Nordiques President and part-owner Marcel Aubut met with
Quebec Deputy Premier Bernard Landry to discuss provincial help
to keep the team in Quebec. After the meeting, Aubut said Landry
is leaning toward a "lottery scheme" to help fund a new arena,
rather than the creation of a casino, a plan which had been
previously considered. Aubut was optimistic that the government
was serious in its promise to help the team: "We've been received
favorably, but time is pressing and the agenda is tight. ... what
he (Landry) is saying is he's willing to do whatever must be done
so that the Nordiques remain in Quebec." Aubut set an April
deadline for the government to decide whether it will build a new
arena for the team. Despite the Nordiques having the NHL's best
record, the team is projected to lose $10M this year and $12M
next season. The team has also rejected the government's idea of
a long-term, low-interest loan to the team to stabilize financial
losses (Norman Delisle, CANADIAN PRESS/OTTAWA CITIZEN, 3/28).
DENVER, PHOENIX, ATLANTA? At least three cities are
interested in buying and relocating the club if it goes on the
market. In Detroit, Cynthia Lambert writes that the Nordiques
move to Phoenix or Denver "is looking more and more likely," as
the team is an "attractive property" with a young roster and low
payroll. The team also reportedly has a $75M offer from a group
in Denver (DETROIT NEWS, 3/26).
CANCELLATION: Dana Warg, who runs the Target Center for
Ogden Corp., had to cancel a scheduled meeting with NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday. Reportedly, the two were to
discuss the possibility of the Jets moving to Minneapolis and
playing in the Target Center (Sid Hartman, Minneapolis STAR-
TRIBUNE, 3/25).
