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Nick Lanciani
Professor Langton
COMM 329 001
23 March 2015
Feature Story
Connor Keith, Whos That Again?
Seated at the far end of the Queens University of Charlotte dining hall, a man sits at his
usual spot wearing a St. Louis Cardinals shirt with a St. Louis Blues hat on his head. He looks
down at his greasy pizza- that hes had for a few days in a row now- sighs, takes a bite of his
fries, and reluctantly picks up his pizza and digs in. He listens as others tell their stories at the
table and chimes in when theres a moment for wit or an opportunity for advice. Connor Keith
has done the unthinkable; remain largely unnoticed on a small liberal arts university campus.
How small? Were talking only about 2,000 undergraduates. Yet, as one of the staff
writers for The Queens Chronicle, Keith makes his way around campus interviewing, interacting,
and observing many aspects before writing about them, in turn for fellow students to appreciate
his work and the online newspaper in general. This year alone he has written articles ranging
from Charlottes potential to host a future Super Bowl to how much has changed at Queens to
one of the more difficult pieces to write about, the impact of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks
in France on French students at Queens.
But challenges are exactly what Keith is after. He described his newfound appreciation
for journalists and explained how the Charlie Hebdo piece he wrote for the school newspaper is
one of his favorite articles hes ever written, given the magnitude of the situation. His article
reminds that it is easy to forget that there are larger events and happenings in the world outside

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of Queens. For a more recent article, Keith embarked on an archival journey, coupled with
interviewing Queens alumni, to decipher just how much has really changed in the roughly 100
years that Queens has been at its current campus location.
Despite his aspirations of writing a top ten list of things that have changed, Keith had to
restructure the final piece, given that surprisingly- at its core- Queens really hasnt changed that
much. He described talking with beloved member of the Queens cafeteria, Miss Betty, as one of
the most engaging discussions about how the campus has evolved over the years. Keith remarked
that this is her first and only job and shes been here since 1962. She called HBO by its original
name, which threw me off as I was interviewing her, as he described how sunbathing on top of
one of the dorms (Hall Brown Overcash) was once a norm and the best, as well as craziest, story
that he heard in the process of constructing the article.
Often Keith expresses the insurmountable amount of work he must complete by any
given Friday, always relying on his catchphrase- that hes not a procrastinator, but rather
deadline-oriented. There is no method to his madness, nor any routine that he must follow
when he writes, he just waits until the last minute to get started and then gets started. Most nights
Keith is up late due to a combination of working on assignments, watching every sporting event
on television, and being deadline-oriented.
He wont have to get used to spending late nights writing. Keith proclaims he doesnt
have that high of aspirations, I just want to be a beat writer for one of the teams I like, he says
when asked where he sees himself someday, I wouldnt mind reporting about high school
football even. He enjoys textual based work and is emphatic on writing about the St. Louis
Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers,

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Carolina Panthers, or the Charlotte Hornets. Outside of his commitments to classwork and The
Queens Chronicle, Keith has been a contributor to a hockey blog, called Down the Frozen River.
Down the Frozen River has given him the chance to begin doing what he loves, writing
about sports and analyzing his teams. He is expected to continue developing his skills and
analysis, at least for the near future, or until he decides that it is time to move on from the hockey
blog. Compared to what he wanted to do when he was younger, Keiths occupational outlook has
changed, but remains around the concept of teaching somebody something- only these days that
something is sports.
When I was about 7 or 8 I think I wanted to be a teacher for a long time- Im not sure
why. I like learning, being taught is not fun, but learning is fun. I thought I wanted to be an
elementary school teacher, but now Id take the easy route and be a high school teacher. I like
teaching something to someone or playing a part in their learning lives and expanding peoples
knowledge base, Keith reflected.
He was born in Wichita, Kansas and therefore is, self-proclaimed, allowed to be a Kansas
sports fan by birth (hence why he is a Kansas City Chiefs fan). Up until moving to Missouri in
2005, Keith never cared that much for sports other than baseball and the Kansas City Royals. But
then the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series title and thus began his love for the
Cards, as he had never been part of a sports championship-winning city until that year. Keith
shares his enthusiasm for baseball with his father, a Royals fan.
Keith became a Pittsburgh Steelers fan based on the fact that his dad grew up a Steelers
fan during a time when the Steelers were a successful, Super Bowl winning, franchise. Although
theres no connection between either him or his father and the city of Pittsburgh, the team
became something they could bond over on Sundays watching the game together.

