The Nordiques Didn't Move Because of Low Attendance 

This video is why you’re the number one source for hockey information for so many people.

The Nordiques still drew 15,080 people per game even though they only won 12 games out of 80. That's incredible.

That is so dead on. I remember the Nordiques leaving Quebec in '95, my heart died. Quebecers can now support a team even better than ever. Only one problem: Gary Bettman.

Quebec has a Major Junior team that get's better attendance than some NHL teams. They sell over 100K tickets for an International Peewee tournament every single year it became so big that they needed to change the dates so they didn't outdo their winter festival which is the Biggest in Canada BTW...

The amount of times I’ve argued with someone about this and than said “watch the video by the hockey guy about it” and then they never respond is amazing

This was a great video. Thanks for explaining what happened. I hated the moves of the Jets, Nordiques, North Stars and Whalers. How heartbreaking for Nordique fans to lose their team and then see them win the Cup the next year. How joyous it would be if they get their team back!

100% accurate

BRING BACK MY NORDIQUE

My team from childhood. Had to find an alternative that never really stuck. Bring Back The Nordiques!!! And we have the nicest jerseys of all teams/times.

There's a French podcast going on on Nordiques history from WHA until relocation. One of the men who's making the show said that, in the summer of '94, he learned by one of the shareholders that the team would be sold eventually ; almost one year before the official announce of the departure. The explanation the shareholder gave was basically what The Hockey Guy said here. The Nordiques were not losing money yet, but the shareholders knew that it wouldn't last any longer, considering the salaries were getting higher and higher, there was no salary cap (and at that time, nobody could've known what would happen in 2004-05) and they couldn't have a new arena to generate more money with suites etc.

Loved the Nordiques. The Canadian dollar is the proper arguement, and a reason no Canadian team has won since '93.

The NHL prefers keeping teams in southern places, where there never is snow, and where hockey is in the shadow of other sports. That and they keep losing money.

I hate the idea that public funds are needed for billionaire owners to keep a team in a market. That is pure bullshit. They want free money so they don't have to pay into the team. Quebec shouldn't have moved. I get moving out of La Colisee, but Aubut wasn't exactly the best owner either. The Lindros fiasco kinda proved it.

I have Been an avs fan since 98 I always bring up that we were the nordiques...it is important to appreciate where a team came from I would be extatic if the nordiques came back an they would be a 2nd team for me no doubt

I am from slovakia, but I always knew, the people of quebec city always loved their nordics, support them trough their hearts, I could feel it, if I would be very rich, I would build new arena and give chance to all talented hockey players ( a lots of them sitting at home because their parents can't afford it) and idiot kids WANNA BE with rich parents are destroying the game of hockey. Loved nordics always in my heart!!!!!

I'm from St. Louis and for some reason always liked Quebec. The stasnys and those games against Montreal were brutal

As a Member of the Boston Community I root for the Colorado Avalanche and have since they moved the team in the 1995-96 season. Thank you The hockey Guy for this informative and entertaining video.

The elitism of the NHL front office has never ceased to disgust and amaze me. Quebec City, Hamilton, and Houston all deserve NHL teams.

Bring back the Expos

The Nordiques lowest attendance after le Colisée was upgraded to 15K seats was in 1992 when Lindros refused to play for the team. On other years they usually outdrew NYI, Boston, Washington and even the Western Canadian teams. I hate consortiums and groups of investors. Aubut never lost money on the team but his group wasn't wealthy enough to make the franchise last until the lockout and we saw similar things happen to the Expos with sucky Brochu's group who refused to invest money to keep star players after the strike or to put more money into the new stadium.

I never had the opportunity to attend Le Colisee in person but I always enjoyed watching televised games from there. The reason was the viewer got a sharper view of the ice surface. This was similar to the former Met Center home of the North Stars. I don’t know if it will ever happen in my lifetime but I’d love (like so many others) to see the NHL return to Quebec City. To see a renewal of the rivalry with the Canadiens would be great for the NHL but reality is probably going to dictate otherwise.

Expand to Seattle, and relocate a couple of franchises, either Arizona, Carolina or Florida, and move then to Houston and Quebec. The league would be absolutely set.

Hockey fan from Quebec here. Pretty much right, Shannon. There’s also another factor that wasn’t discuss a lot. Nordiques’ ownership group was a wide joint venture between many Quebec business (insurance companies, investment funds, food retailer holding, etc.) that were on pressure from their own shareholders to sold the team since the 94-95 lockout resolution didn’t produce enough certainties over cost control for smaller markets. I still believe that a deeper-pocket owner would have kept the team there long enough to save it. Part of the resentment by many Quebec fans reside in the way how Bettman and the league support and cling on problematic franchises now and that Quebec didn’t get the same patience in 95. 25 years later, there is still a sound business case to be made for a team in Quebec City. However, I think it’ll need a new and stronger prospective owner and a new league leadership for that to happen.

