Is Quebec’s prime minister walking around when he asks one of his ministers to put together a case to bring the National Hockey League back to Quebec? My answer is no. It does exactly its job.
There are many reasons for wanting the NHL back to Quebec.
One can wish for the economic benefits that come with these giant corporations.
Or seeing the city in North America, being part of the “big leagues” in every sense of the word.
Or simply hope for high-quality entertainment for the residents.
We can consider it a key to employment of labor, which is an important issue in Quebec.
And we can see in it also an element of national or regional pride, which is far from a trivial matter. Personally, I strongly believe in pride as a corporate driver.
Quebec, the only one
Whatever the reason(s) that prompted François Legault, one fact remains: this initiative is not unnatural. The absence of an NHL team in Quebec is completely abnormal.
Quebec is the only large Canadian bloc that does not have a team. To promote the tram project, it is often mentioned that Quebec is the only city of its size that does not have a real public transportation system. This is also true for hockey club!
So extend your search to the United States, if you look north of 40NS In parallel, as we know the cold and the north, Quebec is the only large conglomerate not represented in the league.
historical error
I will repeat an opinion I have already expressed: Quebec should never have lost Nordic. Fatal error! We were told about the special circumstances at the time… Nonsense! The club was sold for $75 million. Today it will equal at least 750.
I look back to my shame when I see the Solidarity Fund on the table. Backed to support Quebec’s economy and sit at the table to sell Nordic. Unaware of the growth in the value of a team in the NHL.
Even the city of Detroit has kept its squad, despite the terrible economic downturn that has caused the loss of half its population since the 1970s.
You are not rewriting the past. But we are writing the future. François Legault does one simple thing. He asks a minister to collect a dossier, a sort of nomination from Quebec. Not committing millions, the only investment is time on the finance minister’s agenda. Furthermore, Eric Girard grew up in Quebec and does not need to be asked to take care of the file.
Trying does not guarantee any result. However, it is natural and desirable that the conglomerate with strong economic growth, which has built a suitable runway, should be a candidate if a team facing difficulty is forced to move.
Legault must resist the anti-Quebec memos we hear at the other end of the Twenty.
