NHL Relocation: A Tale of Two Cities, Starring Gary Bettman

Way back in 1859, Charles Dickens, fascinated by the French Revolution, decided to write a novel that showed the similarities and contrasts of English London and French Paris during that time, and produced the epic novel, "A Tale Of Two Cities."

Today, the discerning Canadian fan who hopes to see more NHL franchises in Canada can note the similarities and contrasts between two Canadian cities trying to become Canada's seventh NHL franchise— English Winnipeg, and French Quebec.

The issue around which they can be compared to is how much can Gary Bettman and the NHL be trusted?

The answer is that Winnipeg doesn't trust him at all, while Quebec trusts him completely.

How did these cities become polar opposites on this issue?

As the noose got tighter for the NHL and its money-losing franchises, Bettman made a tour of the three cities whose franchises he stripped in the 1990s and offered terms by which they could get their teams back.

Unofficially, there were four main conditions:

1.  Adequate fan support (hence no Kansas City)

2.  No territorial disputes (hence no Hamilton)

3.  An NHL size arena (median 18,000 seats)

4.  Credible investors/bidders

Neither Quebec, nor Winnipeg, have any problems with conditions one and two.

Since then, Quebec believed in Bettman completely and has striven to comply fully with his terms.

Even before Bettman made his tour, Quebec got 80,000 signatures on a petition for the return of the Nordiques.

They got a credible investor, Quebecor, and civic support to both front a bid and build a new arena.  There is speculation that Quebec will release a formal business plan to be presented to the NHL in June, after the current season is over.

If Bettman is to be trusted, as Quebec believes he can be, if a suitable business plan that includes both a franchise bid and a new arena is presented to the NHL, they can expect payment of either an expansion or relocated franchise.

Bettman openly urged Quebec to build a new arena (supposedly costing $400 million), and for the NHL to reject a credible scheme, would be one of the lowest blows delivered by a "big four" league in the history of professional sports.

Bettman and the NHL's credibility (especially in Canada) would clearly be on the line if such a proposal is made, even more than all the recent Phoenix-Hamilton adventures.

Quebec is clearly trusting to what Bettman told Quebecor and the mayor, and expects an honorable end to the quest for their team.

In contrast, Winnipeg showed its distrust of the Bettman and the NHL long before the Phoenix situation appeared.

The departure of the Winnipeg Jets left a bitter taste in the Manitoba capital, and its subsequent profound distrust of Bettman and the NHL can be seen in its contrasting actions to new facilities for a returned Jets, and the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The main reason for the departure of the Jets was an arena that was too small to cover bad economic times.

But when it came time to build a new arena, Winnipeg ignored the NHL median of 18,000 seats, and deliberately built a new arena to suit its own needs— 15,000 seats, exactly the same size as the failed old arena.

The new arena, proclaimed the city and the arena management, was specifically for the AHL Manitoba Moose.

Clearly, Winnipeg believed that the NHL had a hate-complex against them and would never return.

They believed that they had no chance of competing with numerous future American applicants, and believed they were out of the NHL for good.

They had no intention of appeasing Bettman and the NHL by building an arena that matched the current NHL conditions, because they believed that even if they complied, Bettman and the NHL would continue to exclude them.

This is also to be seen in the actions of the investors, who Jet fans believe can get the team back for them.

Mark Chipman and Dave Thomson are suitable investors for the NHL, but they have behaved almost completely opposite to their counterparts in Quebec.

They've made no formal bid and have not stated any definite policy about the arena issue.  A formal business plan is a distant horizon.

Instead they have been content to remain in the background, talking to Bettman behind the scenes, and allowing themselves to be put forward as a "plan B" if everything else fails.

Their entire strategy has been to take no positive action, but await events, hoping that the ineptness of their rivals will give them a team by default.

There is not one step towards complying with Bettman's arena terms.  Clearly they don't believe in him to attempt anything that is remotely risky.

In contrast, there is a completely different reaction by Winnipeg to its CFL franchise.

Construction will begin next month on a stadium that meets the CFL median of 30,000 seats and can be expanded to 40,000 when necessary.

The Provincial Government is lending $90 million towards construction costs.

Their action shows that Winnipeg believes in the CFL, not the NHL, and will respond favorably, without any hassles, to people and a league they can trust.

So which city is right about Bettman and the NHL?

The acid test will be if Quebec lays a credible scheme before the NHL and is taken back in the league.

Then it will be proved that Bettman and the NHL can be trusted on some matters.  It will also throw Winnipeg's strategy into a quandary.

But if the opposite happens, it will confirm what many Canadian fans believe; that Bettman and the NHL are anti-Canadian, and can't be trusted on anything.

That too may have fateful consequences for the future.