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Old Posted Apr 3, 2012, 8:17 AM
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Im not sure if this has been said before but Quebec City has entered the race to attract a new pro sports team to town. They are building a new 18,000 seat arena. Though lucky for you guys they are not interested in the NBA. For them its NHL or bust and it looks like they have an ownership group ready as well once a team becomes available. I dont follow the NBA at all because i like real sports so i dont know the ownership situation in that league but Taking the NHL out of the running is it still worth it to build a new arena?



New Quebec City arena gets the green light


BY MARIANNE WHITE, POSTMEDIA NEWS MARCH 25, 2012

15

STORYPHOTOS ( 2 )



Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau (L) speaks with the mayor of Quebec City Regis Labeaume (R) during a news conference at the city hall in Quebec City. Peladeau, the city and the Quebec's goverment announced the details of the involvement of Quebecor in the management of the new NHL-caliber arena.
Photograph by: Mathieu Belanger , REUTERS
QUEBEC — Quebec City’s mayor made it official Sunday, announcing that the construction of a much-anticipated $400-million NHL-calibre hockey arena will kickoff in September.

The city and the province of Quebec will, as planned, split the cost of building the 18,000-seat arena by 2015.

Mayor Regis Labeaume also announced a final agreement was reached before the March 31 deadline with media giant Quebecor to manage the building, which could serve as the future home of a professional hockey team.

“The city is closer than it has ever been to its dream,” said Labeaume, in reference to the city’s and Quebecor’s efforts to bring back an NHL team.

Quebec lost the Nordiques in 1995 when the team moved to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche.

Quebec city council approved recently a $7-million refurbishment of the city’s aging Colisee, built in 1949, if an NHL team is approved before the new arena is built.

Sunday’s announcement comes as the future of the Phoenix Coyotes is uncertain. Quebec City, Seattle and Kansas City could be considered as potential homes by the NHL if the league decides to move the team from Arizona.

But Labeaume and Quebecor president and CEO Pierre-Karl Peladeau remained tight-lipped on the question.

“Now we are going to get the building, it’s done. It’s a heck of a relief,” Labeaume said Sunday. “As for the team, I have nothing to say.”

The provincial government is also on board with its previously announced investment of $200 million to build the arena.

The arena will be located outside the city’s downtown, on the site of the hippodrome, a horse-racing track set to close in a few months.

Labeaume noted he had to scale back the size of the building to stay within its $400 million budget from 70,000 to 64,000 square meters, the size of the Kansas City arena. With the use of an adjacent building for administrative purposes and possibly to host a restaurant, the arena will reach 68,000 square metres.

Quebecor has agreed to pay the city to manage the arena for at least 25 years, with a possibility to extend the contract for an additional 15 years. Quebecor’s rent will be $4.5 million annually with a team, and $2.5 million without.

The media company will get naming rights for $63.5 million if Quebecor succeeds in landing an NHL team, but the price tag drops to $33 million without NHL hockey in the building.

Quebecor said Sunday it will invest between $30 and $40 million to build a TV studio in the arena.

“Today is a great day. There are no more obstacles, no more way out and no more uncertainty,” Peladeau said.



Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Quebec+Ci...#ixzz1qxmylNds
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