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Also while living in Missouri, Keith learned about hockey and became engaged in
watching St. Louis Blues games on television. At the time, the Blues were nothing special,
although they had Keiths favorite player- forward, Keith Tkachuk, on their roster. While the
Blues were in the process of a rebuild, Keith looked for another team to turn his attention to.
Sidney Crosby had just been in the early days of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins who had
begun becoming a dominant team. A winning organization was more than enough for Keith to
back in hockey. Given that he was a Steelers fan and thought Pittsburgh was a cool city, despite
having never been there, it wasnt hard for him to cheer for the Penguins.
As a new Pittsburgh Penguins fan, Keith wound up enjoying the Penguins run to the
Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009. After losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, the
Penguins won in the 2009 rematch of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, defeating the Red Wings on
Detroits Joe Louis Arena ice for the Cup, much like how Detroit beat the Penguins at
Pittsburghs Mellon Arena a year before.
Before moving to South Carolina, Keith encountered NASCAR, recalling that he used to
watch the races at Kansas Speedway on TV when the national stock-car touring series came
around. He cheered for the then No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray
because McMurray is from Joplin, Missouri and since he likes Bass Pro Shops. These days Keith
is still a McMurray fan, although Bass Pro Shops has since moved on to sponsor Tony Stewarts
14 car and McMurray hasnt had that much major success since winning the 2010 Daytona 500
and the 2010 Brickyard 400.
After moving to South Carolina, Keith became closer to a major professional sports city
than ever before. The Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Hornets were only about a half-hour
ride from his house. Keith became a Panthers fan since he was out in the area and could connect

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with its people and fanbase. He became a Hornets fan because he had never had a favorite
basketball team before, as he had never lived close enough to an organization to root for and
because they are the only NBA team that is even remotely worth caring about in relation to the
ones he could have been a fan of, such as the Denver Nuggets. He isnt, however, a Carolina
Hurricanes fan. In fact, Keith despises the Hurricanes, not because of how they left Hartford,
Connecticut or anything, but simply because they are division rivals with the Pittsburgh
Penguins.
From his Pittsburgh side, he dislikes the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders
because of their longstanding rivalry with the Penguins. He is also not too keen on the New York
Rangers due to their Metropolitan Division rivalry with the Pens. Keith is engrained in the
divisional rival culture, whereas some may be thinking about being atop of their conference or
league, Keith is driven by being at the top of the division. The recent superstar status of Sidney
Crosby and Alex Ovechkin has created a rivalry between the Penguins and the Washington
Capitals. The Capitals also fall under the category of teams Keith dislikes due to their divisional
rivalry and his views on Crosby being better than Ovechkin- typical of any diehard Penguins fan.
Basically, if a team is currently in the Central Division or the Metropolitan Division, he
doesnt like them, because they are the competition for the top of the division for his Blues and
Penguins, respectively. Therefore Keith is not a Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, or
Winnipeg Jets fan. He does, however, have some leniency with the Colorado Avalanche and the
Dallas Stars, given that neither team currently presents that much of a challenge for St. Louis.
Aside from professional sports teams, Keith is an avid fan of the United States national
teams and Olympic sports. He stays on top of mens and womens national teams games,
competitions, and tournaments unlike most people who only show up as fans around the Summer

