Quebec City has a similar population size as Colorado Springs. I wouldn’t expect Colorado Springs to get an NHL team either.
jkman61494
Bettman knows. Bettman just doesn’t care.
The struggles of the Jets right now are sadly just going to reinforce the perceived negatives of a Canadian team in a small market.
The Jets simply put don’t have the corporate bandwidth in Winnipeg to make up for rising ticket costs that are pricing out the normal fan. And Quebec I fear would just be the same
kstacey
Another team in Quebec doesn’t help grow the game which is Bettman’s goal.
NomadicNematode128
Hot take: Both Quebec City and Hartford won’t get a team, nor should they.
Ok-Season-3433
I’m a Quebecer, and Quebec City has a huge uphill battle if they want a team, and no, having an arena isn’t enough. They have the highest taxes in North America, the Canadian dollar is very weak right now, it’s a very small market where more than half the population are already bonafide Habs fans, Quebec has a higher cost of living than competing American markets, and Quebec’s business laws are some of the most strict, overreaching and overwhelming business laws and bylaws in all of North America. All of this while being in a recession.
From a business perspective, I can totally understand why Bettman would be very slow to consider QC considering the factors above.
BBLouis8
Quebec doesn’t have a prime minister. 🤦♂️
Arfguy
Yeah, Bettman’s gotta go. Not sure what logic says QC can’t have a franchise, but the League has to all keep dead beat franchises like Arizona or Florida going, but there you go.
crazycanucks77
Since when did Quebec become a country have a Prime Minister. I thought the No side won the referendum in 95.
daggr1
That’s too bad for the Prime Minister of Quebec. However I believe the President of Texas also spoke to Bettman about a team in Houston.
Redditsavage77
The fact that Salt Lake City and Atlanta have put up their hands is a death knell for expansion to Quebec City. The NHL owners and players would much prefer those locations and they have higher ceilings for profit. Hope is not lost though….. all Atlanta teams eventually relocate to Canada
AdEnvironmental6033
When will Quebec get it through their heads that nobody outside of Quebec gives a shit about them
No_Entertainer_9760
You could tell me these are different people and I wouldn’t believe you.
Nice_Wolverine_4641
The way to get an NHL team is to have a large population that doesn’t watch hockey.
NHL wants new fans.
Answerly
Quebec has laws against lottery/gambling which would make it harder to hawk gambling ads. There’s a reason contests often have the disclaimer “must be resident of north america, except Quebec”.
doughflow
Quebec City gets a team and instantly becomes the #1 destination free agents avoid.
Between the size, taxes and language barrier (this isn’t Montreal ok?), this place would be an absolute pariah in the NHL.
There’s no value in having the franchise there. Time to move on.
SmashRus
When did Canada have two Prime Minister?
josueartwork
Strange how the NHL wants to expand to more US markets, but sucks ass at promoting the sport, which is putting out a fantastic product, night after night. Atlanta will not support a hockey team after the initial shine has worn off.
dumberthenhelooks
Pretty sure hating bettman is a mostly universal experience
Holiday-Director-351
Why do you think it’s lowkey? 😂
Dry_Capital4352
Good for him.
​
Wait Quebec has a Prime Minister?
J_Bizzle82
Quebec Premier* Details matter. 😂
mydogsnameiskendrick
Shame that Bettman is a self-loathing xenophobe
mattcojo2
Guys for the 1000th time.
This isn’t a Bettman issue. This isn’t a personal spite against Quebec City. The fact of the matter is that the NHL, and any major professional sports league, is thoroughly uninterested.
Why?
Because it’s a very small market where you wouldn’t gain many fans, there is a language and cultural barrier, and players wouldn’t really be interested in playing there. Less so than any other team in the league.
We can talk about “oh they’d care more than these big places”. Caring isn’t enough when you don’t have the population numbers, sponsors, ownership etc. Not to mention that these markets can be built up. Carolina cares about as much as anyone. Tampa, Nashville, Dallas, Vegas all very passionate about hockey. Canada isn’t the only place where people really care about their NHL team.
That’s why these American markets like Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City etc are far more attractive to the league as a target for expansion versus markets like Quebec, Hamilton, or heaven forbid anything like Halifax or an SK team that would be a complete joke to have as a market in any other major pro sport.
unitednihilists
This has nothing to do with hockey and more to do with a provincial premier who can leave a legacy of bringing an NHL team back to Quebec. Not his problem if it fails 5 days after he leaves office, his legacy is intact.
NotReallyARedditor6
I think EVERYONE high-key hates Bettman
noblazinjusthazin
Quebec City is 150 miles from Montreal, it has a population of 830k within the metro area. Placing a team in a city in that proximity to Montreal, steals from their market share and develops practically zero new fans.
The whole fucking idea of an expansion team is to *expand* market share. That’s why the league wants Phoenix, SLC, Atlanta, etc to work. They have a much higher number of people who can increase the NHL’s market share. Shit, the Phoenix metro is 5 million people, a team would work if the ownership wasn’t fucking terrible
It’s not just about selling tickets to the games, sure a Quebec City team would sell out, but it’s about creating generations of fans for years and years. No one in the league wants a tiny fan base that provides no new market share.
