Way back in 1859, Charles Dickens, fascinated by the French Revolution, decided to write a novel that showed the similarities and contrasts of English London and French Paris during that time, and produced the epic novel, "A Tale Of Two Cities."
Today, the discerning Canadian fan who hopes to see more NHL franchises in Canada can note the similarities and contrasts between two Canadian cities trying to become Canada's seventh NHL franchise— English Winnipeg, and French Quebec.
The issue around which they can be compared to is how much can Gary Bettman and the NHL be trusted?
The answer is that Winnipeg doesn't trust him at all, while Quebec trusts him completely.
How did these cities become polar opposites on this issue?
As the noose got tighter for the NHL and its money-losing franchises, Bettman made a tour of the three cities whose franchises he stripped in the 1990s and offered terms by which they could get their teams back.
Unofficially, there were four main conditions:
1. Adequate fan support (hence no Kansas City)
2. No territorial disputes (hence no Hamilton)
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Thompson
NHL Relocation: A Tale of Two Cities, Starring Gary Bettman
May 21st, 2010 by Steve Thompson Leave a reply »
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