Régis Labeaume convinced Quebec City will have a NHL team, some day
Quebec City mayor disappointed but not surprised by NHL's decision to approve Las Vegas expansion
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume is upset that his city wasn't chosen as the 31st team for the National Hockey League but remains confident the capital will one day host a team again.
"Like everyone in Quebec, I am very disappointed that we will not have a National Hockey League club," Labeaume said on Friday.
The NHL settled instead on Las Vegas for its choice for expansion.
"That being said, I'm not surprised," he said, adding that he wasn't one to waste time wondering what could have been.
Quebec City's bid wasn't approved, despite the city building a brand new arena to accommodate a future team.
Commissioner Gary Bettman had said that Quebec City wasn't chosen because of a weak Canadian dollar and an imbalance in geographical teams — there are 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western Conference.
But Labeaume said he is "convinced" that media giant Québecor will be able to bring a team to Quebec City, adding that it was a matter of time.
He hinted that Québecor had close ties to the NHL but he wouldn't elaborate.
"Québecor is a very important partner of the National Hockey League," Labeaume said. "Québecor is actually quite, quite close to the administration of the NHL."