Sal_Butera
Well-known member
Paul Desmarais Jr...Power Corp’s $8Billion manI thought the league wanted no part of Paladeau and Quebecor
Paul Desmarais Jr...Power Corp’s $8Billion manI thought the league wanted no part of Paladeau and Quebecor
What did he do to piss off the ownersPaul Desmarais Jr...Power Corp’s $8Billion man
He didn’t do anything wrong, the owners would love to have him part of their club...but he’s simply not interested in sports ownershipWhat did he do to piss off the owners
He was a wonderful hockey player,more of a finesse guy. Not quite a superstar, but consistent and productive. Some fans always felt he could do more, as he never quite had that big break out or 50 goal season some expected. May have been appreciated more later in his career for his longevity and totals. Not sure of the story, but he was a Montreal kid who we missed out on signing. Same with another Quebecer, his buddy Ratelle. (Dave Keon, Pierre Pilote...we didn't get them all in the pre-draft days). Of course, he always seemed to do well at the Forum. I remember one Saturday night there he scored, I believe, four goals, if I'm not mistaken. At least a hat trick. About 1966 or 67. I was around 11 years old, and quite pissed off.Rod Gilbert died. RIP.
I've been to his house in Westmount about 30 or so years ago when I worked a security detail for Charles Bronfman's Claridge Group. If memory serves he had a squash court in his basement.Paul Desmarais Jr...Power Corp’s $8Billion man
Even a big Canadian TV market means nothing to the NHL. They only care about US television markets. They can't sell a game to American viewers that features Canadian teams in obscure markets. ESPN isn't going to pay top dollar for the rights to broadcast a game involving a team from Quebec City. It's bad enough that they have to accept the reality of the 7 other Canadian teams which already exist.Again Winter-Peg only got a team because David Thomson is one of the richest & most influential people on this planet, without his financial backing of True North Sports, Winter-Peg doesn’t get a team back. If Paul Desmarais Jr fund$ QC team, Bettman & Jacobs will personally roll out the red carpet for Les Nordiques, but he won’t since he’s on record as saying he’s got no interest in sports
Quebec City might have a cute little tech sector but the key word is “little”, it’s not Silicon Valley tech sector or Seattle tech sector, or Houston oil & gas industry BIG as in large population w significant after tax disposable income.
Equally important, greater Quebec City’s population is tiny when compared to top-25 US TV markets, let alone #8 in Houston
Habs haven’t been elite since the Nords came into the NHL for 1979-1980. At the time of the move the talent on the Nords and their prospect pool led by Forsberg made the Habs talent level a laughing jokeEven a big Canadian TV market means nothing to the NHL. They only care about US television markets. They can't sell a game to American viewers that features Canadian teams in obscure markets. ESPN isn't going to pay top dollar for the rights to broadcast a game involving a team from Quebec City. It's bad enough that they have to accept the reality of the 7 other Canadian teams which already exist.
And players, even ones from Quebec, won't want anything to do with playing there. They'll never sign a free agent. Players will go to the KHL before they'll play in Quebec City. So the team will not be like the old Nordiques. They won't be competitive and they won't draw fans. They lost an entire generation of fans to the Habs. The only people there who want the Nords back are the ones old enough to have been fans of the old Nords and old people don't matter to pro sports leagues. Quebecor built that arena for nothing, just like Hamilton did with Copps Coliseum back in the 80's.
People need to realize that while the sport of hockey is Canadian, the corporate entity known as the National Hockey League is not.
And it sucks because you can pinpoint the exact moment that the Habs took their foot off the gas and decided to rest on their laurels rather than try to be an elite team. It was the moment that the internal competition of the Nordiques left for Denver. The Habs have been purposely mediocre ever since.
Yes I know, garbage source, but this did make me laugh.
The Twitterverse rumor folks are creaming their pants!
There is a Biosteel camp happening there, I think that's the reason. But I don't think he is allowed to work out, just promotional appearance?Don't a lot of Europeans train in Montreal just before the season? I remember Martin Havlat and a bunch of other players would train in Montreal. I think they were all Alan Walsh clients too, but I'm just going off memory.