The project to present Ottawa Senators games at the Videotron Center was indeed considered, but the death of owner Eugene Melnyk put an end to the hopes of Quebec hockey fans.
This is what the president and CEO of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau, revealed during a press briefing on the sidelines of a speech before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Tuesday in Ottawa.
“There was a project to be able to offer parts of the Senators in Quebec, at the Videotron Center, explained Péladeau. But due to the untimely death of Eugene Melnyk, the project can no longer exist. Can it exist in the future? We will see how the situation develops.”
“It was definitely a project that was being considered by league executives.”
Melnyk’s daughters, aged 19 and 23, inherited the organization after the latter died of illness at the age of 62 on March 28. The daily La Presse had revealed a few days later that a project to present five games of the “Sens” in Quebec had been mentioned by the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), Gary Bettman, during an interview with the Quebec Minister of Finance, Eric Girard.
Remember that Mr. Girard spoke about the return of the Nordiques to the National Capital last week. “In the long term, it is certainly possible, because Quebec has changed,” the politician had indicated to the National Assembly on May 24.
Mr. Péladeau added in this vein, Tuesday in Ottawa, indicating that discussions were still ongoing as to the possible return of a concession to Quebec.
“We are still in discussion with the league, confided the CEO of Quebecor. I have enormous respect for the commissioner and the deputy commissioner [Bill Daly]. We have a commercial relationship as a broadcaster [with the TVA Sports channel].”
“We have been making the same point from the start: Quebec is a growing city, a city where the economic situation is improving. We have a broadcaster ready and an international quality amphitheater, not to mention the fan base. There is nothing missing from the equation for an NHL team to settle in Quebec.
Is there any hope? “Absolutely,” Mr. Péladeau clearly indicated.
All should not happen with the arrival of the Senators since Bettman had himself closed the door to a move from the Senators to Quebec. He had claimed the team was not for sale at the start of May.
The Nordiques were sold in 1995, being relocated to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche for the 1995-96 season. The team won the Stanley Cup in its first season in the United States. The NHL has since refused to grant the city an expansion team in the process that brought the Vegas Golden Knights into existence.
