Quebec City continues to dunk on the NHL and Arizona Coyotes after astonishing attendance figure
Last night, game five of the semifinals series between the Quebec Remparts and Shawinigan Cataractes took place in Quebec City, a former NHL town and prospective city for current NHL expansion. Or, more realistically, a relocation destination for the Arizona Coyotes.
The Quebec Remparts game drew a crowd of over 14,500 fans. Their arena, the Videotron Centre located in downtown Quebec City, has a listed capacity of over 18,000. And yet, the Arizona Coyotes will play games this year in a shared arena with a university team, in front of a maximum of only 5,000 fans.
When this massive discrepancy in attendance, fanbase, and financial viability is obvious to the fans, it has to be obvious to those working in the game as well. The Arizona Coyotes simply can not continue to play past this season (there's an argument to be made they shouldn't play *this* season, either) when there is such a readily available market in Quebec City, dying for the return of their NHL team.
Luckily for NHL fans, reports of the arena deal between the Coyotes and city of Tempe seems grim at the moment. If that deal does not solidify a new home for the Coyotes in short order, the NHL will take a hard look at cutting their losses and moving the team out of Arizona. Quebec City would be a prime candidate for relocation, with a readily available building, government support, a previous team, and a rabid fanbase. It seems it's only a matter of time.
| POLL | ||
Should Quebec City get a team back? | ||
| Yes, they should be next | 259 | 78.7 % |
| Yes, but only after another market | 17 | 5.2 % |
| No it failed once and would again | 53 | 16.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