It killed me when they left,and then won a cup!!!Joe Sakic was my fave player ever!!!

Glad you made this vid. You are getting it right. You think Quebec gets a team in next 5 years?

Quebec Nordiques hands down best uniforms in all major sports

Reviewing some of the videos I've missed over the years. This one was a gem. Thanks.

Yep, even in the season where they lost 61 games (89-90), they still had shockingly good crowds. But their arena was outdated even for the early 80's.

I've been preaching this forever. Fan support was never the issue in Quebec City.

Shannon is the most unbiased i enjoy listening to

Just finding your channel and damn am I impressed. Way to lay it out for us guys too young to know what was going down back in the day. Thanks for making this video!

You are too right! I miss this team😪

They were going to completely change their colours and logo the following season too. Teal, black, navy blue and white with a fierce looking husky and Nordiques below it.

The Quebec Nordiques need to return to the NHL ASAP!! The league just doesn’t feel the same without them- at all! Please return Quebec City!

Yes Nordiques fans; be quiet and be patient. Quebec City SHOULD and WILL get an NHL team, but they SHOULD NOT be paying no $650 million for it.

As a Canes fan, I'd love to see the Nordiques back, I just don't want it to come at the cost of the Hurricanes.

No Canadian team would move due to low attendance. As evidence, Winnipeg. They sold out every game when they left. They get their team back, still sell out every game. Probably the same thing with Quebec.

I love ❤️ the Nordiques and Nordiques fans. Colorado Quebec will always share the Championships and success of the Avalanche.

It's such a pity that the Nordiques left. I used to really enjoy travelling to Quebec to watch the Capitals play there. But the same thing has happened in Houston (NFL), St. Louis (NFL), Baltimore (NFL) where the team asked a city or state to build a new playground or else. No mayor or governor or premier can cave in to owners' demands, but after a few years another one can spend twice as much to bring a new team in. There are creative ways to get things done without burdening the tax payers completely and maybe that was done in Quebec to build the Videotron Centre. I think that the best way to settle things, whether it's an opera house, a stadium or a power plant, is to put it to referendum. If the taxpayers want an arena, fine. They can vote to pay for it.

I wish the Nords had won a cup before they left Quebec after all those fans went through over the years.

Let's resume this video. Let's say only true things and see how it goes ! Bravo!

as a bruins fan, I want to see Quebec and Hartford come back, bring back these rivalries! hockey just isn't a southern/warm weather city sport to me

Oh and that jersey... Man it was EVERYWHERE.

I’d love to have the Québec Nordiques back. They deserve a team.

I’m ready for the return of the Nordiques. Any current candidates for relocation?

Im amazed at how many topics you are capable of producing. Keep it up!

Well said

It was a play to build hockey in at that time a non-traditional hockey market, Colorado

Gary Bettman is the worst thing that EVER happed to the NHL .

I agree , they had a good attendance with a crappy team ( a few seasons ). I went 3 - 4 times / year !

NHL Just bring the Nordiques back please and thank you, whether its relocation or expansion.

Merci de nous dire cette sombre vérité! / Thanks for saying this dark truth! Continues ton travail! / Keep on your good work!

Jesus Christ... I thought it was money the whole time. I vaguely remembered the owner or GM testifying in front of some body. In retrospect, I wondered if the NHL could've lent the Nordiques and the Jets to Denver and Phoenix for 5 years (instead of nothing), let them change their name and keep the previous record/retired numbers, etc, kinda the way the Blue Jays are currently playing in Buffalo. One, to stabilize the franchise so it makes money in a better place but so to avoid issues with the weak Canadian dollar. And then every 5 years, decide if it's ok for them to go back. Imagine if they had gotten revenue sharing earlier: * Quebec goes to Colorado anyway. They come up with some name that's not 'Avalanche' or 'Rockies'. * They still get Patrick Roy (which they may not have gotten if they were still in Quebec). * They win the Cup in 1996 and still have their rivalry with Detroit. * Early 2000, they get Bourque (a Quebecer) * They also get rid of Claude Lemieux. * Late 2000, they return to Quebec, with revenue sharing (whether they have a new building is another issue). * Patrick Roy is also happy because he was a fan of the Nordiques when he was young (and apparently never liked the Canadiens before he was drafted.) * 2001, the Nordiques beat the Devils on the way to the Finals where they beat whoever so Bourque wins his first Cup in his home province and Roy wins a Cup and Conn Smythe with his hometown team. * Denver gets an expansion franchise which they call the Avalanche. * Phoenix never gets one.

