The Quebec government wants to bring an NHL team to the capital, but fans skeptical
CTV
Quebec politicians are meeting with National Hockey League brass in January, but it's unclear what influence the government can have on the league or whether team owners have any interest in bringing the Nordiques back to the provincial capital.
Local fans, meanwhile, aren't holding their breath, following a series of disappointments, and they say they aren't so sure the government's latest move is anything more than a public relations stunt.
Premier Francois Legault opened the door to such musings in November, professing an interest in seeing professional hockey return to Quebec City and announcing a senior minister had been tabbed to support the effort.
"I tell myself that if Ottawa and Winnipeg are able to have a team, we should be able to have a team in Quebec," Legault told reporters at the time, adding that his government was looking for partners to help fund the estimated $1-billion cost of a franchise.
The Nordiques left Quebec City after the 1994-95 NHL season, relocating to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche, which won the Stanley Cup in the new team's first season.