Photo credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Daly was clear about a possible Nordiques return to Quebec City.
The real obstacle is the lack of an owner ready to commit.
Wow. The NHL’s deputy commissioner opened up on The Eye Test Podcast.
He reaffirmed the league’s interest in Quebec City while pointing to the real problem.
Yes, he really did talk about “the league’s interest in Quebec City,” which is pretty incredible.
His message left no room for doubt.
No one has stepped forward to do what it takes to purchase a franchise and officially bring back the Quebec Nordiques.
Daly was direct with hosts Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy.
“I think the biggest issue that we have faced with Quebec City is that we have not identified an owner who is either willing to pay the price tag.”
An owner prepared to operate a franchise in the city for the long haul has been the missing piece for years.
“That’s despite the fact that we’ve been exploring Quebec City for at least ten years now because we were doing it in conjunction with Las Vegas,” he recalled.
The Canadian dollar is a challenge, but not an impossible obstacle to a Quebec Nordiques return
Vegas has now been in the league for nine years.
Meanwhile, talks involving Quebec City have continued without producing a serious ownership candidate.
The Canadian dollar was also discussed.
Daly doesn’t see it as the deciding factor in a situation that has dragged on for nearly a decade.
His answer was reassuring.
“Does that present challenges? Sure it presents come challenges, no doubt about that; but I think the state of our game in Canada and each our Canadian cities is strong.”
According to Daly, it isn’t an impossible obstacle to overcome, even though every market comes with its own challenges.
The stage is already set in Quebec City.
The 18,259-seat Videotron Centre is waiting, along with a passionate fan base hungry for NHL hockey.
But without an owner, it all remains a dream on hold.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
POLL
20 HOURS AGO|680 ANSWERS
Bill Daly reveals the real reason the Nordiques still haven’t returned to Quebec City
Do you still believe the Quebec Nordiques will eventually return to the NHL?