The Nassau Coliseum had a bit of a carnival-like atmosphere last night, thanks to the infusion of about 1,100 passionate but NHL-hockey deprived fans who traveled over 550 miles from Quebec City to watch the Islanders fall 5-4 the Thrashers.
The Quebec faithful, who lost their beloved Nordiques in 1995, were out in force wearing their old blue sweaters. Some held signs and banners and chanted in French and English. They were just a small part of the 70,000-person fans group up north known as Nordiques Nation that has been in existence for almost a year.
They traveled the 10-plus hours to Uniondale with the hope of sending a message to the NHL front office and commissioner Gary Bettman that the Quebecois love hockey. They want a team back in Quebec. They sent that message throughout the game.
The Nordiques fell victim to competing with franchises with higher revenue streams, a similar situation to what the Islanders are facing now.
Low television ratings, ineffective marketing, the lack of luxury suites, and competition with the nearby powerhouse Montreal Canadiens all led to the eventual sale of the franchise to COMSAT Entertainment Group. The team was moved to Denver and renamed the Colorado Avalanche.
Vincent Cauchon, who works for CHOI-FM, a sports radio station in Quebec, was the brains behind last night’s trip. He wants to make it known that the Nordiques supporters aren’t planning to take the Islanders — a franchise with four Stanley Cups, history and tradition — away from Long Island, but that there are other teams better suited to move to stronger hockey markets.
“We respect the New York Islanders,” Cauchon said. “We’re not here to pick up a team. We’re here to express our love of hockey and the NHL.
“It’s important to me that NHL players play in front of big crowds. That is not the case, I think, in a third of the markets right now. There are lots of failures in the NHL right now. It makes hockey look bad.
“Hockey has been a passion in Quebec for so many years. We have the Montreal Canadiens, but it’s not enough. We need that rivalry back. It will be better than any rivalry in the NHL. Bettman, I love the guy, he’s a smart guy, I’m not trying to tell him what to do. I’m telling him if he brings a team back to Quebec, it will work.”
Teams in poor hockey markets such as Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix and Florida have been struggling to compete. The Islanders are among the worst in the league in average attendance at 12,735, ranking second-worst ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes (11,989) and just behind the Thrashers (13,607).
Bettman has gone on record saying the NHL is not going to expand or relocate any teams in the foreseeable future.
If a franchise were to become available, Quebec would need a new arena. Le Colisee, which was home to the Nordiques and currently holds the junior league Quebec Remparts, is considered too small and outdated by today’s standards.
Plans are in the works to build a new arena in Quebec. Without it chances are slim to none for an NHL franchise to return. Mayor Regis Labeaume of Quebec has been working to get $180 million from the federal government after the Quebec government has promised a similar amount. The projected cost for the new arena would be at least $400 million.
The Islanders, also in dire need of a new arena, will remain on the Island through 2015. Islanders general manager Garth Snow, who was drafted by the Nordiques in 1987 and played part of two seasons in Quebec, met with the media prior to last night’s game.
“We’re going to honor the lease,” Snow said. “I know we’re not going to play one day longer than we have to in this arena. For us, as a hockey team, we’re here to win hockey games. We have here the most passionate fans, great hockey fans. The positive sign with something like tonight is how many fans we have in the National Hockey League. We welcome all fans of the NHL.”
The Nordiques originally were part of the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1979. They joined the NHL that year after the WHA folded.
In their last season before being sold in 1995, a lockout-shortened season, the Nordiques went 30-13-5 and finished on top of the Eastern Conference with 65 points. But were eliminated by the defending Stanley Cup champion Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. They won the Stanley Cup the next year as the Avalanche.