Nordiques Nation to come back to your town!

[adam85491]

The Winnipeg fans did not go to other arenas like we do . But in fact, is there somebody here that remembers someone else doing this before the Nordiques Nation . But they were really active . They made many activities and many huge rally . You just didn't heard of it outside Manitoba . Be frank with me, is there 1 person here that heard about the marche bleu (blue march) and the match bleu before we did our 2 trips to Long Island and Newark ? You heard about us simply because we did a big stunt that nobody did before, and we did right .

It can be hard to understand why we are so happy for them, since that from your point of view, it must looks like we lost a battle against them . They were in the exact same situation than we are : they lost their team 1 year after we lost ours, for the exact same reasons, they are as passionate as we are, they love and respect the game as much as we do . We were cheering for them to get a team for years, and when we finally entered the race, they cheered for us as well . Even their mayor stated that if we had already built our arena, it is us who would have ended up with a team instead of them

We were doing the same fight, but we weren't battling each others : we were battling alongside . Our message is not just bring the Nordiques back . If you listen carefully, part of our message is take hockey out of places where it does not seem to belong, and bring it to places it does belong, and we believe that Winnipeg deserves it's hockey team as much as we do . The Jets are back, that is a victory in our point of view, that shows us that the NHL is getting back to markets like Quebec city, and if we were seconds behing Winnipeg, now we probably are the next in line if the NHL makes another move .

Our motto is : For the love of hockey . We will be reaqlly sad and disappointed if we do not get our team back, but we will still be happy if the NHL listens to that part of our message .

You know what, this is gonna piss a lot of people off, but I don't care.

I'm tired of your "where hockey belongs" bullsh!t. Seriously. Who are you guys to decide where a sport can and can't (or should and should not) be played. If you were to tell someone "hey, let's put a team in New Jersey, under an hour from two New York teams" they might say "hockey doesn't belong there." But yet, the Devils are entering their 30th season and have three stanley cups and a plethora of history to go with it.

Maybe Atlanta isn't the easiest market to tackle. Maybe there's no ice in Phoenix. And maybe you might be surprised to see California with multiple teams. At the end of the day, Canada is no more deserving of a team than any other area in the United States. You can be as nice as you want, and you have every right to have a desire to bring a team back to Quebec City, but you have no reason to suggest that QC is more deserving/more appropriate a location than other cities.

Again, I don't care if you come back to NJ. I don't care if you want to bring the Nordiques back. But there's zero chance I will agree about the "hockey deserves to be here" argument.

[DevsMan84]

You know what, this is gonna piss a lot of people off, but I don't care.

I'm tired of your "where hockey belongs" bullsh!t. Seriously. Who are you guys to decide where a sport can and can't (or should and should not) be played. If you were to tell someone "hey, let's put a team in New Jersey, under an hour from two New York teams" they might say "hockey doesn't belong there." But yet, the Devils are entering their 30th season and have three stanley cups and a plethora of history to go with it.

Maybe Atlanta isn't the easiest market to tackle. Maybe there's no ice in Phoenix. And maybe you might be surprised to see California with multiple teams. At the end of the day, Canada is no more deserving of a team than any other area in the United States. You can be as nice as you want, and you have every right to have a desire to bring a team back to Quebec City, but you have no reason to suggest that QC is more deserving/more appropriate a location than other cities.

Again, I don't care if you come back to NJ. I don't care if you want to bring the Nordiques back. But there's zero chance I will agree about the "hockey deserves to be here" argument.

MTS Centre in Winnipeg is sold out for years. They are having a lottery for single game tickets. I do not remember anything like that happening with the Thrashers, even when they were new. Same goes for Lightning, Coyotes, and the Panthers.

[adam85491]

Well, that arena is by far the smallest in the league, and attendance isn't the sole factor in revenue.

But are you saying teams that don't sell out should move to places where they will sell out?

Ultimately, if the message was, expand the league and bring a Quebec team back, I wouldn't really mind. But the fact that they are set on ripping a team from a city (a place where hockey apparently does not belong) is what is disturbing.

[DevsMan84]

Well, that arena is by far the smallest in the league, and attendance isn't the sole factor in revenue.

But are you saying teams that don't sell out should move to places where they will sell out?

Ultimately, if the message was, expand the league and bring a Quebec team back, I wouldn't really mind. But the fact that they are set on ripping a team from a city (a place where hockey apparently does not belong) is what is disturbing.

The arena could be the largest in the NHL and would most likely still be sold out for years. That is how nuts they are about hockey there, especially since the wait they had in it returning.

