-Vintage Canuck- Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Sakic, Sundin want Quebec City back in the NHL: TORONTO -- Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin would like to see other NHLers get the opportunity to play in front of the adoring fans in Quebec City. The former teammates, both first-round picks of the Nordiques, make up half of this year's Hockey Hall of Fame induction class and were asked about the prospect of the NHL returning to the city during a question-and-answer session with fans on Sunday morning. "I don't think you're going to find anywhere where people are so passionate about the game," said Sakic. The former Nordiques captain made the move to Denver along with the rest of the team in 1995 and ended up finishing his career with the Avalanche, collecting two Stanley Cups to go along with an Olympic gold medal before retiring in 2009. Now an executive adviser in the Avs' front office, Sakic noted that Quebec's economy has greatly improved in recent years and that the city has started construction on an arena more suited to big-league hockey. "We'll see," he said. Sundin spent his entire NHL career playing for Canadian teams and also believes Quebec City would be a good candidate to rejoin the league at some point. "In Canada, everywhere hockey has such support and Quebec City is no different," he said. "Definitely there would be a lot of support." Sakic and Sundin first met in 1990, when the Swede came to North America one year after being drafted No. 1 overall. Sundin remembers being extremely nervous while taking the morning skate before his first game and having Sakic, already team captain, come alongside him and say: "Hey kid, finally I have someone to play with." Sunday's fan forum is always one of the most entertaining parts of induction weekend, with the players in a relaxed mood while taking a number of offbeat questions. This year's class is full of offensive stars, including Pavel Bure and Adam Oates, and they all got a laugh when asked by one fan to recall any memories of fights they had in the NHL. Bure, a five-time 50-goal scorer, only remembered one against Ron Sutter of the Calgary Flames. "I didn't have too many," said Bure. "I remember I tried once and got knocked down right away." Oates grew up in Toronto and recalled taking the subway with his father to attend games at Maple Leaf Gardens. He was most known as a playmaker during his career -- piling up 228 assists in three seasons while playing alongside Brett Hull in St. Louis -- and was asked who he most liked passing to. He quickly interjected: "I did score a couple goals you know." The most interesting part of the hour-long session is that not one question pertaining to the lockout was asked. That topic will be unavoidable on Monday, when commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr are both scheduled to be in attendance. Sundin will also command plenty of attention. He led the Maple Leafs in scoring during 12 of his 13 seasons with the team and has already had his No. 13 honoured at Air Canada Centre. On Sunday, Sundin surprised the pro-Leafs crowd at the Hall when he admitted that he grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens because Mats Naslund was his childhood idol. However, he later made amends when he said he wished he never left Toronto at the end of his career. The longtime Leafs captain indicated that he strongly considered retiring in 2008 before deciding to sign with the Canucks the following season for a chance to win the Stanley Cup. "It was a good experience but I wish I would have finished my career as a Maple Leaf," said Sundin. "Toronto for me is my home as much as Sweden. I'm very glad to be back here today." http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=409295 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I agree - Quebec City should be the first place the NHL goes (back to). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 QC will be exactly like Winnipeg. STs will sell out in minutes, arena will be sold out night after night... But I agree with Bettman, let's keep Phoenix on life support... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancin'Droid Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 QC will be exactly like Winnipeg. STs will sell out in minutes, arena will be sold out night after night... But I agree with Bettman, let's keep Phoenix on life support... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Next cities to get teams: 1. Quebec 2. Seatle 3. Saskatoon 4. Hamilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 North Dakota deserves a sports team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I agree - Quebec City should be the first place the NHL goes (back to). This. It would be a shame if a place like Hamilton got a team before QC Man what a moment that would be when the team took to the ice for their first game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfruits Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 move them all to canada i bet we could have sell outs for all 30 teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 dp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 North Dakota deserves a sports team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Montreal/QC rivalry would be epic. I've talked to a lot of Quebecois and a lot of Albertans. People from Quebec seemed more passionate about the Mtl/QC rivalry than did people from Alberta about the battle of Alberta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Is it just me or does Sakic look like he could still play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Is it just me or does Sakic look like he could still play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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