports with la Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing in F1, the association football teams of New York Reb Bulls (currently playing in the MLS) and the FC Red Bull Salzburg as well as the EC Salzburg playing in the Austrian Hockey League. Adding to that, Red Bull organizes, hosts and sponsors many alternative and extreme sports events. One of them is the popular and spectacular Red Bull Crashed Ice taking place each year since 2006. This event is a yearly success, attracting thousands of people each time.
So what does that mean. Well a few things. First, Red Bull loves sports, and wants to be part of each league possible. A viable market like Quebec City, added to a couple of discounted teams towards the south would be a big opportunity (as well as a big bargain) to someone with deep pockets who wants to expand into the NHL (as well as to make “little” profits).
Also, Red Bull has already interests in the city with the Crashed Ice, which is a success each year it has taken place. It is because of such an event that Red Bull has some insights into the market: it knows the market and the love of Quebec’s citizens for sports and big events (imagine the playoffs, or the Stanley Cup...imagine...). For Red Bull, having a team in Quebec City would only mean another success.
However, people might recall the fiasco in Phoenix, where our dear Commissioner literally blocked a very profitable transaction between the Coyotes and Mr. Jim Balsillie. Did he do it by ego, love for the Southern States Market, both? None of this matters if Red Bull offers financing. Why? How? Well, even though Research In Motion (the company behind the Blackberry devices) is a far larger business, Red Bull has far more visibility: who does not go out in a club, asking for a Vodka Red Bull (personal note: very bad mixture as both drinks have opposite effects)? Who has not seen the “Red Bull gives you wings” ad on TV? As a company, RIM might be bigger, but when talking about visibility, Red Bull has the edge.
And this is something non-negligible for someone like Bettman, who has a product in dire need of visibility outside the canadian market. Red Bull ads with a post-message comment like “official partner of the NHL” adds a lot of weight to implementation of a team in QC.
On the other hand, we have Pierre Karl Peladeau, grand manitou de Quebecor, who has shown interest in investing. Let’s wind back the tapes a little: Quebecor was one of the businesses who put an offer for the Montreal Canadiens in June. Though the offer was quickly rejected (because of the Molson’s tradition with the Canadiens or a badly-planned offer), we can deduce that the Quebec-based business has the money needed to bring back the team in Quebec.
People might underestimate the power of PKP over the media in Canada (and by extension, North America): Quebec is one of the largest media conglomerates in Canada (with a revenue of about 10 billion $ only for its Quebecor Media division), double as one of the largest printing companies in the world (even when counting the recent financial difficulty of Quebec World). It has the assets to promote the team: on its TVA channel, on the net, on paper, etc. This is non-negligible since the NHL will not have to sign deals with broadcasting companies around Canada.
While Quebecor is not as well known as Red Bull throughout the world, it operates in a range of media that would certainly add visibility for the league in Canada and the Northern United States. And having a Quebecois owner for the Quebec team is always good.
But again, no matter how good this logic and those arguments are, this is still the realm of rumors (even if it’s almost being confirmed at the time I’m writing this article). Nothing can be taken as granted (even though I wish it was). And if all of this is real, it is not for tomorrow: the venue is not built, one team must be bought and relocated (which is itself quite something), the league and the governors must approve, etc.
Still, at the light of recent rumors and events, I, as a native of Quebec City, can’t think otherwise than it is definitely happening in the near future! Peter Stasny for DG? Patrick Roy as headcoach? Vincent Lecavalier, captain of the future Nordiques (given the Lightning relocate themselves)? Montreal fans, be happy: you will witness one of the most intense and enduring rivalries in professional sport! But more than anything, Quebec fans, rejoice: Your team is coming back, soon!
related articles:
RDS -
LNH: Québec a gagné des points
TSN -
Mayor speaks with Bettman about return of NHL to Quebec City
Rue Frontenac -
Une visite fructueuse pour Labeaume et Aubut
Rue Frontenac -
Le CH a cessé de progresser après le départ des Nordiques