I do kinda agree with you that the fact they are back to us a second time with the same message. I feel it may be a very passive-aggressive way of saying "the Devils should not be here"

[koa02]

Nobody said that the Devils should not be there, you got us wrong on that . On the contrary, the Devils are to stay in New Jersey for at least another 30 years .

Reasons why we came to Newark last year : Tickets were available, Bettman's office just around the corner, Fan Appreciation Day, and the verry last game of the season for the league . Last year we were sending a message to the league . We don't need to send messages anymore . Reasons why we are coming to Newark again this year : because it was so f**king fun last time

Look at our agenda this year : New Jersey, Florida, Ottawa, Boston and Detroit . You think that we are going to Ottawa, Boston and Detroit to tell them that hockey does not belong there and their team should move ? And Why are we going in Florida ? Beacuse their management invited us and we get a chance to have a vacation in Florida : the beach, the sun, the Everglades, Disney not to far away .

We don't want anybody to lose it's team . We are happy for Winnipeg, but we are sad for Atlanta . We know damn to well how it hurts, and we don't wish this to anybody . Of course if a team becomes available, we will take it, but we would prefer an expension over a relocation .

Like I said, this year, we are doing this simply because we are having a great deal of fun doing it . There is no sending messages anymore . It's simply having fun with hockey fans from around the league

[RowdyFan42]

Ultimately, if the message was, expand the league and bring a Quebec team back, I wouldn't really mind. But the fact that they are set on ripping a team from a city (a place where hockey apparently does not belong) is what is disturbing.

Please. They're not here to steal the Devils, they're here because this is one of the closest non-Canadian NHL markets to Quebec.

[devlman]

The Winnipeg fans did not go to other arenas like we do . But in fact, is there somebody here that remembers someone else doing this before the Nordiques Nation . But they were really active . They made many activities and many huge rally . You just didn't heard of it outside Manitoba . Be frank with me, is there 1 person here that heard about the marche bleu (blue march) and the match bleu before we did our 2 trips to Long Island and Newark ? You heard about us simply because we did a big stunt that nobody did before, and we did right .

It can be hard to understand why we are so happy for them, since that from your point of view, it must looks like we lost a battle against them . They were in the exact same situation than we are : they lost their team 1 year after we lost ours, for the exact same reasons, they are as passionate as we are, they love and respect the game as much as we do . We were cheering for them to get a team for years, and when we finally entered the race, they cheered for us as well . Even their mayor stated that if we had already built our arena, it is us who would have ended up with a team instead of them

We were doing the same fight, but we weren't battling each others : we were battling alongside . Our message is not just bring the Nordiques back . If you listen carefully, part of our message is take hockey out of places where it does not seem to belong, and bring it to places it does belong, and we believe that Winnipeg deserves it's hockey team as much as we do . The Jets are back, that is a victory in our point of view, that shows us that the NHL is getting back to markets like Quebec city, and if we were seconds behing Winnipeg, now we probably are the next in line if the NHL makes another move .

Our motto is : For the love of hockey . We will be reaqlly sad and disappointed if we do not get our team back, but we will still be happy if the NHL listens to that part of our message .

Youre not a bitter person like I am then lol..because Quebec and its fans deserve a team more than Winnipeg. Id say its the arena holding things up but the Jets arena is instantly one of the least-valued arenas in the NHL at 15k. But, in terms of fan movements, Id say Quebec fans have done way more to get a team. Holding a rally in your own province doesnt take as much effort as traveling en masse to another arena for a game.

Edited October 5, 2011 by devlman

[newarkdev01]

Kao, Regardless I am happy to have you. I personally have had a fun time drinking with Habs fans as well as Nordique fans and I love the atmosphere before, during and after the game when we have large group. From a Newark resident I welcome you to drink and party with us as much as you would like...in fact invite your friends to drink with us as well

[adam85491]

Please. They're not here to steal the Devils, they're here because this is one of the closest non-Canadian NHL markets to Quebec.

I never once implied that they were. NJ is not going anywhere anytime soon.

[koa02]

Kao, Regardless I am happy to have you. I personally have had a fun time drinking with Habs fans as well as Nordique fans and I love the atmosphere before, during and after the game when we have large group. From a Newark resident I welcome you to drink and party with us as much as you would like...in fact invite your friends to drink with us as well

Thanks I don't think we'll gonna be 2 000 like last time, but still, it's gonna be fun Some people were talking about organising a tailgate, but I don't know if we'll be able to bring some BBQs .

