QUEBEC – Hockey isn't dead in Quebec.
But high-level hockey -- juniors and minor-league professional -- struggles to attract people in droves.
Currently, the AHL (Quebec Citadelles) and the QMJHL (Quebec Remparts) have teams that play in the Colisee Pepsi, and interestingly, the junior team draws at least as well, if not better, depending on whom you ask.
"The Remparts draw more people," declared Kevin Johnston, who covers the Citadelles for Le Soleil, a Quebec daily newspaper. "They drew a lot more last year because they were probably the second or third best team in the country for a while. And that tells you how the hockey fans are in town: They will go for the best product available. ... There is good hockey played here with this team (Citadelles) but still, it is the AHL. It is the second best pro league."
|  | | The Citadelles hope to begin attracting more fans to the Colisee Pepsi. |
The Citadelles average a little more than 4,000 per game in the 15,399 arena, up slightly from the 3,918 from the 1999-2000 season, which was the AHL's third-worst attendance figure. There are several reasons for these surprising -- and surprisingly disappointing -- numbers.
In the same way that network television ratings have fallen because of the many options of cable and satellite dishes, the number of kids playing hockey has gone down because, quite simply, other sports and activities are more readily available.
"I think it (hockey) is not as hot as it was maybe five or 10 years ago," Johnston admitted. "We see more and more young people, young hockey players, leaving the game."
Even still, hundreds of thousands of hockey fans remain passionate about the game in the Quebec area, so a dip in participation at the youth level hardly covers the fact that only 4,000 people show up to watch the second-best hockey league on the continent.
And perhaps, that is it. The AHL is the second best league.
"It's because of my age and what I've seen before," said Quebec native Dave Boeda, 51, before watching a recent game between the Citadelles and Portland Pirates. "It's not that bad, but if the NHL were here, I'd come to 10-15 games."
"If you are used to living in a house with four bedrooms and a pool in the backyard, I guess you would not go and live in a two-room apartment. The fans had the NHL. They were loyal fans," said Johnston, who also had the NHL because he went from a privileged NHL beat writer traveling the continent to a minor-league scribe, either traveling on buses with the team or not following them on the road at all. "This building (Colisee Pepsi) was sold out for every game that the Nordiques played in town, and the big league left. So, now you have some hockey fans in town that love the game, but it is not 15,000 people; you will pick 4,500-5,000 people. People want to go out and have a good time at the rink, but that is about it. People who want to watch big-time hockey stay home and watch TV."
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Minor-league humble pie
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One of the strangest things about having minor-league hockey in Quebec is that the Citadelles are an affiliate of the cross-province Montreal Canadiens. The Habs were the No. 1 rivals of the Nordiques and to now be their feeder system is a large piece of humble pie to swallow for the prideful Quebec hockey fans.
"For me, I can tell you it was tough," said Nicole Bouchard, who once worked for the Nordiques. "I think it is still tough for me to think about now."
In an effort to warm the relationship between the cities -- which makes perfect sense because of geography and culture -- the Canadiens held part of this season's training camp in Quebec. An intrasquad scrimmage attracted well over 10,000 fans. It might take a while, but Quebec fans are beginning to accept the dynamic.
"I was a fan, a Nordiques fan, so it was tough," said current Citadelles coach and Canadiens employee Eric Lavigne. "Myself, I was a really really big fan of the Quebec Nordiques, and I never thought I would work for the Montreal Canadiens, so it was really mixed feelings because I work for the Montreal Canadiens.
"When I recieved my first check with the Montreal Canadiens logo, it was a little bit bizarre."
But he's happy to be coaching the Citadelles, and he certainly didn't refuse the check. And eventually, the fans will be happy to have the Citadelles and won't refuse the Canadiens' affiliation.
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That is what minor-league hockey is up against. But that's not all.
Another factor is that the Nordiques fans base, regardless of their emotional stake in losing the NHL, is almost completely gone. When the Nordiques left for Colorado in 1995, no professional team occuppied Le Colisee for one whole year. People needed to find alternatives, so they did. Some switched allegiances to the dreaded Canadiens -- not so bad now because the local Citadelles are affiliates of the once-hated Habs -- while others stopped watching pro hockey.
It didn't help that when, a year later, the IHL came to town, it wasn't locally owned, and the American management didn't exactly bend over backward to promote the Québec Rafales. It was as if the owners had a "Field if Dreams" perspective -- "If we host a hockey game, they will come."
Well, they didn't, and the Rafales were gone after two seasons, only to be replaced by the AHL and the Quebec Citadelles, who are in their second year of operation. Now, it's being done right. The team has an ownership group of Quebec citizens, and the staff is working double time to offset three years of bad public relations. Last year, the Citadelles lost money, but with a few more fannies in the stands and some cost-cutting measures, the hope is to at least break even this season.
Tickets, in Canadian funds, are cheap. Sixteen dollars is the highest-priced ticket for the Citadelles, while $12 gets the top ticket for the Remparts. To further draw fans to the product, the Citadelles give a lot of tickets away and do little things to attract local fans. There's no doubt that the Citadelles have more French-speaking Canadians than any other AHL team, and management admits that when it comes to free-agent signings, they try and ink players with Quebec roots.
"Yes, this year, the team is improving their attendance," said Nicole Bouchard, who manages media relations for both the Citadelles and Remparts -- a job she also held with the Nordiques. "We want more; we always want more but we are improving step by step."
Improvement is there, but it remains a far cry from the vibrance of a full building and an NHL game.
"I think the people love hockey. (But) To be honest with you, the first time I came in here last year I was, for lack of a better word, disappointed at the lack of attendance here," said Mark Kumpel, who has a unique perspective. Kumpel, currently an assistant coach with the AHL's Portland Pirates, is an American who played for the Nordiques during what he terms as their "heydey." He married a Quebec native and spends a lot of time in the area. "It has always been known as a hockey town. ... It's mildly disappointing because I have been in this building when there was 15,000-16,000 fans, and there is a buzz."
The people working for the Remparts and Citadelles hope the buzz will return, but that possibility remains up in the air.
Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.
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