Quebec City trying to keep the flame alive

[Confucius]

Save your cash Quebec, hockey is a dying sport.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

It's much more likely Montreal gets both an NBA and MLB team than Quebec City gets an NHL team.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Save your cash Quebec, hockey is a dying sport.

People on a hockey board are going to bitch at you but there's a degree of truth to this.

 

[Voight]

It's much more likely Montreal gets both an NBA and MLB team than Quebec City gets an NHL team.

Quite the hottake....

 

[tucker3434]

Peladeau could offer 1.5 or 2 or however much he wants but it's never been entirely about the money. For sure there are some market questions but so long as things stay relatively stable, it wouldn't be a drain on the NHL's finances or massive loss leaders like other teams.

They are still pushing that American TV deal that won't happen. Jacobs prevented things from happening for a long time too.

But I've said this over the years. Gord Miller has said it over the years. I'm sure that if you ask NHL people off the record they would acknowledge it. It's about the politics.

Language politics is getting worse and there is going to be another referendum in 2025/2026 based on what we're seeing now. There are laws on the books that would govern the language the team has to communicate in and the NHL wouldn't like that plus they'd become the face of the issue right away.

The NHL knows this and they've known this for a while.

The stars didn't align for them rejoining in the mid 2010's for various reasons. But since then? It's politics both inside Quebec and the NHL offices.

If there were adequate reasons to go to Quebec, the NHL could make the rest work. Everything has a price.

If QC ever gets denied a bid in favor of KC, you might convince me that the language politics played a role. I don’t think we’re there yet with Houston on the table. That’s purely a financial decision.

 

[varsaku]

It's much more likely Montreal gets both an NBA and MLB team than Quebec City gets an NHL team.

Honestly surprised Mexico City doesn't come up enough in NBA and MLB expansion talks. That is a major market left untapped with existing interest in those sports.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

You guys got screwed (QC). SLC pricing is cheap, not AZ cheap, but pretty good.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

People on a hockey board are going to bitch at you but there's a degree of truth to this.

Degree of truth? The Canadian hockey media, and hockey establishment at large, are not at all prepared to face the truth that hockey is going to be a second option at the sports buffet in the next twenty to thirty years considering the immigration trends of Canada as they stand now.

I've always held steadfast in the opinion that the Hockey Canada scandal, more then anything, was *the* wakeup call for Hockey Canada to realize how deep in the shit they were considering the demographics of the game at large, and how things are shaping up in terms of earning power of the common Canadian, and that many first and second generation immigrant families have their own sporting interests, and that these things are going to be for Canada Soccer and Basketball Canada's benefit in the long run.

 

[Headshot77]

Save your cash Quebec, hockey is a dying sport.

For the long term health of the sport, it needs to transition to a non-ice surface. Eventually the cost of building and maintaining ice plants will be too much. We're already suffering a cost issue to play the game and that's only going to get worse with inflation.

 

[Yukon Joe]

For the long term health of the sport, it needs to transition to a non-ice surface. Eventually the cost of building and maintaining ice plants will be too much. We're already suffering a cost issue to play the game and that's only going to get worse with inflation.

On a site full of really bad takes, this is definitely one of them.

You guys got screwed (QC). SLC pricing is cheap, not AZ cheap, but pretty good.

SLC is playing in an arena designed for basketball with sub-optimal sightlines and seating. The plan is to build a new arena - once this happens you can be assured tickets won't be cheap.

 

[Yukon Joe]

If there were adequate reasons to go to Quebec, the NHL could make the rest work. Everything has a price.

If QC ever gets denied a bid in favor of KC, you might convince me that the language politics played a role. I don’t think we’re there yet with Houston on the table. That’s purely a financial decision.

The only "adequate reason" for the NHL to go to Quebec is the price. If someone comes up with the going rate you can bet that sooner or later QC would get a team. Language, time zones, re-alignment - those can all be solved (or dealt with).

 

[Salsero1]

The only "adequate reason" for the NHL to go to Quebec is the price. If someone comes up with the going rate you can bet that sooner or later QC would get a team. Language, time zones, re-alignment - those can all be solved (or dealt with).

Well, in order for someone to come up with the going rate, they would have to think it makes sense for them to pay it.

I just don't see it. Too few people live there, there's too little corporate support, it'll be unattractive to players.

Basically they'd need to rely on the same handful of people to buy expensive ticket packages forever with little room for turnover and pray that the economy does take any big hits.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

It's much more likely Montreal gets both an NBA and MLB team than Quebec City gets an NHL team.

MLB in Montreal (again) forsure.

I think vancouver for NBA

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Degree of truth? The Canadian hockey media, and hockey establishment at large, are not at all prepared to face the truth that hockey is going to be a second option at the sports buffet in the next twenty to thirty years considering the immigration trends of Canada as they stand now.

I've always held steadfast in the opinion that the Hockey Canada scandal, more then anything, was *the* wakeup call for Hockey Canada to realize how deep in the shit they were considering the demographics of the game at large, and how things are shaping up in terms of earning power of the common Canadian, and that many first and second generation immigrant families have their own sporting interests, and that these things are going to be for Canada Soccer and Basketball Canada's benefit in the long run.

I'm not Canadian but I despise basketball with every fiber of my being so that is depressing to contemplate.

No problem with soccer though.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

I'm not Canadian but I despise basketball with every fiber of my being so that is depressing to contemplate.

No problem with soccer though.