[hurricane1091]

Personally, I say fvck them and I don't see them ever getting a team. Call me rude, I don't care. I'm just being honest with you. I don't even want to see Canada get another team. Let's continue to spread hockey throughout the United States. I'd much rather see Seattle get a team before Quebec does. We've already been down this road bringing Winnipeg back, and I don't see the big deal. I didn't see the old Winnipeg team, so I could care less about this new Winnipeg team. Not sure why anyone would want to go down that road again, and if so no chance in hell it happens anytime soon. And, if I had a choice to bring back a team, it would probably be Hartford and not Quebec.

Edited October 15, 2011 by hurricane1091

[Devil Dan 56]

Personally, I say fvck them and I don't see them ever getting a team. Call me rude, I don't care. I'm just being honest with you. I don't even want to see Canada get another team. Let's continue to spread hockey throughout the United States. I'd much rather see Seattle get a team before Quebec does. We've already been down this road bringing Winnipeg back, and I don't see the big deal. I didn't see the old Winnipeg team, so I could care less about this new Winnipeg team. Not sure why anyone would want to go down that road again, and if so no chance in hell it happens anytime soon. And, if I had a choice to bring back a team, it would probably be Hartford and not Quebec.

Well... good thing you don't run the league, then. The old force-teams-into-US-cities-that don't-want-them plan doesn't really work. Seattle has no arena that can hold an NHL team, nor does Hartford at the moment. Hartford has looked into building one, at least. But with the economy the way it is, I wouldn't expect it anytime soon. Hartford did try for the Penguins and Predators when they were having their problems but they still would need a new place to play.

Other than that, where else is the US would there be a team? There aren't really many locations.

Quebec City has already had talks with the league about moving a team there if another is relocated, but they would need confirmation that a new arena is going to be built before anything official will happen.

[SterioDesign]

i dont feel like going on another canada vs usa debate... and its not even about that its just about specific locations

the fact is...

• some locations are suggested cause there's a huge demand from the fan base but those locations have a smaller market and the whole $$$ backup that you need to run a franchise

• some are suggested cause that market could handle an NHL franchise and expand the league in the US but for most of them the fan base is barely existent and they actually have to create it from scratch... and from what we're seeing... just compare the Jets to... florida, phoenix, atlanta, etc... some expansion teams are doing alright like Minnesota or Nashville i think but some are huge failures.

in my opinion it's just that... well first i have to say im not aware of every single details about what a new franchise needs in terms of financial supports and all that stuff...

for as an example that "i think" will explain what i mean, I KNOW IT WILL SOUND DUMB... but let's say i want to start a Specialize poutine restaurant... am i gonna open it in Quebec where the poutine is like the main meal and where EVERYONE eat that... or in LA... cause its richer and theres more people and all but most of them are CLUELESS what a poutine is and probly wouldnt be willing to try it...

thats my point, so its really not about canada vs us but about locations

Edited October 16, 2011 by SterioDesign

[devilzibook]

Personally, I say fvck them and I don't see them ever getting a team. Call me rude, I don't care. I'm just being honest with you. I don't even want to see Canada get another team. Let's continue to spread hockey throughout the United States. I'd much rather see Seattle get a team before Quebec does. We've already been down this road bringing Winnipeg back, and I don't see the big deal. I didn't see the old Winnipeg team, so I could care less about this new Winnipeg team. Not sure why anyone would want to go down that road again, and if so no chance in hell it happens anytime soon. And, if I had a choice to bring back a team, it would probably be Hartford and not Quebec.

Patriotism

[hurricane1091]

And?

[ghdi]

And?

And? Its a myopic and xenophobic way to look at things. Hockey is Canada's national pasttime. Hockey isn't even treated as the 4th most important sport here. Lets say Hamilton, ONT got a team, they would sell out almost every game, despite the proximity of Buffalo and Toronto. As for American markets, Seattle is not getting a team anytime soon. They don't have an NHL-ready arena and the citizens there voted down a new arena for the Sonics multiple times. The arena they do have (Key) is old and not NHL standard. There are markets in this country that could support a team, but Canada is literally night and day comparison to just about any American market currently without a team. You go to Canada, you likely have a goldmine with a hockey team. Its not the 90s anymore.

[hurricane1091]

I'm an American, and I would prefer for the sport to grow in America. Like I said, Quebec had a team, it (for whatever reason) failed and it is time to just move on. Seattle should be the next place to get a team in my opinion. I have zero interest in returning a team to Quebec, and I don't support their cause. Winnipeg just got a team anyway, and it's not even something special really. I doubt a team moves to Canada within the next 5-10 years.

