NHL Expansion: Las Vegas vs. Quebec City
As NHL expansion is on the horizon, there have been several candidates who have expressed interest, but only two cities went forward with their offers prior to the Monday deadline. While Las Vegas has been a clear frontrunner to take on a new a NHL franchise, Quebec City has expressed interest in bringing back the Quebec Nordiques.
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Even though the NHL does not plan to expand until 2017-18 at the very earliest, it seems Las Vegas is the heavy favorite in the United States unless a serious bid from Seattle or Portland enters the mix. While Quebec City is the clearly in the running to represent Canada, it will be interesting to see which route the NHL takes, especially with their efforts to popularize the sport in the United States.
Las Vegas
The NHL has done everything in their power to take over Las Vegas as a hockey town. They have shifted the NHL awards to Nevada while also promoting the town as the next hockey hot spot. The city of Las Vegas has yearned for a sports team and billionaire William Foley seems to be the face behind the move. Initially, Foley went public with his expressed interest in buying the Arizona Coyotes and moving them to Las Vegas, but Gary Bettman described the rumor in true Bettman fashion.
Gary Bettman: "The Post was told the story was completely untrue. They ran it anyway. The story is garbage. Team is staying put."
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 1, 2015
With that put to rest by the end of June, shifting from relocating to expansion has taken full flight in Las Vegas and there seems to be a great case for the city. Even though they may not have an already established fan base like Quebec City, the potential of a team in Nevada could be immense. The NHL would be the first North American professional sports league to take a team to Las Vegas which would be really important in building a fan base and a strong presence for the sport.
Another obvious reason for moving a team to Las Vegas is money. Money flows through the city like a river and Bettman sees potential dollar signs all over that market. Similar to Toronto and their financial industry, Las Vegas has their own version of wealthy businessmen who could be fundamental in increasing the value of the team and the sport simultaneously. This potential has Bettman looking at Las Vegas as a very serious candidate for NHL expansion, and people like William Foley will only help his cause.
Quebec City
In Canada, the NHL has slowly been making a move back up North and kicked off the process by moving the Atlanta Thrashers to Manitoba to bring back the Winnipeg Jets. There have been several talks to bring in another team to the Greater Toronto Area but that seems more unlikely than Steven Stamkos signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. When considering all the potential options North of the border, Quebec City seems like the absolute best option for both the NHL and Canada.
Up until the early 1990s, the province of Quebec had a very healthy rivalry, similar to Toronto and Ottawa, and both the Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens shared 15 years of history before the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche. One of the most memorable moments was referred to as the “Good Friday Massacre/Brawl” or “The Battle of Quebec,” and it played a key role in developing the rivalry in Quebec.
If the NHL is looking for more of a ‘sure thing,’ Quebec should most definitely be the leading candidate for expansion. They have a long-term fan base itching for their team back and it is about time the Montreal Canadiens had some healthy competition in their own province. This would be a great decision for Canadian hockey and all the fans of the Nordiques, which should be a major factor during the decision process.
Time Will Tell…
While Canada already has a well-established fan base for the return of the Quebec Nordiques, Gary Bettman and the NHL have chased the dream of expanding the NHL in the United States to hopefully bring the sport more attention. They have already moved a few events from Toronto to Las Vegas with hopes of generating a larger American fan base.
The NHL will not be pulling the trigger for at least another year or so and it will be important for the league to analyze the growth of hockey in the Southwest. The Anaheim Ducks have flourished in Southern California and the Dallas Stars have had a memorable history in Texas thus far. Is it time to add another team to the area?
The NHL seems to think so.
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