I’ll be honest when I say it’s hard to watch a city’s professional hockey team leave its market for any reason. I experienced it firsthand when the Winnipeg Jets left for the warmer climate of Arizona, and fans in other cities have had the same sense of loss when their teams left with little they could do to prevent it. Whether twice Atlanta, Hartford, Kansas City, Quebec City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, or Phoenix, hockey fans in those cities have experienced the same heartbreak and helplessness. For some, NHL hockey returned in some form, but there is always that feeling that the new team simply cannot reproduce. These days, however, it seems like the NHL just wants to pour salt on the wounds for hockey fans in two cities based on a reveal and an announcement.
There’s a certain amount of civic pride that comes with a team when they’re the only professional franchise in town. That’s not to say that the city or its citizens can’t be proud of other things socially, but it’s easy to link sports franchises to cities and people. When I say I’m from Winnipeg I usually get a comment about the Jets because people associate the Jets with Winnipeg and automatically assume I’m a fan. That assumption may be wrong at times, but I still know enough to be able to have a conversation about the Jets.
Which brings me to today’s reveal, made by the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche have decided to spend all of 1995 in the league by bringing back near-perfect Quebec Nordiques jerseys that they will wear this season. I say “almost perfect” because they still have that sponsor logo on the front that is definitely from this millennium, but there isn’t a speck of burgundy or silver on the rest of the jersey, as the Avalanche will be skating seven times as their former namesake.
I’m fully aware that the Avalanche moved from Quebec City to Denver in the summer of 1995, but trotting out the Nordiques logo and wearing it like it has history in Denver just feels wrong. The Nordiques have played only one game against a professional hockey team from Denver in their history, and that was the WHA’s short-lived Denver Spurs franchise. Just for kicks, the Nordiques won that match 5-3, and Rejean Houle scored two goals in the third period for the Nordiques to lead them to victory. After the Spurs left Denver, the Nordiques didn’t play in Denver until they became the Avalanche.
Are the sweaters above beautiful? Absolutely, and it’s one of the reasons why there is a groundswell to see the NHL return to Quebec City. As far-fetched as it may seem, they have an NHL-sized rink, the fans there love it (especially when Montreal visits) and the uniforms the Nordiques wear are undoubtedly some of the best of all time. However, the Nordiques belong in Quebec, not Denver, and I seriously wonder if the NHL or the Colorado Avalanche understand how much this stings for Quebec Nordiques fans.
I talked about the significance of the Nordiques jersey for the Quebecois in 2020, so let’s bring up why this jersey is more than just a polyester jersey. I wrote,
“The history of the flag of Quebec shows us that these symbols have deep meaning to the people of Quebec. The fleur-de-lis symbol originated in Quebec with their ties to France, as the European French used the symbol to denote the French monarchy in 12th century France under Louis VI. It would be under Henry II that Quebec was first inhabited and was established in 1608 under Henry IV established a permanent trading post. From then on, New France, as Quebec City was originally called, flew the French flag with the fleur-de-lis to show their country’s bond and devotion to the reigning French monarch in this new country.
I should point out that Denver has no history or ties to the fleur-de-lis symbolism, so wearing it as a symbol on the Avalanche jersey is blackout at the highest level. However, there is more than just the fleur-de-lis symbols to consider. I also wrote,
“The current flag of Quebec, it should be noted, was adopted in 1948 by decision of the Lieutenant Governor of the Council and confirmed by the province’s legislature in 1950. Until 1948 the famous Union Jack flew over Quebec, but the les Quebecois wanted their own flag to signify their heritage and differences from British Canada. The Carillon, proposed in 1902, was based on a flag without a cross with the text Virgin Mary in the center with the fleur-de-lis pointing inwards from the corners. However, as mentioned above, the people of Quebec insisted on a provincial flag, and the flag known as the Carillon-Sacré-Coeur served as the basis for the flag of Quebec, both in design and colour. After the religious elements were removed from the flag, the fleurs-de-lis became moved to the center of the blue rectangles, and this new flag was adopted in 1948.”
