Quebec: NHL Team First?

There is a newly released poll that states that today's NHL players support the return of a team to Quebec City.

I'm not quite sure of the the breakdown nor were any questions asked to about why the city was chosen.

In recent months there has been rumblings in politics and on the part of the NHL about Quebec City getting finances for a new arena as well as a team. I think some sort of announcement is likely to come soon on the arena. They will have to wait a bit longer on a team.

So how does this affect Winnipeg's chances? Well, it should be noted that the players don't choose the cities they play in. They go where there are facilities and where there is a ownership group willing to pay their generous salaries.

Winnipeg has both a facility and an ownership group ready to go. If the Phoenix Coyotes fail to go this year, they are likely to be knocking on Winnipeg's door very soon.

It is possible that the NHL will try and operate the team one more year as a league venture but that whole idea probably doesn't sit well with some of the governors.

In the end, Quebec City might get a posher arena than what Winnipeg has right now but with teams looking to bail pronto, it won't come soon enough. Winnipeg will probably get a team first.