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Well if the players had their choice, Quebec would be it. http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/35359-Player-Poll-Quebec-City-should-be-NHLs-next-stop.html According to THN?s latest player poll - which appeared in the most recent issue - Quebec City is the clear choice as deserving of a franchise. Out of 90 players polled, 33 (or 36.7 percent) picked the capital of La Belle Province; Winnipeg was next with 18 votes (20 percent), followed by Las Vegas (12 votes/13.3 percent), Hamilton (11 votes/12.2 percent) and Seattle (five votes/5.6 percent). Other cities receiving votes were Toronto, Houston and Kansas City (all of which received two votes each) and Stockholm, Prague, Halifax, N.S., Saskatoon, Sask., and the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario (which each garnered one vote.)

Seriously, does this guy even know what's going on? Quebec at least has a plan, owner & the whole nine yards. I could see Markham as an expansion or if another team moves but I think its going to be a while before that happens.

Back to Quebec, even Dreger is wondering... http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/darren_dreger/?id=382356 My question is in regards to the new conference format. Everyone seems to be focusing on the uneven new conferences. Do you think that by having two conferences with just seven teams that this will put the NHL on the road to another expansion? Thanks. Darren's Response: Also, there's the uncertainty of the future of the Phoenix Coyotes. If ownership isn't solidified, some believe Quebec City will be a viable relocation option. If that turns out to be the case, it makes sense Quebec would shift to the east creating an 8-7 split among the four conferences. Keep in mind, this remains all highly speculative.

I was thinking the same thing? I mean, Baldwin doesn't have a lot of money & what partners does he have? Besides, the only way this would work is if & that's a big if is that a new arena needs to be built.

Seriously, Baldwin isn't giving up... Article from November http://thehockeywriters.com/2017-the-year-of-the-whalers/ Baldwin announced on Tuesday that he is trying to move forward with a renovation plan to the XL Center ? the former home of the Whalers and current home of the Connecticut Whale of the AHL ? with the goal of bringing back an NHL franchise by the year 2017.

I wonder what happened with that so-called "deadline" from Bettman and the BoG last Thursday (I think). The NHL knows they're losing money, yet you have a potential owner with deep pockets, and a fan base that has still gone strong. The league has seen what Winnipeg has done, imagine the possibilities with Quebec back.

Found on the HF Boards http://legrandclub.rds.ca/profils/Zo.../127382/public Google translate: Many rumors about the return of the Nordiques! Big weekend of rumors on the sidelines of the meeting of Governors of the NHL currently taking place at Pebble Beach in California. First is Mario Roy (organizer of the March Blue and columnist for the Journal de Quebec) who wrote on Tweeter yesterday that one of the two buyers who wanted to buy and keep the Coyotes in Phoenix (Jamieson) had withdrawn. Today, a well known financial advisor, Stephen Heath, who is also a former employee of the Nordiques, wrote about Tweeter that there would be a formal offer from a club in the NHL in Quebec City that would just signed. Finally, the "famous" Eklund (whose credibility is often challenged, I admit) wrote on his blog "Meanwhile in Quebec ... The Arena IS getting built and There Are Who sources tell me the NHL HAS ITS Given Approval and wink -wink, nudge nudge, ... " Add to that the realignment of conferences which, according to Hockey Night in Canada, will be proposed at the meeting this weekend. Realignment is unbalanced (16 teams in the west and 14 in the east) and the Coyotes permetre being transferred to the east.

Page 2... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/david-shoalts/whats-next-for-mlse/article2251448/page2/ Thursday is deadline day for Glendale, Ariz., to come up with an owner who will buy the Coyotes from the NHL and keep them in the Phoenix suburb. But don?t expect the NHL to stick to its deadline. Why start now? It?s hard to meet a deadline if there is no owner in sight. An NHL source who keeps an eye on the situation says it isn?t clear if Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is still in the picture. Former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison is said to have a conditional deal but one of the major conditions is that he raise the money, which is proving to be a challenge. Folks in Quebec are best advised to stay on alert.

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/11/22/another-gta-option-for-nhl On Markham: Indeed, in an interview with Bauer chairman Graeme Roustan on Tuesday night, the man spearheading the project along with Toronto-area real estate mogul Rudy Bratty, he seemed very sincere when insisting this is to be an entertainment/concert venue, not a building designed to have an NHL team as its prime tenant. Having said that, it's impossible not to connect the dots here. On Quebec City: Sure, behind closed doors, the NHL isn't actually jumping through hoops to place a second team in the southern Ontario market, even if many of us feel that it is an inevitability down the road. In fact, according to league sources, the NHL's priority -- when and if the next franchise relocates -- is to return professional hockey to Quebec City, a community that sells out the antiquated Colisee for it's annual pee wee tournament. Either way, looks like something big it bound to happen.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftvanouvelles.ca%2Flcn%2Finfos%2Fregional%2Farchives%2F2011%2F11%2F20111117-181620.html%3Futm_source%3Dtwitterfeed%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter&act=url The executive committee of the Quebec City releases $ 50 million for work on the construction of the new amphitheater. Of this amount, it is anticipated that approximately $ 19 million will be spent in 2012 and the remainder in 2013. Essentially, says Vice President François Picard, these amounts are used for site preparation of the new amphitheater.

