Good News for Supporters of the Return of the Winnipeg Jets!

[hayduke's dad]

would love to see it. the last year the jets were in wpg i went to 8 games. that is with a 5 hour one way drive.

Go jets go

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by troutman

Don't worry Jets4Life. Don't listen to the haters. I'm taking names, and there will be mucho cuervo eaten here before too long.

Believe it! They are coming back if I have to buy them myself.

Then you're going to have to start taking on Flames Gimp's sexual harassment cases.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Winnipeggers are hungry for NHL hockey. It's not a matter of "if" we get a franchise it is a question of "when".

I agree, but you got a while to wait still buddy.

For a NHL team to come to Winnipeg under suitable conditions to stay long term within the next 5 years will require a super boom to happen in the city, an owner who has VERY deep pockets, AND a new arena cause lets not kid ourselves they're going to need more seats and luxury boxes since that is the standards for modern NHL arenas now. Winnipeg getting a team within the next 5 years is nothing more then a pipedream.

Plus there are other cities ahead of you on the list of getting a team before Winnipeg under it's current conditions. Kansas City, Houston, Seatle, Portland, Hartford, Hamiltion and others and even Las Vegas would be more suited for a NHL team.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Plus there are other cities ahead of you on the list of getting a team before Winnipeg under it's current conditions. Kansas City, Houston, Seatle, Portland, Hartford, Hamiltion and others and even Las Vegas would be more suited for a NHL team.

Hamilton is the only city on your list that would be better than Winnipeg in the long run.

I watched EDM at FLA the other night. There was no one in the arena except for a few Oiler fans.

[thefanblogger]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opi...-78501967.html

I would love to see it happen.

[TheU]

until you've had your NHL team taken away from you, you really can't relate to us Winnipegers on how this whole drama unfolds and is for us. It's something that 13 years later still feels raw and brings up a lot of bad feelings.

[Sylvanfan]

I think some pretty large factors would have to fall into Winnipegs favor for this to become a reality. Things like is the Canadian dollar going to remain at it's current level long term verses the US dollar? Right now the Canadian teams are operating with the biggest advantage they've had against their US counterparts since about 1990 when teams could still pay players in Canadian dollars and basically had a players rights till he was 31. Is this going to be a blip on the radar over the long term, or is this the way it's going to remain? A well educated economist can answer those questions better than a hockey fan can. But you need to know the answers to those questions before you put a team there. Otherwise it's going to be nothing more than a part time home for a NHL team to come there take advantage of the good times and move on when adversity comes again.

[ricoFlame]

this jets guy may be the most effective troll in CP history (calm down you're not really a troll)...how are fans of a non-existant team more annoying than canucks fans?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Dion

Funny how the MTS centre doesn't come close to the seating capacity of 30 NHL teams.

Also, since 2000-01 (as far back as ESPN's numbers go), only one team has averaged fewer than 15,000 people per game every season: The Islanders, and they play in arguably the worst arena in the NHL.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2010

With 15,000 seats, the Jets could sell out every game every year and still be in the bottom third of the league for attendance with no hope for improving.

[Textcritic]

Wow. Not another "bring back the Jets" bandwagon thread...

I read the article, and I have to say, that I am not at all convinced regarding the original poster's premise in starting this thread, which was to attempt to provide some basis for the false notion that a 15,000-seat arena could sustain a NHL franchise:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettman

"While we play to 93 to 94 per cent capacity, we'd like to play to 100 per cent capacity...A 15,000-16,000 seat arena might work better in some markets than a 19,000-seat arena."

So, what did Gary Bettman actually say? He most certainly did not say that the NHL is anxious to relocate to Winnipeg or any other NA city with a 15,000-seat arena. He did not say that there were any plans in place to even consider Winnipeg as a viable destination for a NHL franchise. What he said was that an arena with a capacity under 16,000 might be viable. It sounds like he is willing to entertain the possibility, but this is NOT the same thing as offering some sort of official approval.

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by Dion

Funny how the MTS centre doesn't come close to the seating capacity of 30 NHL teams.