Yep, you're right... But I don't think that the government had to play a part in that (at least, not a major one). If the Canadians would need a new arena (and they did move from the old Forum), a bunch of businessmen would jump in an help... And that's what is currently happening now with Videotron... So, at the time, there was no major company, alone or with others, that wanted to invest in it... Videotron helped with the arena (as the government did) and were ready to pay for a team if their request was accepted... Now, another expansion and still no Nordiques... The project is not dead, but they will be considered when there are no other choices...? C'mon...!

Didn't know that . Awesome Jersey and name . Saw the caps beat Quebec 12-2 at Caps Center . What a workout standing up for all those goals .

I grew up in Winnipeg and people tried to say same thing about original Jets. It was all about needing new arena. Never about fan support

As much as I detested the Nordiques as a die-hard Whalers fan, it was still sad to see them go (of course, exponentially more so for the Whale). I still put much of the blame on Gary Bettman, he couldn't wait to see these franchises moved.

Us in Hartford fully sympathize

Hey Shannon, love the history aspect of you channel. You should do looks back at NHL history more often

I always felt like the Nordiques jersey looked like the GOP elephant

There is still the narrative that Marcel Aubut sold the team, gave up etc… Living in Québec, I never heard about the lack of support, but as I just said, I was in the middle of it and wouldn’t hear what all the other NHL cities thought about the fact. François Legault, Québec’s current province prime sinister, tried to talk to the league and get a team in Québec. What I’m sure didn’t impress the league were the empty seat due to Quebec’s strict Covid restrictions, through the 2021 playoffs for Montreal, as opposed to Vegas and say Tampa at full capacity. Remember that the “recent” arena in Quebec was built while Jean Charest’s liberals were in place. They were deep into corruption, with the construction, the “commission charbonneau”, so they pulled out to build a public funded arena, while there were still no plans for an NHL team to come back. The first day where they presented the “colisée Pepsi?” i think it’s called. Anyway, the day before the election, the liberal crooks took the opportunity to give handshake to everyone and make people forget about all the crap they pulled out. I was seen as a hater for stating that the arena would not guarantee a team. Anyway, easy lesson, never trust politicians. ;)

I had no idea! Bring 'em back!!

Hopefully when the NHL returns to Quebec they bring back that great goal horn.

For years I wondered why the Nordiques left Quebec now I understand and I hope Quebec gets there Nordiques back and I would love to talk to some hardcore Nordiques fans

There are a lot of people out there that have no idea of what they are talking about!!!

J'adore les Nordiques de Québec!

Thanks Shannon !

We’re Chargers fans and when we say they should still be in SD. We get the same “You should have supported them then.” Like you said, when we knew they were leaving then attendance dropped. Sad thing is their only fan base in LA…. Is people from SD. Even after Spanos wanted to “turn the page.” Same deal. Wanted a new stadium.

Let's go Nordiques!! Bring them back!

Oh really! I knew nothing about it. Sure...the main issue some teams moved was no new stadium/arena built. What about the Montreal Expos? Could you please shed a light? Thanks.

I never had the impression from anything I saw, read, heard that Quebec had an attendance or a fan support issue. They had a small arena, yes but, at least I knew there were other issues that sent them to Colorado.

Je t'aime, Shannon.

I don’t think public funds should ever be used of an arena or stadium for any team. The vast majority of sports owners (today especially) are hundreds of millionaires if not billionaires.

Pretty much bang on the truth. Love your jersey here.

Very interesting. Damn you are good! Nordiques would not have won any Cups if they stayed though, Sakic and Forsberg were not enough because Patric Roy would never have gone there. In some sense, those two cups for the Avs were Roys. Just my thoughts.

QUEBEC NORDIQUES IN THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME 01. 1978: Jacques Plante 02. 1988: Guy Lafleur 03. 1993: Guy Lapointe 04. 1998: Michel Goulet 05. 1998: Peter Stastny 06. 2012: Joe Sakic 07. 2012: Mats Sundin 08. 2014: Peter Forsberg

I am with you Shannon to many bandwagon fans talking out of there asses knowing nothing. The Nordiques where always a packed house.

Remember another Canadian team... The Montreal Expos weren't unpopular. The Montreal fans got royally screwed over by MLB. In 1994, the Expos had the best record in MLB and were selling out. They were on pace for record breaking ticket sales then the season ended in a strike. When baseball came back, the players who made the Expos so strong were gone and so were fans.