I'll put it in smaller scale terms: where I live is pretty clear from my profile. We're talking one of the cradles of major junior hockey in Western Canada. One of the oldest continually operating members of the WHL. Brandon's also a city that is increasingly getting more South American, Filipino, Indian and African immigrants working in town, and specifically at the Maple Leaf plant in town, among others. They're bound to have their own sporting interests from their own homelands, especially in the first and third examples.

I've also been to a fair few Wheaties games since moving here and most of the people that buy into season tickets, are older and very much white. Even nowadays, with the previous ownership (and Jacobson, for what it's worth) making it a point to have the WHL's cheapest tickets, especially on the season front, year over year attendance has dipped downward, and I doubt it will return to even pre-2010, pre-2016 numbers, even with major renos to the Keystone Centre kicking off in earnest this summer.

I've also spent the majority of my life living in Vancouver. Even there, the only real diaspora groups that have the financial capital to get into hockey en masse are Indians, Sikhs especially, and Chinese/Taiwanese. Sure, Canucks fandom is a wide array of peoples (the playoff run once again showed people what happens on Scott Road, which I love) but there is no denying that most other diaspora groups, alongside whites, cannot afford to put their kids into hockey considering the rates for equipment and ice time, among many other factors to cost of living in Vancouver, Toronto, and to a smaller extent across the rest of the country.

The ultimate issue is...what's realistically available to be done to fix the coming apocalypse? There's only finite ice time that is available for families to use, and equipment manufacturers aren't going to cut the price of their products to the bone anymore then they have to. Hockey Canada has effectively decided that sign up fees should go into a rape slush fund, so you've effectively burned that bridge in believing that the money that goes to HC programs ultimately goes back to their communities or any source of good.

Truthfully, it really just feels like Hockey Canada has accepted that, depending on what this round of government mandated soul searching ultimately brings in the next twenty, thirty years, they very much belong in the second category of sport in this country, and that when it comes to sports participation and especially watching, they are intent on becoming like lacrosse, or baseball down south: sure, they may be the official sport of the nation, or of the id of the populace...but they're nowhere near the actual most popular sports, either in terms of participation, or especially how many eyeballs watch it week over week, year over year.

 

[Yukon Joe]

@Takuto Maruki I don't get it - you acknowledge that immigrant groups like Indians and Chinese can and do get into hockey. I don't understand this "demographics mean death" when it comes to hockey.

It's a slower process - you don't get off the plane from Guangzhou and immediately start cheering for the Canucks. But as you spend more time in this country - and more importantly you have kids who are born in raised in this country - the more many/most immigrant groups become hockey fans as well.

From my kids hockey teams - the kids are definitely more white than the overall population, but there's a significant minority of kids from immigrant families as well.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

You guys got screwed (QC). SLC pricing is cheap, not AZ cheap, but pretty good.

Didn’t realize they were entitled to a team.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Peladeau could offer 1.5 or 2 or however much he wants but it's never been entirely about the money. For sure there are some market questions but so long as things stay relatively stable, it wouldn't be a drain on the NHL's finances or massive loss leaders like other teams.

Doubt it. He's a billionaire but how much of it is actual cash?

They are still pushing that American TV deal that won't happen. Jacobs prevented things from happening for a long time too.

I am almost certain NHL knows huge TV deal is not gonna happen tomorrow.

The stars didn't align for them rejoining in the mid 2010's for various reasons.

Various reasons mostly being there not being enough money in it for the league.

NHL couldn't give a damn about politics if there is enough money in it for them.

 

[joelef]

@Takuto Maruki I don't get it - you acknowledge that immigrant groups like Indians and Chinese can and do get into hockey. I don't understand this "demographics mean death" when it comes to hockey.

It's a slower process - you don't get off the plane from Guangzhou and immediately start cheering for the Canucks. But as you spend more time in this country - and more importantly you have kids who are born in raised in this country - the more many/most immigrant groups become hockey fans as well.

From my kids hockey teams - the kids are definitely more white than the overall population, but there's a significant minority of kids from immigrant families as well.

The twin cities and surrounding suburbs for the last 20 years youth/ high school hockey programs have been folding and/ or merging because of demographic changes.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

You guys got screwed (QC). SLC pricing is cheap, not AZ cheap, but pretty good.

How? Was there someone from QC bidding on AZ?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

You guys got screwed (QC). SLC pricing is cheap, not AZ cheap, but pretty good.

What cheap seats? The nosebleeds and obstructeds? Okay, sure... but the actual seats seem pretty on par to other pricing rates I've seen.

Also, so Utah outbid any hypothetical bidder from another market and then they're turning around and undercharging for tickets? What?

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Quite the hottake....

Why?

 

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

Honestly surprised Mexico City doesn't come up enough in NBA and MLB expansion talks. That is a major market left untapped with existing interest in those sports.

Don’t think the Bettman wants to deal with the cartell

 

[Voight]

Why?

Because Montreal is likely never getting either of those.

 

[Melrose Munch]

@Takuto Maruki I don't get it - you acknowledge that immigrant groups like Indians and Chinese can and do get into hockey. I don't understand this "demographics mean death" when it comes to hockey.

It's a slower process - you don't get off the plane from Guangzhou and immediately start cheering for the Canucks. But as you spend more time in this country - and more importantly you have kids who are born in raised in this country - the more many/most immigrant groups become hockey fans as well.

From my kids hockey teams - the kids are definitely more white than the overall population, but there's a significant minority of kids from immigrant families as well.

The modern immigration movement started in the mid 1990's - and those demographics, at least the kids are in their late 20s at the very latest and they're choosing basketball and football and soccer. The most popular sport among the youth is soccer. 10 years from now, they'll be the largest generation.