Well yeah. So make it happen. You have to if you're in the business of making money. Seriously NHL, Quebec will be like Winnipeg... It will make you money, do this.

Couldn't think of a better song. This needs to end, get this team out.

I imagine it won't be much longer. The Yotes need to do something & fast if they have a chance of sticking around. The NHL can only take so much of this crud before they realize its getting old, especially with Quebec City building a new arena soon & the reports coming from Seattle.

Found on this on the HFboards but no source... Although Gretzky said he isn't returning to the NHL anytime soon, he believes that Quebec City could be awarded a team in the near future. "I anticipate and expect that around the corner you will probably see Quebec City in the National Hockey League. I don't know when but I just have a feeling they will be back," he said.

Hoo boy.... The local govt paid how much & how many season tickets were sold? Viva Le Quebec

It's not just you, I thought the same thing but alot of the people in the HFboards are saying the same thing. I think the signs are there, its just a matter of when or if.

Translated from the website in French... http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/2011/10/18/011-etude-besoin-amphitheatre-devoilement-mercredi.shtml It is the consortium of SNC-Lavalin, ABCP and Populous who gets the contract for architect and engineering for the proposed amphitheater in Quebec. He will be responsible for the design plans and specifications and will be posted to the delivery of multifunctional complex in 2015. This is the third contract awarded to the firm since the beginning of the proposed amphitheater. Vice President of the Executive Committee of the City of Quebec, François Picard, denied Wednesday afternoon the allegations of favoritism in the case of the amphitheater. The two firms had two excellent finalists records, he said, but the consortium of SNC-Lavalin, ABCP and Populous had a better price than its competitor. Compared to its closest rival, the estimated costs of the consortium was lower at a rate of 17%. The contract won by the consortium $ 18 million. For its part, the firm Genivar has awarded a contract by $ 6 million for assistance to management and project management. It looks like the return of the Nordiques is slowly coming into place.

& what does this tell people about the Yotes??? Then again, the league itself, only 2 teams made a profit like most of us pointed out...

I'd say Charlotte NC or Vancouver, BC. The only reason that the Charlotte Knights hadn't built a new ballaprk there is because of the whole "we are holding off just in case they put a Major League team here" deal.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, QC has something in motion plus the fans are hungry for hockey, while Seattle seems like a pipe dream that's more focused on getting the Sonics back. It's all a matter of time before the Nordiques are back, but will it be the Yotes is the question.

Once Quebec does something... Seattle shows up again. http://www.king5.com/sports/Lawmaker-drafts-plan-to-bring-NBA-NHL-to-new-Seattle-arena-130898198.html Lawmaker drafts plan to bring NBA, NHL to new Seattle arena by NATASHA RYAN / KING 5 News Posted on September 30, 2011 at 10:40 PM SEATTLE -- An idea to bring professional basketball and hockey back to Seattle is one step closer to reaching the state legislature. Representative Mike Hope (R, Lake Stevens) has drafted legislation that will fund a new arena. He believes it will not only bring an NBA team to Seattle, but a professional hockey team as well. For Sonics fans, the 2007-2008 season was a long time ago -- that was their final season in Key Arena before moving to Oklahoma City. Brian Robinson, co-founder of the organization Save our Sonics, is on a task force with Hope aiming to bring the NBA back to Seattle, but in a new venue. "It's affected a lot of people who used to watch these games with their kids," said Robinson. "The fact that we could see politicians actually get something done would bring a lot of excitement to a lot of people." The proposed legislation would require local and visiting professional athletes in the NBA, NFL and MLB to pay a fee for every game they play in Seattle. He says a lot of other cities already have similar laws built into their tax revenue. Hope says it would levy $140 million towards a new sports arena. He's also proposing specialty license plates for Sonics fans, generating another $10 million for bonds. According to Hope, now is the time for the arena because construction costs are lower than they were in 2006, the last time the idea of building a new arena was floated. Hope is optimistic the bill will pass because he believes it will gain bi-partisan support. He will be begin lobbying fellow lawmakers soon and officially introduce the bill in January during the regular session.

Quebec City host a preseason game this Saturday.... Things should be interesting.

Seriously? They didn't learn from this mistake again?

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6999866/big-12-discuss-commissioner-dan-beebe-job-status-source-says Expansion also will be on the table for the presidents, the source said, with the three likely candidates BYU (Independent in football/West Coast Conference in other sports) and Big East schools Louisville and West Virginia. Those were three of the five schools that the Big 12 athletic directors were charged to call when Texas A&M announced it was leaving.

Can the Spiders actually upgrade Robins Stadium to FCS standards, or is there a bigger facility off campus? There isn't a bigger facility worth using. Richmond City Stadium is a dump - it makes Memphis's digs look top-of-the-line - and is a big reason why VCU hasn't been actively pursuing a football team. Along with the old president said as long as he was in charge, VCU would never have a football team... I can still wish though. Although, I think if U of R ends up going to the Big East, it may get the wheels turning. There was also reports of VCU buying City Stadium but its only a pipe dream at this moment.