Quebec politicians are meeting with National Hockey League brass in January, but itB次元官网网址檚 unclear what influence the government can have on the league or whether team owners have any interest in bringing the Nordiques back to the provincial capital.

Local fans, meanwhile, arenB次元官网网址檛 holding their breath, following a series of disappointments, and they say they arenB次元官网网址檛 so sure the governmentB次元官网网址檚 latest move is anything more than a public relations stunt.

Premier Fran莽ois Legault opened the door to such musings in November, professing an interest in seeing professional hockey return to Quebec City and announcing a senior minister had been tabbed to support the effort.

B次元官网网址淚 tell myself that if Ottawa and Winnipeg are able to have a team, we should be able to have a team in Quebec,B次元官网网址� Legault told reporters at the time, adding that his government was looking for partners to help fund the estimated $1-billion cost of a franchise.

The Nordiques left Quebec City after the 1994-95 NHL season, relocating to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche, which won the Stanley Cup in the new teamB次元官网网址檚 first season.

Quebec City fans were optimistic about getting an NHL team back a decade ago but are much less so now, says Vince Cauchon, a Quebec City sports radio host who co-founded Nordiques Nation, a booster group that included 100,000 members at its peak. He says the recent news landed with a bit of a thud.

B次元官网网址淲e were looking for the fire behind the smoke, and itB次元官网网址檚 a rare case of smoke without fire,B次元官网网址� Cauchon said in a recent interview about LegaultB次元官网网址檚 stated ambitions. B次元官网网址淚f itB次元官网网址檚 something that was politically motivated to rally the population, it had the effect of a sword cutting through water. The reaction was negligible B次元官网网址� even bad.B次元官网网址�

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has confirmed a January meeting with B次元官网网址渟omeone high upB次元官网网址� from Quebec, but he said he knew nothing about what was on the agenda and tempered any expectations, noting that no teams were looking to relocate and that there were no expansion plans.

A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Eric Girard, QuebecB次元官网网址檚 emissary for the meeting, declined to comment until later, but she said heB次元官网网址檚 been working on the file since the summer.

About a decade ago, the possible return of NHL hockey had locals salivating at luring a struggling U.S. team back across the border. Fans decked out in Nordiques merchandise bused to different arenas in the United States and even gathered at the Plains of Abraham for a massive rally in October 2010.

But Cauchon said expansion hopes soon fizzled. The league welcomed a new team in Las Vegas in 2016 but deferred the application for Quebec City. QuebecB次元官网网址檚 capital wasnB次元官网网址檛 considered when Seattle was awarded an expansion team in 2018. Talk of moving teams out of North Carolina and Arizona never materialized.

B次元官网网址淗eartbroken,B次元官网网址� Cauchon said, describing the feeling among Quebec City NHL fans. B次元官网网址淚 think people will believe it when they see it, and I understand their sentiments.B次元官网网址�

Retired Nordiques winger Alain C么t茅 said heB次元官网网址檚 pleased the Legault government is pushing for a new team, but he says he has doubts the league will allow it.

B次元官网网址淚 find it a lot of fun that the premier is putting this forward,B次元官网网址� said C么t茅, a popular winger who now owns auto parts stores in the capital.

B次元官网网址淲e have a super nice arena here in Quebec City B次元官网网址� a modern building, so it would be fun to use it for an NHL team,B次元官网网址� he said of the B次元官网网址tron Centre, which opened in 2015.

C么t茅 says he believes a lot has changed since the club left that plays in the cityB次元官网网址檚 favour: an NHL salary cap, a new arena and a loyal fan base.

But what Quebec City doesnB次元官网网址檛 have is the leagueB次元官网网址檚 interest. C么t茅 says he thinks the NHL sees Quebec City as part of the Montreal market, served by the Canadiens.

B次元官网网址淭here has to be a will, and I donB次元官网网址檛 see any from the league B次元官网网址� absolutely none,B次元官网网址� C么t茅 said.

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Cauchon said itB次元官网网址檚 unclear what group would spearhead a bid for a new team and gain the support of the leagueB次元官网网址檚 32 owners. The previous bid was fronted by Quebecor, the telecommunications company that received a 25-year contract to manage the B次元官网网址tron Centre.

Concordia University sports economist Moshe Lander said that deep-pocketed billionaires are in short supply in the province. Seattle and Las Vegas paid expansion fees of US$600 million and built billion-dollar arenas in their markets. The other question involves looking ahead to ensure long-term viability, he said.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the type of thing that will concern the NHL: if you want a toy to play with, you want to make sure what keeps a franchise going up is the next person in line is going to pay more than the previous person,B次元官网网址� Lander said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just a current problem, itB次元官网网址檚 an ongoing problem B次元官网网址� the question of whose next.B次元官网网址�

Fran莽ois Emond, who operates a family furniture business in Alma, Que., says he wholeheartedly supports the Legault governmentB次元官网网址檚 efforts.

B次元官网网址淭he government is doing the right thing by getting involved in the file B次元官网网址� not financially B次元官网网址� but certainly showing some leadership,B次元官网网址� Emond said.

He said he remembers boarding the bus from the Saguenay region to watch the Nordiques play. Busses headed to the old Colis茅e arena in Quebec City used to be a common sight in many parts of eastern Quebec.

B次元官网网址淚 can understand peopleB次元官网网址檚 disappointment,B次元官网网址� Emond said. B次元官网网址淭hat weB次元官网网址檙e even talking about it, I think itB次元官网网址檚 a positive thing.B次元官网网址�

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

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