October 06, 2010

Wannabe Quebec owner: I'll chip in for arena, maybe

Well, that didn't take long: No, the NHL still hasn't blinked in its demand for a $400 million arena as a condition of reviving the Quebec Nordiques, but it looks like the team's prospective owner may have:

Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau made an about-face in Ottawa Tuesday, saying he could participate in the financing of an amphitheatre in Quebec City to bring a professional hockey team to the provincial capital.

When asked as to whether he'd changed his mind after earlier refusing to finance an arena, Peladeau said Tuesday he is "open" to the idea of participating in building a new multi-purpose arena in Quebec City, welcoming both sporting and cultural events.

Now, Peladeau didn't put a price tag on how much he'd be willing to commit to the project — or what he'd want in return. And it's possible that he's just trying to kick-start arena talks that are otherwise generating headlines like this. But hey, it's better than nothing, which was what Peladeau was offering last week.