I’m not sure how many times I have to explain this, but it’s the truth. The Nords aren’t coming back
ObscureMemes69420
the better question is, who doesn’t low key hate Bettman?
28 Comments
Quebec does not have a prime minister.
Quebec City has a similar population size as Colorado Springs. I wouldn’t expect Colorado Springs to get an NHL team either.
Bettman knows. Bettman just doesn’t care.
The struggles of the Jets right now are sadly just going to reinforce the perceived negatives of a Canadian team in a small market.
The Jets simply put don’t have the corporate bandwidth in Winnipeg to make up for rising ticket costs that are pricing out the normal fan. And Quebec I fear would just be the same
Another team in Quebec doesn’t help grow the game which is Bettman’s goal.
Hot take: Both Quebec City and Hartford won’t get a team, nor should they.
I’m a Quebecer, and Quebec City has a huge uphill battle if they want a team, and no, having an arena isn’t enough. They have the highest taxes in North America, the Canadian dollar is very weak right now, it’s a very small market where more than half the population are already bonafide Habs fans, Quebec has a higher cost of living than competing American markets, and Quebec’s business laws are some of the most strict, overreaching and overwhelming business laws and bylaws in all of North America. All of this while being in a recession.
From a business perspective, I can totally understand why Bettman would be very slow to consider QC considering the factors above.
Quebec doesn’t have a prime minister. 🤦♂️
Yeah, Bettman’s gotta go. Not sure what logic says QC can’t have a franchise, but the League has to all keep dead beat franchises like Arizona or Florida going, but there you go.
Since when did Quebec become a country have a Prime Minister. I thought the No side won the referendum in 95.
That’s too bad for the Prime Minister of Quebec. However I believe the President of Texas also spoke to Bettman about a team in Houston.
The fact that Salt Lake City and Atlanta have put up their hands is a death knell for expansion to Quebec City. The NHL owners and players would much prefer those locations and they have higher ceilings for profit. Hope is not lost though….. all Atlanta teams eventually relocate to Canada
When will Quebec get it through their heads that nobody outside of Quebec gives a shit about them
You could tell me these are different people and I wouldn’t believe you.
The way to get an NHL team is to have a large population that doesn’t watch hockey.
NHL wants new fans.
Quebec has laws against lottery/gambling which would make it harder to hawk gambling ads. There’s a reason contests often have the disclaimer “must be resident of north america, except Quebec”.
Quebec City gets a team and instantly becomes the #1 destination free agents avoid.
Between the size, taxes and language barrier (this isn’t Montreal ok?), this place would be an absolute pariah in the NHL.
There’s no value in having the franchise there. Time to move on.
When did Canada have two Prime Minister?
Strange how the NHL wants to expand to more US markets, but sucks ass at promoting the sport, which is putting out a fantastic product, night after night. Atlanta will not support a hockey team after the initial shine has worn off.
Pretty sure hating bettman is a mostly universal experience
Why do you think it’s lowkey? 😂
Good for him.
​
Wait Quebec has a Prime Minister?
Quebec Premier*
Details matter. 😂
Shame that Bettman is a self-loathing xenophobe
Guys for the 1000th time.
This isn’t a Bettman issue. This isn’t a personal spite against Quebec City. The fact of the matter is that the NHL, and any major professional sports league, is thoroughly uninterested.
Why?
Because it’s a very small market where you wouldn’t gain many fans, there is a language and cultural barrier, and players wouldn’t really be interested in playing there. Less so than any other team in the league.
We can talk about “oh they’d care more than these big places”. Caring isn’t enough when you don’t have the population numbers, sponsors, ownership etc. Not to mention that these markets can be built up. Carolina cares about as much as anyone. Tampa, Nashville, Dallas, Vegas all very passionate about hockey. Canada isn’t the only place where people really care about their NHL team.
That’s why these American markets like Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City etc are far more attractive to the league as a target for expansion versus markets like Quebec, Hamilton, or heaven forbid anything like Halifax or an SK team that would be a complete joke to have as a market in any other major pro sport.
This has nothing to do with hockey and more to do with a provincial premier who can leave a legacy of bringing an NHL team back to Quebec. Not his problem if it fails 5 days after he leaves office, his legacy is intact.
I think EVERYONE high-key hates Bettman
Quebec City is 150 miles from Montreal, it has a population of 830k within the metro area. Placing a team in a city in that proximity to Montreal, steals from their market share and develops practically zero new fans.
The whole fucking idea of an expansion team is to *expand* market share. That’s why the league wants Phoenix, SLC, Atlanta, etc to work. They have a much higher number of people who can increase the NHL’s market share. Shit, the Phoenix metro is 5 million people, a team would work if the ownership wasn’t fucking terrible
It’s not just about selling tickets to the games, sure a Quebec City team would sell out, but it’s about creating generations of fans for years and years. No one in the league wants a tiny fan base that provides no new market share.
I’m not sure how many times I have to explain this, but it’s the truth. The Nords aren’t coming back
the better question is, who doesn’t low key hate Bettman?