There’s a simple equation to explain the reaction of Quebec City hockey fans to the announced visit by the Ottawa Senators next fall.
Hockey minus politics equals fun.
“I’m really happy to see it,” said Remi Gravel, a 62-year-old pipe welder and life-long hockey player from Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, 30 kilometers east of Quebec City. “It’s good for the sport, good for the city, and it helps keep our hopes alive for an eventual return of the Nordiques.”
“It’s great news,” said Alexandre Bois, a 29-year-old car salesman, former junior hockey goalie and a longtime Senators fan. “I know people in Ottawa aren’t too happy about it. But it’s fun for Sens fans here like me.”
Related: ‘The Team Is Not Moving’: Ottawa Senators Rattle Fans After Suggesting Regular-Season Games In Quebec City
Earlier this week, the Senators announced they will spend four days and play two pre-season games at the Centre Videotron in late September.
The team is scheduled to play the New Jersey Devils in the NHL-ready rink on Sept. 28. Two days later, they’ll host the Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens.
The Los Angeles Kings did a similar pre-season stopover in Quebec City last fall.
That visit, however, was politicized from the outset due to a subsidy of between $5 million and $7 million provided to the Kings by the Quebec government.
The Senators will not receive any public funding for their visit – a point emphasized by owner Michael Andlauer when he made the announcement.
“Even when the Nordiques were bad during their final years here the old Colisee was always full.” – Remi Gravel
Andlauer said the trip is intended to help the Senators expand their brand in Quebec.
He also refloated a years-old idea for the Sens to play some regular-season games in Quebec’s picture-perfect provincial capital.
“We’ll start with the two pre-season games and go from there,” Andlauer told reporters on Monday.
He also downplayed fears that he wants to move the team away from Ottawa, calling the federal capital region a “viable” NHL market.
Andlauer also voiced his oft-repeated support for an eventual return of an NHL franchise to Quebec City.
Hockey fans in Quebec City welcomed news of the Sens pre-season visit with open arms.
“I’m sure both games will be sold out,” said Gravel. “People here love hockey. Even when the Nordiques were bad during their final years here the old Colisee was always full.”
Gravel said that’s not the case in many markets with NHL teams.
“They are full of empty seats,” said Gravel. “I see it on TV and when I go to games.”
Gravel also lauded Andlauer for being one of few NHL team owners who publicly calls for a return of the Nordiques.
“It’s clear (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman doesn’t want us back in the league,” said Gravel. “But there’s no question a team would work here.”
For his part, Michael Dumas, a lifelong Habs fan from Quebec City’s Beauport neighborhood, says he, too, welcomes the Sens pre-season visit.
“It’s a good attraction for the city and it keeps the dream alive here for an NHL team,” said Dumas, who played junior hockey in the early 1980s.
Though weaned on the Habs (he said his late Newfoundland-born mother would roust him and his two brothers – both of whom played major junior – out of bed as kids to watch the Canadiens celebrate Stanley Cup wins) Dumas said he too would welcome a return of the Nordiques.
“The rivalry with the Habs was beyond intense,” said Dumas. “I’d love to see that again. It’s great for the fans and it pushes teams to be better.”
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