The Colorado Misappropriations

I'll be honest when I say that watching a city's professional hockey team abandon its market for whatever reasons is hard. I went through it first-hand when the Winnipeg Jets left for the warmer climates of Arizona, and fans in other cities have had that same feeling of loss when their teams left with little they could do to prevent it. Whether it be Atlanta twice, Hartford, Kansas City, Quebec City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, or Phoenix, hockey fans in those cities have experienced that same heartbreak and helplessness. For some, NHL hockey did return in some form, but there's always that feeling that the new team simply can't recreate. Today, however, it seems like the NHL just wants to pour salt on the wounds for hockey fans in two cities based on an unveiling and an announcement.

There's a certain amount of civic pride that accompanies a team when they are the sole professional franchise in town. That's not to say that the city or its citizens can't be proud of other things civically, but it's easy to link sports franchises to cities and people. If I mention 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 can be wrong sometimes, but I still know enough to be able to hold a conversation about the Jets.

That brings me to today's unveiling done by the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche have decided to go full 1995 on the league by bringing back nearly-perfect Quebec Nordiques jerseys that they'll wear this season. I say "nearly-perfect" because they still have that sponsor logo on the front which is certainly from this millennium, but the rest of the jersey doesn't have a speck of burgundy or silver on it as the Avalanche will skate as their former namesake seven times.

I am 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 only played one game against any Denver-based professional hockey team in its history, and that was the WHA's short-lived Denver Spurs franchise. Just for kicks, the Nordiques won that game by a 5-3 score, and Rejean Houle scored two third-period goals 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 above jerseys gorgeous? Absolutely, and it's one of the reasons why there 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 are rabid (especially when Montreal visits), and the uniforms worn by the Nordiques are unquestionably one of the best of all-time. However, the Nordiques belong in Quebec, not in Denver, and I seriously wonder if the NHL or the Colorado Avalanche understand just how much this stings for Quebec Nordiques fans.

I spoke about the meaning of the Nordiques jersey to the Quebecois back in 2020, so let's bring out why this jersey is more than just some polyester sweater. I wrote,

"The history of the Quebec flag shows us that these symbols have a 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 settled with a permanent trading post being established in 1608 under Henry IV. From that point on, New France, as Quebec City was originally called, flew the French flag with the fleur-de-lis to show their country's affiliation and dedication to the ruling French monarch in this new land."

I should point out that Denver has zero history or ties to the fleur-de-lis symbolism, so wearing it as a symbol on the Avalanche jersey is misappropriation at the highest level. However, there's more than just the fleur-de-lis symbols that need to be considered. I also wrote,

"The current Quebec flag, it should be noted, was adopted by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council in 1948 and confirmed by the province's legislature in 1950. Until 1948, the famed Union Jack flew over Quebec, but les Quebecois wanted their own flag to denote their heritage and differences from British Canada. The Carillon, proposed in 1902, was based on a flag with no cross that had the Virgin Mary at the center with the fleur-de-lis pointing inward from the corners. As stated above, though, the people of Quebec pushed for a provincial flag, and the flag known as the Carillon-Sacré-Coeur served as the basis of the Quebec flag in both design and colour. With the religious elements removed from the flag, the fleurs-de-lis were moved to the middle of the blue rectangles, and this new flag was adopted in 1948."

That flag, seen to the right, is the basis for the entire Nordiques jersey, and it stands to represent the entire province of Quebec. There are no other colours on the jersey outside of the logo except the bleu-et-blanc, and the Nordiques wore it in the WHA and NHL proudly. What isn't obvious, though, is that it also represented any and all Quebecois who believed in a more nationalist, pro-sovereignty identity compared to the Montreal Canadiens who were seen as federalist and established while having an air of arrogance thanks to all the success they had experienced. In more hockey and family terms, the Nordiques were the always-overlooked little brother in the Battle of Quebec, and they wanted nothing more than to make the Canadiens bleed if they were to lose.

Before we get too deep here, I need to highlight the definition of misappropriation. According to Oxford Review, "[c]ultural misappropriation refers to the inappropriate or harmful use of elements from one culture by members of another, often more dominant culture. This typically occurs without understanding, respect, or permission, resulting in exploitation or reinforcing stereotypes. It differs from cultural appreciation, which involves respectful engagement with and learning about a culture."

I know a lot of you reading this are probably thinking that I am overanalyzing this to a an extreme point of view, but ask yourself this: how angry do you think Winnipeg Jets fans would have been had the Phoenix Coyotes introduced a Winnipeg Jets alternate or specialty jersey? Like Quebec City, the Jets were an important part of establishing Winnipeg's presence internationally 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 of the Nordiques jersey? No, not even close as I outlined above because the Nordiques jersey represented the Quebecois peoples' history, heritage, and culture. While both evoke civic pride, one carries a much deeper meaning which cannot be forgotten in this discussion.

I would imagine it's similar for Hartford Whalers fans when they see the Carolina Hurricanes taking the ice in the classic green uniforms once worn by Howe, Hull, Keon, and Francis. The wound is re-opened, the salt is poured in, and the NHL and the Hurricanes laugh as they make bundles of merchandise money. What might be the biggest slap in the face to Nordiques, Whalers, and WHA fans, though, is the schedule to the left that was posted to social media by the Hurricanes showing that they'll wear the Whalers uniforms three times this season, and two of those three games will see the Avalanche play as the Nordiques. For a league that won't recognize the WHA in any way and for two franchises who have zero attachment to the jerseys they're wearing, this might be one of the most classless decisions ever made with respect to 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 pull the Kachina jerseys out. We're not going to see the New York Rangers sport Golden Blades jerseys, the Ottawa Senators won't wear Civics jerseys, and the Chicago Blackhawks aren't breaking out Cougars jerseys. The New Jersey Devils wore Kansas City Scouts colours 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 spark an emotional response from fans whose anger and unhappiness over losing their teams is still relatively fresh. Nordiques and Whalers fans still exist and they're still in that key demographic that the NHL seeks, but the Avalanche and Hurricanes make it seem like the teams in those cities never existed by wearing their logos and jerseys.

The Quebecois people are fiercely proud of their heritage and culture, and that's what is baked into that Nordiques jersey. It's not just some meaningless logo and colour scheme. It's a uniform representing the Quebecois heritage, culture, and people. Misappropriating that to sell a pile of merchandise is grotesque and classless, but when has that stopped the NHL from making a buck?

Stomping all over 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 one bit because the NHL puts commerce ahead of everything else. Not even obvious misappropriation can change that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!