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or Winter Olympics. Keith has every schedule for all of his sports teams organized on his phone
calendar. While some argue for national teams to not use professional athletes on their teams,
maintaining the integrity of the amateur status of the Olympic games, Keith is a fan of a model
similar to FIFAs tiered model, where teams are comprised of U20, U18, U16, and so on. He
thinks its more entertaining to have the all-star teams of every nation competing against one
another on one of the largest stages of athletic competition.
Outside of sports, Keith is into music, describing his musical taste as a little bit of
everything, in moderation. He has a recent obsession for bluegrass music, which can only likely
be traced to an amusement park that he used to go to in Missouri called Silver Dollar City. There,
a bluegrass theme is overlaid with bluegrass music and the feeling of an old mining town. Each
May the theme park hosts a Bluegrass and BBQ Festival.
Keith participated in marching band at Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, South
Carolina and was fully aware of the fact that half time was game time. He first learned to play
the clarinet in 5th grade, when he was 11 years old. He has since learned to play the saxophone
and yearns to learn to play the banjo, simply because banjos are awesome. When asked if he
had ever tried writing an original composition, Keith replied I tried once and it was atrocious so
I dont do it anymore. Clarinets cant make chords, like a guitar, but I want to try writing a piece
now that I know a little more [music] theory.
Music and sports have certainly played a large part in making Keith who he is today, but
they arent the only things that have made him who he is. Keith enjoys opportunities to go home
and get away from what he has to do or is doing for even just a day or two (typically the length
of a weekend). Its his place to refresh and get some lighter work done- stuff that doesnt require
much thinking or research. Stuff like writing about sports. At home, he often does things with his

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family. As the oldest child, he holds a special standing in being the first to experience the real
world and then report back to his younger siblings. His familys closeness is easily exuberated in
every encounter.
Keith shares his love of sports with his father, but he shares his love of the weather with
his mother. He lives for tornadoes, having experienced a few in his days in Kansas and Missouri.
Keith recalled a time when he used to be petrified of tornadoes.
In Kansas we had a basement and in Missouri we went in the basement at least once a
summer. One time my mom told me to calm down during a storm, because I was kind of
freaking out, he continued, She said hail comes with tornadoes and the power goes out, thats
when you know its okay to freak out and then five minutes later, it hailed and the power went
out- there wasnt a tornado though.
Keith describes seeing a tornado in person as a trip and that he once witnessed a funnel
cloud forming at T-ball practice, causing practice to be cut short that day. The cloud ended up
touching down and his family drove home parallel to the tornado that had formed. Keith ran
downstairs as soon as they got home and he and his family were unscathed. In telling these
stories, his eccentric personality comes through. Keiths perpetual enthusiasm shines in every
conversation he has, be it tornadoes, music, or sports.
Someday, readers are going to be in for a treat when they read his content about their
team or the game last night. For now, Keith continues to be just as beat as beat can be, hoping to
become the next best beat sportswriter. One day, Keith will be more than just that largely
unnoticed guy on a small liberal arts university campus, who always sits on the far end of the
dining hall, wearing a hat representing whichever one of his teams has a game that day. Maybe

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then hell be looking for the next him to teach his style and pass on his passion for sports and
sports writing.
Nick Lanciani
Professor Langton
COMM 329 001
11 April 2015
Final Project: Game Story
Checkers or Wreckers? Rockford Downs Charlotte 2-0
In front of a record crowd of 13,219 people in attendance, the Charlotte Checkers lost 2-0
to the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Rockfords Spencer
Abbott struck first on the scoreboard a little under eight minutes into the 2nd period to give the
IceHogs a 1-0 lead. With 33.0 seconds left in regulation Mark McNeill hit the empty net to seal
the fate of the Checkers and give Rockford the 2-0 win. Charlotte goaltender, Drew MacIntyre,
made 33 saves on 34 shots on goal in the loss.
After presenting Checkers forward, Kyle Hagel, with the Yanick Dupre Memorial
Award, given to the AHLs Man of the Year, AHL president Dave Andrews was in for a sleeper
in the Queen City. The game began with a slow pace, in which the Checkers were quickly
shorthanded 1:52 into the game after left winger, Brendan Woods, took a penalty for tripping.
Rockford was unable to produce any results on the power play, despite Charlottes young
roulette of defensemen this year and shaky group of forwards.
We obviously have a young defense out there. I thought they gave us a great chance to
win. They made some mistakes but they also made some good plays. I think it was a bit of an
eye-opener for them since this is an elite team, Checkers head coach, Jeff Daniels, told

