When the NHL officially announced that Las Vegas would be getting a new franchise, residents of Quebec City felt like they had received the short-end of the stick. Quebec, as well as Las Vegas, had followed the process to enter a bid for an expansion team, but while Las Vegas is set to draft an expansion team in the near-future, Quebec City’s future is still uncertain. Despite the uncertainty, however, NHL expansion in Quebec City is still a desirable possibility, according to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly:
Daly hopes to announce NHL's return to Quebec City 'at some point' https://t.co/F8aM8EItW3 pic.twitter.com/AoRJ1lIwF5
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) September 9, 2016
When asked about expansion in Quebec City, Daly stated:
I wish I knew,
I can’t give you that answer. I was actually asked at customs today whether I was coming to announce the Nordiques coming back. I said, ‘Not today.’ But hopefully at some point in my career. – Bill Daly
For those waiting anxiously for the return of a franchise to Quebec, Daly went on to add that the City has done a good job of quickening the process; namely by building the new Videotron Centre.
“I think it’s a first-rate NHL arena,” Daly said while visiting for the World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament games. “It would be fantastic for an NHL team.”
While expansion into Quebec City in the near future may not be a given, it’s certainly still in consideration. The process is ongoing, and there are a lot of moving pieces. At the very least, Bill Daly has provided some hope for those in Quebec waiting for the return of their team in the near future.