Your not saying anything that we don't already know. Only blind fans thought it was about non support for the team. It was about the economy in Quebec taking a nose dive along with the Canadian dollar being what it was at that time is what sank the organization

As long as Bettman runs the NHL.. no Quebec. And also no Arizona leaving

The moment when high profile Eric Lindros balked after he was drafted no.1 overall in the 1989 draft I knew the Quebec Nordiques were done and that followed by a lot of high profile players refusing to play for the Nordiques because of salary cap issues....The Nordiques had a solid fan base but they could seem to get high profile players to sign due to the Canadian dollar value compare to the US and players wanting to be paid in US Dollars instead of Canadian and revenue is based on the Canadian Dollar value which was 80 cents US to 1 Canadian Dollar.

Fuck,Vegas and Seattle. Where’s Quebec!!? Tabernack!

We didnt blame him.......well thats a good one in my opinion.....geeesh.

The owners asked Marcel Aubut to find buyer for their team a year before the move because they didn't want to loose money and because the NHL didn't get a cap salary. the owners sold the team for $75M. From the french perspective, people in Quebec are pissed of at Marcel Aubut. He was the one that announced the departure of the team, so he is the bad guy. At the end, they got $75M + the money from the Lindros trade that they didn't touch. I got the info from a Nordiques Podcast.

Lol.... no support from fans for the Nordiques?? That is crap and I agree too! There’s even evidence of that from RU-vid video broadcasts from the Nordique home games where the fans would go WILD for the Nordiques! I’ve seen the fans from the videos and they were very supportive and Loud!

I have been saying the exact same thing since they moved. Also when they were talking expansion I was saying that they should have put another team or even 2 GTA Toronto area. Instead of having one team sold out every night on corporate owned seats. They could likely support 3 teams in that area and fans might actually be able to get tickets to see a game without having to drive to Detroit, Buffalo or Ottawa.

Why is it that Hamilton never gets mentioned as far as expansion or relocation. The city should have been granted a club after Rendezvous '87. Bloody disgrace.

The reason the Nords left back in the day is the same reason that the Whalers & Original Jets left in the first place, they all wanted a new arena & when they couldn't get that arena then you started hearing about lack of fan support in those markets. The game was better when Quebec & Hartford were in the league, but instead the league have to give teams to cities that are not true hockey markets & will never be no matter the recent success of a Nashville or to a lesser extent Columbus.

Sorry to correct you , but it was under Lucien Bouchard that the Nordiques get denied acces to public for the new theatre , not Parizeau … although the attances was there … most income per game cames from cooperate lodges in witch The Colisée has nearly none ( less then a 1/3 of other Stadium… a new stadium was needed big time … and Butman is anti Canadien as we all know … sadly no futur for this town ex Nordiques fan

To tag a famous quote from an very popular HBO Serial, fully adapted to Quebec Nordiques.... "the north remembers"...

don't think if current fans in Quebec City complain it would affect the city getting another team, issues in Quebec was there wasn't a new arena and a new owner that would buy the team and keep it in Quebec City and Marcel Aubue couldn't of been trusted he sold that team and moved it out of the Quebec City virtually over night, when the team was in Denver they could barely afford to keep all their good players the money the ownership got for the Pepsi Center naming rights went straight into Joe Sakic pockets and they had a deal in place to trade Mike Ricci to the Leafs for a 1st pick and $1 mill and the nhl blocked it because they didn't want teams selling picks for cash, confused on how Quebec City got government money for a new arena with no NHL team but Montreal couldn't get money to build a baseball stadium, Quebec City trying to get a winter Olympics plays a part in the whole financing deal of that arena

...also, rumour had it that Jacques Parizeau being a Separatist and Marcel Aubut being a Federalist played a part in te Nordiques being sold and moving.

Answer to problem!!! Get rid of Baitman .... No I didn't misspell his name ! Go Wings ! D

Wow... a Quebec City native who’s a NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER!!!! FASCINATING!!!!!!!

Not disputing any of this. I do think ticket revenue is a better indicator since not every seat charges the same and pricing can also effect attendance.

You dont have to just look a numbers, but also % of the building. End of 80s and start of 90s, most teams in the nhl did not sold-out.

As you said, Winnipeg Left, Too. It was A Very Low Canadian Currency. The Toronto Blue Jays were rumored to be Relocating, Too. I'm not really into Basketball, but The Toronto Raptors had issues back then, too, correct?

The only people that understand this situation wholly are Jets fans. Wasn't a lack of support, it was the same as Quebec; needed a new arena, needed a salary cap, needed a rich owner, needed to OWN our own arena (Winnipeg Enterprises were raping the Jets and former owner Barry Shenkarow for years- parking, concessions, merch, EVERYTHING they took other than ticket sales.) and the Canadian dollar needed to get better. Bad times. We averaged roughly 13,500 a game in a 15,000 seater with bad sight-lines and a mostly mediocre to bad team most nights.

Maybe time to revisit this with the jersey issue flare up.

If QC gets a team again, I hope they also get the rights to use the Nordiques name/logo/jerseys.