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Charlotte Checkers reporter and manager of communications, Nicholas Niedzielski, after the
loss.
Ten minutes into the game, the IceHogs had a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal. Two
minutes later, Rockfords Brandon Mashinter, was sent to the penalty box for cross checking.
MacIntyre routinely denied an ensuing shorthanded breakaway as Rockford began to warm up
and picked up the intensity. With 1:32 to go in the opening period, Checkers center, Ben
Holmstrom, made his trip to the sin bin for cross checking, while the IceHogs were outshooting
Charlotte, 10-3.
The second period began with more intensity and witnessed a few scrums develop after
early whistles in the opening minutes of the period. The Checkers had a quick breakout, led by
Hagel, who displayed some quick and skillful hands, but was denied by Rockford goalie, Antti
Raanta, and the side of the goal on the rebound. At 5:34 of the 2nd period, Abbott was sent to the
box for a slashing minor. Charlottes Chad LaRose was called for interference shortly thereafter,
with about 12:45 remaining in the 2nd period. Shortly after getting out of the penalty box, Abbott
pocketed the first goal of the game using great hand-eye coordination on a nifty deflection for
what would become the game-winning goal on the power play for Rockford, with 12:02 left in
the second. The goal was Abbotts 18th of the season and was assisted by Peter Regin and Ryan
Hartman.
Brody Sutter had a breakaway for the Checkers with 2:31 to go in the period, but Raanta
snagged the puck out of the air with his glove and continued to snatch all hope from Charlottes
offensive chances. Charlottes Justin Shugg then took a hooking penalty with 1:15 left to play in
the second period, as the Checkers began to catch up to the IceHogs 21-17 shots on goal
advantage. Nothing spectacular came of Rockfords power play as Holmstrom went down to

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block a shot in the closing seconds of the period, taking a few minutes to get up after being
caught in the ankle with the puck. Holmstrom would return to play in the third period.
The Checkers came out to the 3rd period to Switchfoots Dark Horses blasting in the
arena, trailing 1-0 to the IceHogs in a close battle that had begun to generate quality-scoring
opportunities for Charlotte. The chances began to abound, but the Checkers didnt seem to have
any puck luck as a few had squeaked past Raanta, before being covered up or cleared away from
the goal line. Rockford led the shots on goal category all night and had amassed a 30-22
advantage by the time Checkers defenseman, Danny Biega, picked up a slashing penalty with
under eight minutes to go in regulation.
With about a minute and a half left in the game, the Checkers pulled MacIntyre for an
extra skater. Charlotte then took a timeout after a stoppage in play with 41.1 seconds remaining,
but it was to no avail as Rockford quickly forced a turnover and moved the puck out of the zone
to score an empty net goal after play resumed. McNeills 22nd goal of the year, assisted by
Hartman and Kyle Cumiskey, with 33.0 seconds left on the clock sealed the games fate and put
the nail in the coffin for the Checkers.
Antti Raanta picked up the shutout win, stopping all 25 shots faced, for Rockford as the
Checkers fell to 29-36-6-1 on the season after 72 games played. The IceHogs improved to 44-216-2 also after 72 games played. The IceHogs are comfortably in playoff position, having already
clinched a playoff berth with 95 points on the season, while the Checkers sit 13th in the Western
Conference with a dismal 65 points in the season standings. Saturday nights 2-0 loss was the
first time Charlotte had been shut out at home since April 6, 2013 against the Milwaukee
Admirals.