Edited October 16, 2011 by hurricane1091

[SterioDesign]

I'm an American, and I would prefer for the sport to grow in America. Like I said, Quebec had a team, it (for whatever reason) failed and it is time to just move on. Seattle should be the next place to get a team in my opinion. I have zero interest in returning a team to Quebec, and I don't support their cause. Winnipeg just got a team anyway, and it's not even something special really. I doubt a team moves to Canada within the next 5-10 years.

lol well way to go to prove that you dont have a clue and just wearing huge blinders...

[DevsMan84]

Atlanta had a team and it failed and moved to Calgary where it won a cup and is wildly popular. Winnipeg had a team and because of the weak Canadian dollar and no new arena they moved to phoneix where they went bankrupt. Atlanta then had another team that later moved to Winnipeg and is now wildly popular.

See a pattern here? Lol

[Devil Dan 56]

I'm an American, and I would prefer for the sport to grow in America. Like I said, Quebec had a team, it (for whatever reason) failed and it is time to just move on. Seattle should be the next place to get a team in my opinion. I have zero interest in returning a team to Quebec, and I don't support their cause. Winnipeg just got a team anyway, and it's not even something special really. I doubt a team moves to Canada within the next 5-10 years.

Seattle has nowhere to put a team. They don't want a team. Quebec does and is trying to build an arena. Also, Winnipeg having a team has pretty much nothing to do with Quebec. They are about 1500 miles apart.

[SterioDesign]

Atlanta had a team and it failed and moved to Calgary where it won a cup and is wildly popular. Winnipeg had a team and because of the weak Canadian dollar and no new arena they moved to phoneix where they went bankrupt. Atlanta then had another team that later moved to Winnipeg and is now wildly popular.

See a pattern here? Lol

another great fact is that a team in Canada doesnt have to be successful on the ice to have success. I mean look at our franchise... we miss the playoffs one year and there's all those bankruptcy talks and financial problems popping.

[MDPucks]

Nobody was complaining about US southern expansion when Florida was selling out games, reached the SC Finals in their 2nd year, and reached the playoffs multiple times in their first 5-6 years of exhistance. A decade of brutal management has sank that hockey team, however the arena which the team is attached to, is a goldmine and the entire venture turns a profit.

Phoenix went bankrupt because their old owner linked the team to the new arena and the greater real estate holdings in Glendale which all went belly-up when the real estate bubble burst. That's on top of the ownership group reloating the team far away from its fan base in Scottsdale and Tempe versus downtown Phoenix.

Dallas became a great hockey market prior to the last 5 years when their ownership decided to use the Stars (along with the Texas Rangers) as colatteral to buy Liverpool FC along with a bunch of real estate ventures which all went belly-up. Because of this and the lack of recent on-ice success the team's become a PR nightmare in Dallas and buying the team (including 50% of the arena) is more about paying off the debt that's been transfered to the team from those real estate holdings than it is about buying a hockey team.

People always point to "southern expansion" but keenly forget Ottawa, Edmonton, and even Montreal having serious financial issues in the late 90's, Detroit in the late 70's, and Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and the Islanders in the mid-2000's. Like the three I listed above it was all due to brutal (sometimes criminal) ownership and mismanagement not only of the hockey team but also of side business ventures as well.

On-ice success + modern arena + stable ownership = team financial success nomatter where the team is. If you don't have those three for a sustained period you can only get away with it in Toronto or Manhattan where your corporate suits will always buy tickets and write them off.

Edited October 16, 2011 by mdsieve

[Triumph]

it's very simple - $1 CDN = $1 US means trouble for southern teams, and US teams in general. $1 US = $1.30 CDN means trouble for the weaker canadian teams. mismanaged teams will almost always struggle unless they are in toronto or new york. well-managed teams can manage to survive and even thrive, like the predators - there's no more talk about them moving somewhere, even after balsille tried to destroy their fanbase.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Triumph

[SterioDesign]

i agree with the bad management thing for some teams... but what i see is that the interest is just not there. Just look at the tv ratings... its FREE to watch your home team on tv pretty much and they dont!!! so obviously those arenas are always empty

[adam85491]

When your team sucks complete balls of course there's no interest.

if Winnipeg misses the playoffs by a wide margin for the next 5 years (or longer, just look at Atlanta) do you REALLY think they'll be drawing fans in still? No, they won't.

mdsieve has this one 100% correct