Could the Quebec Nordiques Return to La Belle Province?

The province of Quebec is in election mode.  Again.

Not that Quebecers want to go to the polls after having to deal with a Federal election last month and the presidential campaign in the U.S., with the winds of change keenly being felt north of the border as well.

But an election has been called and there's nothing to be done about it except wait for the grandiose promises to start flying.

The first came from the premier, Jean Charest, who has twice indicated he'd like to bring the Winter Olympic Games to Quebec City.

There's a slim chance of that happening since Vancouver will host the world in 2010 and it's unlikely the IOC will come back to Canada immediately.

While making that declaration, however, Charest indicated he'd like to replace the aging Quebec Colisee arena, the former home of the Quebec Nordiques, with a new arena altogether.

Obviously, an Olympic bid would require a new arena since the Colisee is showing its age.  At the same time, a new arena could be used as a stepping stone to lure a hockey franchise back to the provincial capital.

Say what you will, the Nordiques were much loved by the people of Quebec. Almost as much as the Canadiens are loved by Montreal and possibly even more so since many Quebecers outside of the Montreal-area were big fans.

The two teams also had one of the best hockey rivalries in the league, better than the Toronto Maples Leafs-Canadiens rivalry of today.  Great hockey, lots of fisticuffs and rabid supporters cheering on both teams were all very prevalent in the meetings.

Charest has not given any indication he'd be on board with a return of hockey to Quebec City, but there would certainly be enough interest in bringing a franchise back.

Research-In-Motion head honcho Jim Basille caused quite the stir when he supposedly told La Presse newspaper the Montreal Canadiens were for sale. He later denied the statement and even sent off a letter to current Habs owner George Gillette apologizing for the story.

It's no secret Basille is itching to get his hands on an NHL franchise.  He went after Nashville and Pittsburgh and failed in both attempts.  He's got 500-million dollars burning a hole in his pocket and Quebec City seems as good an option as any. 

Basille and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, however, have a relationship that has been described as frosty, at best, so it may be awhile before his dreams are fulfilled. 

There is always the possibility of relocating a current franchise and there are certainly enough teams feeling the economic pinch.  The Florida Panthers have been cutting front office staff and in Columbus, the Blue Jackets have had a hard time securing a fan  base.  Both are prime targets for relocation.

That doesn't mean Quebec City would be the likely destination. The NHL is rumored to be looking at other markets, including Portland and Las Vegas and it's likely there would be a team back in Winnipeg before Quebec City. 

Still, if Charest is elected and opts to spend public funds on a new, state of the art arena that rivals other NHL cities, the NHL may want to take a long, hard look at bringing back the Nordiques.  The fan base is there, government money may be available and that's a winning combination for the league.

There is the matter of the election first, however, and with the liberal platform focusing on the ailing economy, spending money on an NHL team may not be high on the list of priorities.

On the flip side, promising to bring back the Nordiques to Quebec would probably earn Charest a landslide victory.