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Guys have been playing hard all year. There were times over the course of the season
with a different group where things really could have went south. Guys could have packed it in
early and we could be looking at having 40 points right now. Guys are competing hard and they
want to win, AHL Man of the Year, Kyle Hagel informed Niedzielski, You have to play for
pride and you have to play for your next contract, but guys are really battling and want to win,
which is great to see. We played well enough to win tonight and I wish that we did.
Charlotte and Rockford are set to square off again on Sunday afternoon for a 1:00 PM
puck drop in Charlottes last home game of the season and final game at Time Warner Cable
Arena- being nowhere near playoff hopes- before the Checkers head back to the Bojangles
Coliseum for the 2015-2016 season. Charlotte travels to Rockford on Wednesday night before
wrapping up the 2014-2015 season in Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday night taking on the
Grand Rapids Griffins.
Nick Lanciani
Professor Langton
COMM 329 001
15 April 2015
Final Project: Feature Story
Meet Your Future NHL on NBC Analyst Before They Even Know It
Its a Saturday afternoon and an avid hockey fan is tossing ideas around for future blog
posts in a college dorm room and analyzing the season. He emphatically describes the Buffalo
Sabres season with his hands gesturing a list of things the organization needs to do, as he wears a
blue t-shirt with a buffalo on it and the likeness of the Stanley Cup in a bucket. The words on the

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shirt read Bucket List as the man with a scruffy beard envisions a better future. He uses wit to
satirically analyze some of the other teams around the league as he is questioned on his stance.
Colby Kephart envisions himself in a broadcasting role someday and his passion for
talking about sports bodes well in his apparent eccentric mannerisms as he talks about his teams
and others. His family, extended relatives, and people he hasnt heard from in a long time are
excited to hear what he has to say on Down the Frozen River, a hockey blog that he contributes a
column for and appears on its podcasts. Kephart has loved sports for as long as he can remember.
Growing up in upstate New York, Kephart quickly fell in love with the Buffalo Sabres
after playing countless games of street hockey with his older brother and kids in the
neighborhood. He didnt just enjoy playing the game- he loved watching it too and went to many
Rochester Americans games when he was younger. Kephart was thrilled with the idea that he
could watch a player develop before his eyes and go from playing in the AHL with the Amerks
to the NHL with the Sabres.
When you watch someone it grows on you, he explained, when you can watch
someone progress from the AHL to the NHL its great, when you can watch them locally, its
even better. Kephart claims he was the first in his family to have any faith in former Sabre
Derek Roy after watching Roy play as a bottom six forward in Rochester. He knew that one day,
Roy would become an impact player and gifted scorer for the Buffalo Sabres.
His obsession with watching young players develop before his eyes and all that entails
creating and solidifying a roster has kept him faithful in light of the Sabres recent rebuild and
being dead last in the NHL standings. But who could blame him, when your team has the chance
at drafting Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel this June in Florida at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

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Perhaps its the element of surprise combined with the unlikely success of winning that makes it
exciting and worth it.
Kephart has a knack for becoming a fan before bandwagon fans climb aboard an
organizations winning ways. Unlike some diehard Buffalo sports fans; Kephart has a diversified
portfolio of teams he roots for. He was a big fan of Reggie Bush back in Bushs college days at
USC. He knew that Bush was a monster running back, with unmatched talent and he also knew
that the New Orleans Saints had a good chance at drafting him.
The Saints hadnt been anything special, but had a different style of play- nothing like the
Buffalo Bills or the New England Patriots. New Orleans had a unique style at the time, although
its lost its individuality since, Kephart admits. Yet it seemed as though the stars were beginning
to align. Saints quarterback Drew Brees has long been a favorite athlete of Kepharts, given that
Brees is a bit short for the average quarterback, reflective of Kepharts stature. Brees, along with
Bush, and Jimmy Graham were on the track for a great playoff run.
Super Bowl XLIV began with the Saints as the underdog going up against Peyton
Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. At halftime, New Orleans was trailing 10-6, but they rallied
in the last half of the game, limiting the Colts to just a touchdown and the subsequent extra point
for the rest of the game. The Saints won Super Bowl XLIV 31-17 as Brees was named the MVP;
Kephart was riding an all time high. The best part was, Peyton Manning threw an interception
to win the game and Reggie Bush was phenomenal, all while Drew Brees was in charge, he
remarked as he explained that unlike some Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings fans these
days, he was a fan of the Saints before it was cool to be a fan of the Saints. Hes not a
bandwagon fan, thats for sure.

