Mayor Gérald Tremblay told reporters yesterday he's happy the Canadiens are being sold to a Quebec institution like the Molson family. (CBC)

The sale of the Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family is getting mostly positive reviews from Quebec politicians and figures in the sports community.

The team's current owner, George Gillett, reached an agreement in principal with the Molson family over the weekend and the deal is rumoured to be more than $600 million Cdn.

Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay said yesterday the Molson family — which owned the team from 1957-1971 — is an institution in the city. “It's a family that has done a lot for Montreal and will continue to do a lot.”

Tremblay says it's important to Quebecers that the new owners are from the province.

Hall of Fame player Dickie Moore won six Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens. He said yesterday he's happy the Molsons will again play a prominent role with the franchise.

“I think it's the greatest thing to happen in Montreal for many years because they are a hockey family. They care about the game. They love the game of hockey like a hockey player does,” Moore said, adding he thinks Molson will help the team win its 25^th Stanley Cup next season.

Montreal Impact owner, Joey Saputo, was interested in buying the team but eventually backed out. He said he called Geoff Molson to offer his support.

“Fast forward 40 years, if the Montreal Impact would be in the same position, I'd love to have my kids buying the club and have the support of the city, so I think it’s great. I think they’re hockey people and they’ll do a great job,” Saputo said yesterday.

Details of the transaction likely won't be released until the NHL’s board of governors approves it in August.

Bell Centre keeps its name

The Bell Centre, where the Canadiens play their home games, will keep its name despite the sale. Bell Canada confirmed Monday it is a minority partner with the Molsons, but Bell did not say how much money it's contributing to the purchase.

It did confirm, however, the deal would secure long-term naming rights to the Bell Centre, which was originally called the Molson Centre.

Now that the Canadiens have been sold, there are questions about whether it's time to bring an NHL team back to Quebec City.

The Molson family has said it would not need the $100 million offered up by the provincial government to back any Quebec-based bid for the team.

But Finance Minister Raymond Bachand confirmed the money is still available for any group interested in setting up an NHL franchise in the provincial capital. He said Quebec City's economy has improved since the Nordiques left in 1995 and conditions might be right again for a new team to take their place.