That flag, seen at right, is the basis for the entire Nordiques jersey and represents the entire province of Quebec. There are no other colors on the jersey other than the logo, other than bleu-et-blanc, and the Nordiques wore it proudly in the WHA and NHL. What is not obvious, however, is that it also represented all Quebecers who believed in a more nationalist, pro-sovereignty identity compared to the Montreal Canadiens who were seen as federalist and establishment, while exuding an air of arrogance due to all the success they had experienced. In more hockey and family terms, the Nordiques were the ever-overlooked little brother in the Battle of Quebec, and they wanted nothing more than to bleed the Canadiens if they lost.
Before we get too deep into this, I should highlight the definition of embezzlement. According to Oxford Review“[c]Cultural misappropriation refers to the inappropriate or harmful use of elements from one culture by members of another, often more dominant culture. This usually happens without understanding, respect or consent, resulting in exploitation or reinforcement of stereotypes. It differs from cultural appreciation, which involves respectful interaction with and learning about a culture.”
I know many of you reading this probably think I’m overanalyzing this from an extreme standpoint, but ask yourself: how angry do you think Winnipeg Jets fans would have been if the Phoenix Coyotes had introduced an alternate or special Winnipeg Jets jersey? Like Quebec City, the Jets were an important part of Winnipeg’s international presence, thanks to the likes of Hull, Hedberg and Nilsson in the WHA and guys like Hawerchuk and Selanne in the 1980s and 1990s. Jets fans still want the Jets to ditch the RCAF jerseys and go back to the heritage jerseys because of what that logo and jersey meant to them. You can tell Jets fans to get over it, but it’s not that easy because it meant so much to people.
However, does the Jets jersey have the same cultural depth as the Nordiques jersey? No, not even close as I outlined above, because the Nordiques jersey represented the history, heritage and culture of the Quebec people. While both evoke civic pride, one has a much deeper meaning that should not be forgotten in this discussion.
I imagine it will be similar for Hartford Whalers fans when they see the Carolina Hurricanes take the ice in the classic green uniforms once worn by Howe, Hull, Keon and Francis. The wound is reopened, the salt is poured in, and the NHL and Hurricanes laugh while making bundles of merchandise. What may be the biggest slap in the face to Nordiques, Whalers and WHA fans is the schedule to the left posted by the Hurricanes on social media showing that they will wear the Whalers uniforms three times this season, and in two of those three games the Avalanche will play as the Nordiques. For a league that doesn’t recognize the WHA in any way and for two franchises that have no attachment whatsoever to the jerseys they wear, this could be one of the most classless decisions ever regarding cities and fans who still haven’t let go of their favorite NHL teams nor forgiven the NHL for moving them.
There are reasons why the Arizona Coyotes never wore a Jets jersey. There are reasons why the Winnipeg Jets have never worn a Thrashers jersey. There are reasons why the Mammoths will never take off the Kachina jerseys. We won’t see the New York Rangers wearing Golden Blades jerseys, the Ottawa Senators won’t be wearing Civics jerseys, and the Chicago Blackhawks won’t be releasing Cougars jerseys. The New Jersey Devils wore Kansas City Scouts colors on their Reverse Retro jerseys, but never wore their logo.
The three examples of NHL teams not wearing WHA jerseys from the same city are examples where the WHA jerseys certainly don’t fit the theme of those teams, but the first three examples still provoke an emotional response from fans whose anger and unhappiness over their teams’ loss is still relatively fresh. Nordiques and Whalers fans still exist and are still in the main demographic the NHL is looking for, but the Avalanche and Hurricanes make it seem like the teams in those cities never existed by wearing their logos and jerseys.
Quebecers are fiercely proud of their heritage and culture, and that’s what’s ingrained in the Nordiques jersey. It’s not just a meaningless logo and color scheme. It is a uniform that represents the heritage, culture and people of Quebec. Abuse that Selling a pile of merchandise is grotesque and classless, but when has that stopped the NHL from making money?
Rambling through history is one thing, but not understanding the meaning of a team’s iconography and jersey is a new low for the NHL. Am I surprised? Not least because the NHL puts commerce above everything else. Even a clear blackout cannot change that.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#eclipses #Colorado