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But Kephart has a knack for liking things before they become mainstream. He grew up
watching soccer and has played it all his life. Hes a big time Arsenal fan, waking up early on
weekends to watch them play when their games are televised by NBC or NBCSN. Watching his
favorite player- Thierry Henry- play for Arsenal, enhanced Kepharts enthusiasm for the team.
Henry was a dynamic striker that just couldnt be stopped no matter who he was
playing, Kephart explained, He was mad at himself if he missed one shot in a game. His I
cant be stopped attitude was amazing. It helped that I took French in high school and the World
Cup was always something that I watched. I remember watching Henry play for France and
seeing him score three goals- including the game winning goal- against Brazil in the quarterfinal, [the game winner] was just a beautiful goal.
Henrys career ended with short stint on the New York Red Bulls, but American soccer
and Henrys time in the MLS were never enough to make Kephart become a MLS fan. Sure he
roots for the Americans at the World Cup, but he just cant sit and watch a 90-minute MLS game
with the same excitement as he does watching a Premier League game.
Kephart was a member of his high school soccer team that went on to the New York state
finals but lost. He remembers in vivid detail every moment of his last game in high school and
how the whole team struggled to keep back the emotion of the ride to their final game of the
season on the bus ride back to his hometown. To this day, he still doesnt like hearing Coldplays
Fix You because he and his team listened to it nonstop on that long bus ride back.
The soccer field is where Kephart feels most at home. One of his most cherished
possessions is a photo of him and his family, including his late grandfather, after a high school
soccer game on the field. Family and soccer are two of the closest things to Kephart- his
grandfather likely ranked higher than the two.

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Growing up, Kepharts grandfather was always the one telling him to become a sports
broadcaster or announcer, or at the very least to do something in sports. Kephart had a natural
ability to recall information and stats about nearly every player on the Buffalo Sabres. He would
be more than happy to become the next Rick Jeanneret for the Sabres color commentary on
MSG. He would be more than happy to become anything in sports, knowing that it is exactly
what his grandfather envisioned him doing.
When Kephart was five years old, he envisioned himself joining the army one day or
becoming a cop. Over time, however, he grew more interested in sports as sports became a
bigger part of his life and soccer began taking up his free time. Gradually his dream of joining
the army or becoming a cop faded, as the physical regimen never panned out, given his height
and stature. Yet, sports were the perfect distraction for him and the perfect transition into starting
a new dream, the one his grandfather envisioned.
Id love to be in an organization where I can be an analyst. I love talking hockey- or any
sport- and Id love to get paid to do that. Down the Frozen River started off as a resume builder,
Kephart described, I didnt know about it at first, but once it became consistent it became fun.
Knowing that we have people looking at stuff we make is great- even if they just ended up there
because of a typo.
While his career aspirations have changed shape over the years, one thing remains true
about Kephart- hes just your typical person. I like music, but I dont play music. I dont dabble
in everything, Im a sports person- Im so deep in the sports zone, he mentioned before talking
about how he likes to go fishing and enjoyed a splendid deep sea fishing trip in Florida last year
with his family.

