A Seattle NBC affiliate reported Friday that Victor Coleman, a commercial real estate mogul, wasn’t planning on submitting a bid by Monday’s deadline. The company made its contention official on Monday, the deadline for submitting to expansion. The application process began July 6.
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That being said, though, it’s clear that Quebec City is one of the favorites in the mix of rumored cities interested in placing bids.
Ray Bartoszek group did not file for #NHL expansion.
There are many arguments against league expansion, and there are even more arguments against expansion into Quebec City in particular. In addition to Seattle, there were groups with designs on bringing a second team to the Toronto area.
As expected, Las Vegas and Quebec City submitted their pitches before it passed. Black Knights is one of the team names Foley had floated when he started doing his rounds with media. The company also specifically noted that their aim is to bring the Quebec Nordiques back to the city. A new Nordiques club won’t affect our ability to go to the Pepsi Center and watch Matt Duchene light up the lamp or Semyon Varlamov flash the leather. A Las Vegas team would play in an 18,000-spectator arena being built by AEG and MGM Resorts.
Quebec City, meanwhile, has the financial heft of Quebecor and an arena set to open in September with a capacity of over 18,000. In November 2014 Quebecor bought the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.
Each expansion bid costs US$10 million.
Bettman and Daly projected the price of an expansion franchise at a minimum of $500 million. While the Quebec City bid is moving forward, Seattle’s is stalling. The Nordiques fan base had suffered for years during losing seasons, and had received numerous high draft picks in return – players that would be keys to the Avalanche success for almost a decade. The bigger news was the reported absence of other cities. Seems appropriate.
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Apon entering the National Hockey League They would instantly have rivarly with a certain someone which drive up ticket sales, and merchandise sales. That’s no guarantee for either market, though both look especially promising. Still, it’s something that will have to be addressed, perhaps in the form of yet another realignment.
