“The NHL’s Priorities: Salt Lake City, Houston, and Atlanta Over Quebec City?”

Gary Bettman is not exactly Mr. Quebec. It was under his leadership that the Nordiques left and we do not feel a great effort to bring them back. We will say the same.

On the sidelines of everything that is happening with the Coyotes, we can clearly see that the priority is not Quebec.

In fact, according to what Pierre LeBrun reported on the airwaves of TSN, we feel that Salt Lake City is currently a choice option to welcome the Coyotes if necessary – because the plan is to keep the club in Arizona.

Houston and Atlanta are said to be mostly expansion plans.

But what is Quebec’s place in all of this? It’s easy, after all, to think that Gary Bettman doesn’t want to go up to eight teams north of the border right now.

Not at the expense of markets like Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta or Salt Lake City, at least…

What fascinates me about the last three places I just named is that they are not big natural markets. Yes, the urban area may be a bit larger, but these are not natural markets.

Atlanta has a large urban area, but hockey has gone twice. #Never two without three?

But above all, I wonder how much money would be there. After all, it is often said that one of the major issues in Quebec is that the money from the business community is not forthcoming.

Yesterday, Pierre LeBrun rightly recalled it.

Would American markets like Kansas City and Salt Lake City have enough money to justify the arrival of an NHL team at the expense of Quebec City?

And above all, even if the money is there, would it be injected into the team?

It’s all very well to say that there is money to be made in the United States, but we must also consider the fact that in Quebec, it is certain that money would be injected en masse into the club.

And I’m not just talking about the owners.

Not only the people of Quebec are readybut in addition, many companies would like to put money into the team to buy, for example, boxes and tickets.

This is particularly what Philippe Boucher reported this week. He also thinks potential landlords are ready to get their money’s worth.

The checks are ready, there is more than one group capable of bringing a club to Quebec. There is a lot of money in Quebec, more than the world thinks.

There are people who are ready to do it. – A source to Philippe Boucher

If this is to happen, it should be soon. After all, the train is passing now and who knows where we will be in a few years, when the Coyotes will (maybe) have a permanent home.

Maybe.

Note also that with the regions around Quebec which eat hockey (Beauce, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Bas-Saint-Laurent, etc.) and which are already investing to follow the Canadiens (and which would in Quebec), it’s starting to mean that there’s no what the Quebec region to consider.

The surroundings come into play.

A lot of

– To be continued.

– Will this still be true in a few years?

– Almost, yes.

– Good reading.

– We’re going towards that, according to PK Subban’s father.