The Ottawa Senators are bringing the National Hockey League back to Quebec City in the fall.
But it’s only for a good time, not a long time.
Senators owner Michael Andlauer confirmed at a press conference in Quebec City on Monday that his club will spend four or five days in the area next fall as part of their training camp in September and host two exhibition games at the Videotron Centre.
Andlauer also noted depending on how this experiment works that sometime in the future the Senators would consider hosting some of its regular-season home games in the city.
But Andlauer told reporters that moving the club to Quebec City isn’t an option even being considered and that he still believes in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
He’s trying to get a deal with the National Capital Commission finalized for the purchase of 10 acres of land at LeBreton Flats and that continues to be the focus.
The NCC stated after its annual meeting on Thursday that they hope to have the agreement done by the end of 2025. Andlauer would like it to happen faster, but is confident it will get done.
“I would have thought that we would have had an agreement done today,” Andlauer said.
Naturally, Andlauer was asked if there is an option for the Senators to move to Quebec City if a deal for a new arena falls through at LeBreton Flats.
That brought an emphatic response.
“No. I’ll say it straight, no. I love Ottawa-Gatineau and I love our fans. It’s viable,” Andlauer said.
The 18,259-seat Videotron Centre opened in 2015 with the hope that the NHL would return to the city, but that hasn’t been the case.
As Postmedia reported on Sunday, the Senators will face the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. while the club will also host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m.
Andlauer said he views this as an opportunity for the Senators to help expand their brand in the province of Quebec. All the Senators regional games on TSN are shown in Eastern Canada from here to Newfoundland.
He has said that he wants his club to be a team for the Ottawa/Gatineau region and wants to make inroads on the other side of the Ottawa River with moves like this.
There isn’t any need to worry about the future of the Senators in Ottawa and this isn’t Andlauer trying to test out a new market to move his team.
He reiterated he would love to see the Nordiques return to Quebec City and support a bid for an expansion franchise. But noted that the decision rests with the NHL.
Andlauer didn’t rule out the possibility of having his team play some regular-season games in Quebec City down the road, but noted that would be up to the NHL’s head office to determine if it’s realistic.
“We’ll start with the two pre-season games and we’ll go from there,” Andlauer said. “For me, that’s the vision (playing regular-season games).
“If we can play in Sweden, we can play in Quebec.”
That will not sit well with Ottawa fans. A post of SpartaCat, the club’s mascot on X, wearing a split Senators/Nordiques jersey went viral and gained a lot of negative reaction.
After the late owner Eugene Melnyk passed away in March 2022, La Presse reported the Senators were in negotiations with the National Hockey League and the provincial government to play regular-season games in Quebec.
Those talks were halted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after the story leaked, but Postmedia was told it could have been as many as five home games at the Videotron Centre.
The mere mention of that story brought a negative reaction from the fans.
Unlike the Los Angeles Kings, who held part of their camp in Quebec City last fall and played two exhibition games, the Senators won’t be receiving any funding from the provincial government for this visit.
Quebecor executive Martin Tremblay made it clear that won’t happen because the provincial government invested $5-7 million to bring the Kings to town.
“I never had the intention of asking for government funds,” Andlauer said. “I was a little surprised to tell you the truth, like many Quebeckers.”
Andlauer stated the organization is giving up some revenue by moving these games out of the Canadian Tire Centre to Quebec City, but he feels it’s helpful to the club’s brand.
Andlauer was accompanied by Senators president Cyril Leeder and alternate captain Thomas Chabot, who makes his off-season home in the Quebec City area, for the announcement at the rink.
Former Senators’ forward Antoine Vermette, who suited up for 359 games with the club over five seasons, also was on hand.
“We can’t wait to get in front of the Quebec City crowd for a portion of our training camp,” Leeder said. “Quebec City was the obvious destination, and we’re very excited to see our players in action on the ice at Videotron Centre.”
Though Chabot was given the option to take the day off with the rest of his teammates after back-to-back games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Hockey Club on the weekend, he insisted on attending.
“He wants to show off his hometown,” Andlauer said of Chabot.