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I cant wait to go fishing back home again- in New York. I dont like fishing down here
in North Carolina. I dont care for what we usually catch in these waters.
As he tells stories about fishing, Kephart explains how difficult it is to resurrect sunken
canoes- youve got to drag it back to shore before you flip it back over, by the way. He organizes
ideas on a scrap piece of paper. These ideas are topics for him to further investigate, analyze, or
come up with a solution to, because by the end of next week, hell be recording a podcast for
Down the Frozen River doing something he loves- talking about hockey. Someday, hell be
standing in front of a TV camera professing his passion and sharing his analysis with all hockey
fans before the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC, but until then, hell take any moment out of his day
to talk hockey.
Nick Lanciani
Professor Langton
COMM 329 001
20 April 2015
Final Project: Editorial
Bring Back the Nordiques
As I sat Monday night watching the Winnipeg Jets play their first playoff game at home
since the original Winnipeg Jets left for Arizona 19 years ago, I cannot help but think that the
NHL needs to return to another small market, where hockey has already worked, and everyone
loves the game. Being from New England, logically I should say something along the lines of
Bring Back the Whalers! however I simply cannot fathom a return to Hartford for the NHL in
its current state.

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Dont get me wrong, Connecticut loves hockey and they still love the Whalers to this
day, but theres a place that is more readily equipped for a National Hockey League returnQuebec City. Whereas Hartford doesnt have an adequate arena to play in and potential spotty
ownership, Quebec City has the 18,482 seat Videotron Centre- opening this September. The
brand new arena will have all the top-notch amenities and will be NHL move-in ready, should
the league wish to expand or a team relocate.
But whats holding everyone back? Canada is able to sustain at least eight franchises, if
not more, and hockey is Canadas game. The league made the best of a hurtful breakup in its
return to Winnipeg back in 2011, surely NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and crew can make
due on Quebecs aching heart since 1995 when the original Quebec Nordiques fled the struggling
Canadian dollar and the lack of a locally interested owner and went west to become the Colorado
Avalanche. Perhaps the league will find enough heart to forgive the Nordiques from almost
rebranding with awful looking 90s teal on an otherwise decent looking jersey.
I mean, if the league is serious about adding a team in Las Vegas, which now for sure,
might look like an absolutely horrible idea given that Los Angeles Kings forward, Jarret Stoll,
was arrested on Friday at a Las Vegas casino for cocaine possession, then why not look for a
place with more staying power than whatever Vegas would become. The original Nordiques
survived in the league from 1979 to 1995. Despite some down years, Quebec was on an
impressive turnaround at the end of the 1994-1995 season. The team that moved wound up
winning the Stanley Cup in their first season in Colorado.
Among teams that no longer exist, Quebec Nordiques merchandise ranks second to the
Hartford Whalers in sales. Still not convinced about the staying power of a new Quebec
Nordiques franchise? Look at the return of the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its a small

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hockey market, but they sell out every seat in the 15,004 seating capacity MTS Centre for every
home game, despite missing the playoffs from the 2011-2012 season to last season. In their first
game back to the postseason, the MTS Centre was rocking at 124 dB from time to time as
reported by Sportsnet.
Imagine how loud it would be in the Videotron Centre for the Nordiques return or their
first provincial rivalry regular season meet-up with the Montreal Canadiens since 1995- in any
case, itd be awesome. As a Boston Bruins fan, Id gladly welcome another team that despises
the Habs. Ill even forgive Ron Tugnutt for his extraordinary 70 save performance on 73 shots on
goal en route to the Nordiques 3-3 tie against the Bruins on March 21, 1991, even though I was
not even alive then.
The NHL obviously has issues with adding another team to the Eastern Conference
before adding anything to the Western Conference due to its current imbalance with 16 teams in
the East and 14 in the West. The easiest way to solve the original realignment problem created
when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg four years ago would have been to simply swap
the Jets with the Nashville Predators in their respective divisions. Winnipeg would have gone to
the Central, while Nashville would have gone to the Southeast in a geographically sensible
maneuver.
However, the league decided to consolidate the divisions from six to four and swapped
Winnipeg for Detroit and Columbus. In the process, each conference makes geographic sense,
with a focus on cutting travel expenses and reducing a carbon footprint league-wide. Yet, while
the Central and Pacific Divisions are perfect, the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions are
somewhat flawed. Yes, with all of the teams from the old Northeast Division, plus Detroit,

