Florida Panthers and Quebec City: Could it Happen?
Quebec City needs an NHL team. Could the Florida Panthers be a good fit?
NHL expansion is all the talk these days with Las Vegas in 2017 and Seattle all but a certainty for the 2020 season. But what about relocation, especially for teams like the Arizona Coyotes and the Florida Panthers? With Quebec City falling just a little short in 2016 to Vegas for the league’s 31st franchise relocation seems to be the only way Quebec City will once again have an NHL team.
One franchise that seems to be a perfect candidate for relocation is the Panthers. For years, they have finished in the bottom of the NHL in attendance and have reportedly lost over $150 million since 1997.
Another issue facing the Panthers is that they have only reached the playoffs four times in 22 seasons. The biggest issue facing them may very well be their in-state rivals Tampa Bay Lightning who have consistently been in contention year after year and won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Quebec And The NHL
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Quebec City has long had an established relationship with the NHL. The Quebec Nordiques began in the rival WHA in 1972 where they would win the leagues Championship in 1977. When the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979 the Nordiques were one of four teams to be absorbed into the league.
Having never appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Nordiques weren’t known for their postseason success but more so their rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens in what became known as “The Battle of Quebec.”
This rivalry was considered one of the best in hockey including the 1984 Stanley Cup Second Round Playoff Game 6 which became known as the “Good Friday Massacre” which resulted in 11 player ejections, 252 penalty minutes combined, and even a fist fight between brothers Dale Hunter (Nordiques) and Mark Hunter (Canadiens).
This event was recently mentioned by NHL Commentator Don Cherry during Game 2 of the last years Stanley Cup Finals when he was advocating for the return of the NHL to Quebec in a conversation with commissioner Gary Bettman.
How does Quebec benefit the Panthers?
The Florida Panthers are currently 30th in the NHL in value at $305 million and currently rank 28th in attendance at 13,851 on average per game. Meanwhile, the NHL exhibitions played at Videotron Centre have drawn well including a sell out Thursday night which saw 18,259 in attendance to witness the Montreal Canadiens play the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals.
The Videotron Centre was a key piece in Quebecor’s failed attempt to attract an expansion team in 2016. This state of the art arena was opened in 2015 and has a seating capacity of 18,259 which would rank it 18th in size in the NHL.
Moving the Panthers to Quebec would also help with a franchise that struggles to bring in fans due to competition from the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat as the NFL and NBA are more popular in the Miami Metropolitan Area.
Relocating to Quebec City the franchise would become the only professional sports team in the city eliminating the pressure of having to compete for fans in the months where multiple sports teams are playing at the same time.
There’s also the benefit of not having to realign the divisions as Quebec City would keep the franchise in the Atlantic Division due to the proximity to Montreal. This would also renew the Quebec-Montreal rivalry especially if the team were to rebrand as the Nordiques. The move would result in an even number of teams in Canada at 8 assuming Calgary doesn’t relocate in the near future.
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Final Thoughts
With Seattle all but guaranteed the next expansion team and Houston becoming a more likely destination for a relocated franchise, Quebec City’s best shot for an NHL team is relocating one of the struggling franchises. The Florida Panthers make the most sense because of lost revenue, an aging arena, diminishing fanbase, and lack of superstars. Relocation is the best hope of keeping the Panthers in the NHL and Quebec is the most logical choice. For now, we will have to wait and see.