CITY FACTS:

• Before the arrival of the Europeans, Quebec City was the occupied by native hunters and fishermen.
• It is Canada's oldest city, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.
• The word "Quebec" comes from an Algonquian word meaning "where the river narrows."
• Although Quebec was the capital of the French empire in North America in the days of New France, it was little more than a large village. In 1608, it had just 28 inhabitants. By the time of the conquest in 1760, its population was approximately 8,000.
• Site of the one of the most famous battles in Canadian history, the Plains of Abraham. General James Wolfe and 4,500 British soldiers scaled the steep cliffs leading to the Plains of Abraham under the cover of darkness from Sept. 12-13, 1759. In a battle that lasted 15 minutes, the British defeated the French.
• Quebec City was the site of the largest, most expensive security arrangement in Canadian history when the city hosted the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit in 2001.
  
  

HOCKEY FACTS:

• Quebec City will play host to this year's MasterCard Memorial Cup from May 17-25, 2003.
• A six-man panel voted Quebec City as Canada's second-best hockey community. Selections were based on which cities best exemplified sport in Canada. Voters were Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, Scott Morrison of the Toronto Sun, Mark Miller of the Calgary Sun, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun, and Chris Stevenson of Slam! Sports.
• The city plays host to the world's largest pee-wee hockey tournament each year. About 2,300 hockey players from 16 countries will travel to the city to take part in the tournament, which lasts 11 days and is now in its 43rd year.
• Many stars from the National hockey league have passed through this tournament: Brad Park, Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Gilbert Perrault, Mark Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sylvain Côté, Eric Lindros, etc.
• Ray Bourque's son is rumoured to be participating at this year's tournament.
• Quebec City was the site of Rendez Vous '87, a two-game series between the NHL all-stars and the Soviet National team. Each team won one game.
• The history of hockey has some roots in the city.
• The world's first covered rink was built in Quebec City in 1852.
• In 1880, ice hockey was first played in Quebec City, five years after it was introduced to Montreal
• The first organized league, the Amateur Hockey Association, is formed in 1887. One of the four teams is from Quebec City.
• At its inception, the NHL had five teams. The Quebec City Bulldogs were one of them. Toronto Arenas were later admitted as the fifth team after Quebec decided not to operate during the first season.
• Hockey in Quebec City dates back to 1912, when the Quebec Bulldogs won the Stanley Cup powered by hockey's first superstar, Joe Malone.
• The Montreal Winter Carnival of 1883 held the world's first ice hockey tournament to showcase the "new" game. Montreal's Victoria Rink and McGill University competed with a team from Quebec City for the Bedouin Cup. The tourney was staged to recognize hockey as a fixture in the Canadian sporting world. McGill won the Cup
• With the Nordiques gone, the biggest hockey in town is the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Remparts.
• While Quebec City didn't have an NHL club until the arrival of the Nordiques, they did have the Aces, a franchise that played in the Quebec Senior Hockey League, the Quebec Hockey League and the American Hockey League from 1944-1971
• Jean Beliveau is the most famous Aces alumni.
• After the departure of the Nordiques, Quebec City didn't really support other incoming hockey teams. Both the Rafales (IHL) and the Citadelles (AHL) failed to stick in the city.
  
  

Notable NHL alumni from Quebec City:

• Approximately 43 people born in Quebec City have made it to the NHL.
• The most notable include Sylvain Cote, Gord Dineen, Kevin Dineen, Reggie Lemelin and Alain Vigneault