A big capacity is a definite bonus but not if you can't get fans in the seats. Fact is there are ten teams right now that can't average 15,000 fans in their seats. Also kind of shocking is that out of the 30 teams there are 9 that sell out consistently over the last two years, 4 that have seen increases in attendance and 17 teams that have seen decreases in the average attendance so far this year. Some of them have seen drops of over 1,000-2,000.

# Team Name, Arena Capacity - 08/09 AVG - 09/10 AVG - Trend
1. Montreal, 21,273 - Sold Out - Sold Out
2. Chicago, 20,500 - Sold Out - Sold Out
3. Detroit, 20,066 - 19,865 - 19,129 - Down
4. Tampa Bay, 19,978 - 16,497 - 14,470 - Down
5. Philadelphia, 19,523 - Sold Out - 19,366 - Down
6. Calgary, 19,289 - Sold Out - Sold Out
7. Florida, 19,250 - 15,621 - 14,489 - Down
8. Ottawa, 19,153 - 18,949 - 17,971 - Down
9. New Jersey, 19,040 - 15,790 - 15,318 - Down
10. St. Louis, 19,022 - 18,554 - 18,624 - Up
11. Toronto, 18,819 - Sold Out - Sold Out
12. Carolina, 18,730 - 16,572 - 14,410 - Down
13. Buffalo, 18,690 - 18,531 - 18,397 - Down
14. Vancouver, 18,630 - Sold Out - Sold Out
15. Atlanta, 18,545 - 14,626 - 13,511 - Down
16. Dallas, 18,532 - 17,680 - 16,875 - Down
17. Washington, 18,277 - 18,097 - Sold Out - Up
18. New York, 18,200 - 18,172 - Sold Out - Up
19. Columbus, 18,136 - 15,534 - 15,004 - Down
20. Los Angeles, 18,118 - 16,488 - 16,273 - Down
21. Minnesota, 18,064 - Sold Out - Sold Out
22. Denver, 18,007 - 15,429 - 14,390 - Down
23. Phoenix, 17,799 - 14,875 - 9,774 - Down
24. Boston, 17,565 - 17,039 - 17,149 - Up
25. San Jose, 17,496 - Sold Out - Sold Out
26. Anaheim, 17,174 - 16,990 - 14,889 - Down
27. Nashville, 17,113 - 15,010 - 13,465 - Down
28. Pittsburgh, 16,940 - Sold Out - Sold Out
29. Edmonton, 16,839 - Sold Out - Sold Out
30. Long Island, 16,234 - 13,773 - 12,485 - Down

So where does this talk about expansion come from? To me that's insane.

[psicodude]

I love the spirit of the average Jets fan, but it always boils down to the hard numbers in the end. Take a look at this: http://www.teammarketing.com/blog/in...?article_id=98
(The full table is available for download at the bottom of the page). Basically, an average hockey game in Canada (excluding the Leafs) will cost you around $75 per person, including parking and some beers. For Winnipeg to survive with a significantly smaller arena, I would suggest this number would need to be closer to $100 per person.

Even more damning, is the premium ticket prices which are $200+. Although I can't find hard numbers to prove it, by guess is that Winnipeg has only a couple thousand of people that would be able to afford them.

The simple question then...Are there enough people in Winnipeg that A) like hockey enough and B) can afford to do this 41+ times a year? Unfortunately, that answer is no, and not for the foreseeable future.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

A big capacity is a definite bonus but not if you can't get fans in the seats. Fact is there are ten teams right now that can't average 15,000 fans in their seats. Also kind of shocking is that out of the 30 teams there are 9 that sell out consistently over the last two years, 4 that have seen increases in attendance and 17 teams that have seen decreases in the average attendance so far this year. Some of them have seen drops of over 1,000-2,000.