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somehow the Atlantic Division also has Florida and Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan
Division has both the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers.
Itd make sense to swap both New York City teams with both Florida teams, citing the
exact same reasons the NHL came up with in the first place, but for whatever reason, that is
frowned upon. Its not like it wouldnt saturate the market or anything, because as it is, New
York already has three teams (four if you count the New Jersey Devils in Newark, New Jersey).
While, yes, the Buffalo Sabres and both the Rangers and Islanders have a little distance between
them, its nothing compared to Florida and Tampa.
And speaking of the Florida Panthers, its only a matter of time- no matter how good the
product on the ice may get- before they have to relocate. And where should they end up without
causing much fuss over realignment? You guessed it- Quebec City. Theyre already in the
Atlantic Division, so absolutely nothing would have to be changed except for all franchise
trademarks and whatnot regarding the transition from the Panthers to the Nordiques. In foresight,
its not hard to fall in love with the furthest north professional sports franchise after all of the
neglect it saw in one of the most southern nontraditional hockey markets.
Oh and if New Jersey had to move for whatever reason, then Quebec is a prime
destination. Realignment would still be simple, swap Quebec with one of the Florida teams and
maybe then the NHL would have to realize it should kick the other Florida team to the
Metropolitan Division and insert the New York Rangers (or Islanders) into the Atlantic Division.
Then again, relocation of either the Panthers or the Devils could just mean that the league would
send them west to Seattle or Las Vegas and call it a day, having a balanced fifteen teams in both
conferences, but that wouldnt be any fun, wouldnt it?

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Look, Im all for a team in Seattle, so heres what you do. Add an expansion franchise to
Seattle and force Detroit back to the Western Conference; because we all know two matchups a
year between the longstanding rivals the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks really
arent enough. Then add a team in Quebec City to make it a nice thirty-two-team league with
sixteen teams in each conference. Besides, who wouldnt want to see a reincarnation of the
Nordiques after the beautifully aesthetic appeal of the current Jets installment?
Thats right, Im saying that when the NHL goes back to Quebec City, its not a bad idea
to modernize the franchise. The igloo with a hockey stick that somewhat formed the shape of an
n with its tricolor scheme and fleur-de-lis all over the jerseys was great- timeless even, a
classic for traditionalist vintage hockey fans- but there are some great concepts on the Internet
for glorious designs in the event of a rebirth of the Nordiques.
I think a darker shade of navy blue would suffice, with maybe a snowy owl and the city
skyline or something that is distinctive of Quebec City, and of course sharp looking fleur-de-lis
prominently featured on the bottom half of the sweater and along the pants. If you have the time,
go check out some great designs on Icethetics.co, some great concept artists have really gone all
out on creating the perfect symbol for what should be a return to the true north strong and freeQuebec City.
In this day and age, with the billion dollar industry that is the sports world, it shouldnt be
hard to find an owner and work with the largely French speaking fan base. Back in the days of
the original Nordiques, English speaking fans flocked to the Quebec City team over the much
more hardcore French speaking franchise over in Montreal. Obviously it must have been the
warm and inviting fleur-de-lis calling them to the light side of The Force in the battle of Quebec.
Either that or it was because of the great players that once graced the ice at Colise Pepsi, such

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as the Stastny brothers, Mats Sundin, Guy Lafleur, Owen Nolan, Peter Forsberg, and my
favorite- Joe Sakic.
The bottom line, folks, Quebec City has an important mark on the history of hockey. It
was once home to the Quebec Bulldogs who spent one season in the NHL (1919-1920) before
moving to Hamilton, Ontario to become the Hamilton Tigers and it was once home to the 1977
Avco World Trophy champions as the World Hockey Associations top team before joining the
NHL in the WHA-NHL merger in 1979- the Quebec Nordiques. Isnt it time that someone
brought the game back where it belongs for all of us to enjoy?
Now that I think about it more, how about those Whalers