GRETZKY BELIEVES NHL WILL RETURN TO QUEBEC CITY SOMEDAY The Great One firmly believes the NHL will return to Quebec City. The Quebec capital has been without an NHL franchise since the Nordiques left for Denver in 1995. But hockey legend Wayne Gretzky said Tuesday his gut feeling is Quebec City will again have its own pro hockey franchise that will be as successful as the Winnipeg Jets. The NHL returned to Manitoba in 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg and were renamed. The original Winnipeg Jets operated in the NHL for 15 seasons before the franchise moved to Phoenix.