(Reuters) – Quebec City, which has been without a National Hockey League (NHL) team since the Nordiques departed for Colorado in 1995, will host two preseason games next October featuring the Los Angeles Kings, the club announced on Tuesday.
The Kings will hold the final leg of their training camp in Quebec City where they will face the Boston Bruins on Oct. 3 and the Florida Panthers two days later, more than five years after the NHL’s last visit to the provincial capital.
The training camp and games will take place at the Videotron Centre, a venue that opened in 2015 with the goal of one day being home to an NHL team.
“I know how passionate Quebec City fans are about the game,” Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille said in a news release.
“We will be very proud to play here next fall. Fans will be able to see our stars and watch young players compete for a spot in our 2024-25 line-up.”
The Nordiques were founded in 1972 and played in the World Hockey Association before joining the NHL in 1979. The beloved franchise was sold following the 1994-95 season and moved to Denver where they won a Stanley Cup in their first year.
In 2016, the NHL’s Board of Governors deferred Quebec City’s bid for a team — due in part to a fluctuating Canadian dollar — during a meeting where they unanimously approved expanding to Las Vegas.
Canada’s seven NHL teams earn ticket and concession revenue in Canadian dollars while salaries are paid in U.S. dollars.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
