Harper touts Quebec city

Quebec City would be a great place for the National Hockey League to expand, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday. “If you’re looking at markets, I would certainly say to the NHL, to anyone, there is no better place for an expansion team in the National Hockey League than this city, Quebec, which is a great hockey centre,” he told a news conference in the provincial capital after an unrelated announcement. Harper’s comment came a day after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league will begin a formal expansion process next month. When asked if he was afraid of upsetting people in Markham, Ont., which is reportedly interested in a franchise, Harper replied, “there are already two teams in Ontario. We need two teams in Quebec.” He then took a jab at the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I have to say that the last time I was in Toronto, people were saying they (also) needed a professional team,” he said to laughter. “But maybe with ... the new coach, Mr. (Mike) Babcock, one of my teams will greatly improve.” Quebec City has not had an NHL team since the Nordiques left for Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995.