NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in Montreal last night as the Canadiens took on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the league’s streaming debut on Prime Monday Night Hockey.
Unsurprisingly, journalists at the Bell Centre made sure to probe Bettman on a topic he has been asked about for the better part of three decades — the potential return of an NHL team to Quebec City.
Quebec lost the Nordiques to Colorado in 1995, but the idea of bringing them back has endured as the city boasts the 18,259-seat Centre Videotron, built in 2015, which regularly hosts NHL preseason games. Meanwhile, the Quebec Remparts, the city’s junior hockey team, regularly draws over 9,700 fans per game.
Still, Bettman emphasized that a serious ownership bid is essential for any NHL consideration.
“That depends on a lot of factors that we don’t control, including someone, or an entity, that is engaged enough and committed enough financially to want to even be considered — and it hasn’t happened yet,” he noted.
As per Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports, the commissioner also confirmed that Canadiens owner Geoff Molson would support the league bringing a franchise to the province’s capital.
Bettman révèle que Molson lui a dit lors de discussions privées qu’il supporterait un retour de la LNH à Québec.
— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) October 14, 2024
Bettman also acknowledged the enduring passion for hockey in Quebec City, saying, “I’ve been to Quebec City many, many times… There’s no doubt in this entire province… that there’s passion for the game.”
Reflecting on the Nordiques’ departure, Bettman pointed to the circumstances that led to their relocation. “The Nordiques, unfortunately, had to leave because there was no arena that was suitable in the long term. And, at the time, no prospect of a new arena, and nobody who wanted to own the team,” he said.
“Putting the genie back in the bottle is always a very tough thing to do.”
Despite some promising reports and local fans’ desire for a return to Quebec City, Bettman was clear that the league is not currently focused on expanding beyond its current 32-team structure.
“We think what we have is working very, very well,” he said, adding that while they would consider expansion if the right opportunity arose, it’s not a priority at the moment.