Far More At Stake in Expansion to Quebec City By The NHL And CFL

In my first article for BR, I stated that Quebec City was one of the leading cities for immediate CFL expansion. I also stated in my series of articles about NHL expansion to Canada that Quebec was the best city to expand to after Hamilton. 

Indeed, Quebec would be the No. 1 choice, if they built an NHL size arena (18,000+ seats) because there is no territorial compensation issue to deal with.

I have read on the Internet that 80,000 fans have signed a petition asking for the Nordiques' return. Jean Charest in the last election talked about supplying money for a new arena. 

If Quebec were to build a proper CFL stadium, the league would be at its door the next day. Laval University has been known to attract 19,000 football fans to its 10,000 seat stadium.

Quebec successfully staged its 400th birthday celebration last year—attracting lots of tourists and famous personalities like Paul McCartney. 

Quebec is the seventh largest city in Canada with a population over 700,000. While its growth cannot be compared with "big six", it was 10th in population growth in Canada during the last five years.

It seems that in the midst of this recession, everything in Quebec is on the way up. It seems that the next step is admission to the CFL and a return to the NHL.

Doing research for this article, there was only one clear thing that I uncovered about steps to make these two dreams possible: There is no substance.

There was talk last year about providing money to expand Laval University Stadium to CFL size. There was talk by Jean Charest about providing money towards some of the costs of a new arena—but that's where it ended.

There are not enough investors in Quebec to make these things possible.

In one of my previous articles about NHL expansion, I mentioned that when the Nordiques were set to fold, no investor stepped forward to save the franchise. No one believed in the Nordiques enough to buy them and build a new arena to make them a viable franchise—which remains true today.

The Nordiques managed to stay afloat until difficulties with increased salaries and a low Canadian dollar came into play.  When these outside factors began to impinge on operations, they had no NHL size arena to fall back on like Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary did.  With no arena to get them through tough times with gate receipts, the Nordiques left Quebec.  There has been no NHL hockey since then.

Like Hartford and Winnipeg, there has been talk about getting the franchise back but nothing has come of it.

Quebec has a population that enjoys steady, but unspectacular growth, not like the six Canadian cities already in the NHL.  It also has marketing possibilities in Eastern Quebec and the Maritimes.   It has successfully staged its 400th anniversary celebration events.  It has fan interest and enthusiasm, and past successful operation of an NHL franchise.  Yet professional sports development in Quebec City remains stalled.

Since no native French Canadian investor has appeared in the past 30 years, there is only one solution: Quebec must accept some form of English ownership, either Canadian or American of its NHL and CFL franchises.

It will be a bitter pill for the Quebec separatists to swallow. Despite all of their talk over the past 40 years that Quebec can go at it alone as an independent country or some form of "sovereignty association," as far professional sports are concerned—they can't.

The bitter truth is that if they want a new arena and stadium, the Nordiques back and a CFL team, "foreign" capital has to be brought in.

The ramifications affect far more than sports.

In contrast to the cosmopolitan nature of Montreal, dating back to the early 1800's when there was some English and other minority immigration, Quebec has always been a quiet, insular, French speaking city. It is the heart of "la survivance," the symbolic centre of a new independent Quebec country, and its surrounding area is the stronghold of the separatist movement.

Quebec has changed a little politically in the last decade, even electing some Conservatives over BQ candidates in the last two federal elections.  But getting capital to finance stadiums and operate sports teams in both the CFL and NHL means opening up Quebec City to "foreigners" as never before.

There is abundant ignorance on both sides. Quebec City has always been a hinterland for English speaking Canada.  On the French side, there has been little interest in what goes on outside their own local area.

But to operate in the North American sports market, that has to change. French Canadians are going to have to grit their teeth and smile at an invasion of outsiders. It is critical that they make outside investors feel welcome. 

They have to convince them to believe in the success of both a professional football and hockey team in Quebec City, and they have to accept that a sizable "foreign speaking" element has come to stay.

While the thought of an English owner is abhorrent to die-hard separatists, Quebec sports fans are going to have come to terms with it if they want to have professional hockey and football teams.

In particular, if they get a CFL franchise, they are going to have to accept a lot of English-speaking, American players who know little about and don't care about Quebec and its different past.

I like Quebec City.  I have visited it a couple of times before and found it very charming.  My godson is part French Canadian, and I bought him a French dictionary, when he was growing up to help him learn the language.

Quebec had a great rivalry with Montreal and other teams when they were in the NHL. They probably will have a great rivalry when they join the CFL.  I think a Quebec franchise in both leagues will be a winner.

But expansion means building bridges to a region that has never experienced it before.  New sports franchises will mean new social development for Quebec City.  There will have to be greater tolerance and acceptance than ever before. 

Ottawa had to accept a Torontonian as its owner.  Montreal had to accept an American.  Quebecers will have to accept an outsider if they want the CFL and NHL to take up residence in their city.