# Team Name, Arena Capacity - 08/09 AVG - 09/10 AVG - Trend
1. Montreal, 21,273 - Sold Out - Sold Out
2. Chicago, 20,500 - Sold Out - Sold Out
3. Detroit, 20,066 - 19,865 - 19,129 - Down
4. Tampa Bay, 19,978 - 16,497 - 14,470 - Down
5. Philadelphia, 19,523 - Sold Out - 19,366 - Down
6. Calgary, 19,289 - Sold Out - Sold Out
7. Florida, 19,250 - 15,621 - 14,489 - Down
8. Ottawa, 19,153 - 18,949 - 17,971 - Down
9. New Jersey, 19,040 - 15,790 - 15,318 - Down
10. St. Louis, 19,022 - 18,554 - 18,624 - Up
11. Toronto, 18,819 - Sold Out - Sold Out
12. Carolina, 18,730 - 16,572 - 14,410 - Down
13. Buffalo, 18,690 - 18,531 - 18,397 - Down
14. Vancouver, 18,630 - Sold Out - Sold Out
15. Atlanta, 18,545 - 14,626 - 13,511 - Down
16. Dallas, 18,532 - 17,680 - 16,875 - Down
17. Washington, 18,277 - 18,097 - Sold Out - Up
18. New York, 18,200 - 18,172 - Sold Out - Up
19. Columbus, 18,136 - 15,534 - 15,004 - Down
20. Los Angeles, 18,118 - 16,488 - 16,273 - Down
21. Minnesota, 18,064 - Sold Out - Sold Out
22. Denver, 18,007 - 15,429 - 14,390 - Down
23. Phoenix, 17,799 - 14,875 - 9,774 - Down
24. Boston, 17,565 - 17,039 - 17,149 - Up
25. San Jose, 17,496 - Sold Out - Sold Out
26. Anaheim, 17,174 - 16,990 - 14,889 - Down
27. Nashville, 17,113 - 15,010 - 13,465 - Down
28. Pittsburgh, 16,940 - Sold Out - Sold Out
29. Edmonton, 16,839 - Sold Out - Sold Out
30. Long Island, 16,234 - 13,773 - 12,485 - Down

So where does this talk about expansion come from? To me that's insane.

True enough. The NHL will go to great lengths to save exisiting franchises before they start granting new ones. Even then if they can't a city like Kansas City or Portland for that matter would get a team before Winnipeg.

[HOOT]

I still can't believe Phoenix has an average attendance below 10,000. The team is winning and people are still not showing up even though the NHL is trying so hard to keep it there.

[Jordan!]

Why do people think that IF Winnipeg gets a team again, that they'll automatically be called The Jets???

[calumniate]

no, the Jetsons

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

So, what did Gary Bettman actually say? He most certainly did not say that the NHL is anxious to relocate to Winnipeg or any other NA city with a 15,000-seat arena. He did not say that there were any plans in place to even consider Winnipeg as a viable destination for a NHL franchise. What he said was that an arena with a capacity under 16,000 might be viable. It sounds like he is willing to entertain the possibility, but this is NOT the same thing as offering some sort of official approval.

I agree that the blogger staged the comments to make them sound pro Winnipeg (or to even give an inkling of hope). Had I read the comments from a purely objective POV (ie, not posted by anyone advocating a Jets revival), I'd have walked away with the idea that what Bettman is saying, is that in certain markets, less is more. Perhaps some of the markets towards the bottom of the attendance list posted earlier. Increase demand by limiting supply. That works in alot of cases. Not so sure about the NHL, but it's possible. The reason why I'm not so sure about that tactic working in the NHL is because the NHL is a scheduled product. It's not like Nintendos and Sonys that are released with such a limited supply, that people are willing to trample their grandmothers and pay twice what it's worth to get it.
The logic behind the justification of a smaller arena based on the fact that the last couple thousand seats are the most expensive and the least profitable just doesn't equate, AFAIC.
Whatever the case, this method of increasing demand by limiting supply really only works when there are enough potential consumers for the product. I'm no expert on Winnipeg, but from what I've read (admittedly, mostly here), there just isn't. If it were to work anywhere, it should have worked in a place like Phoenix where there are a) lots of snowbirds that, assumably, are prone to liking hockey, and b) a huge population base. It didn't. Not even Gretzky could pull it off.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by HOOT

I still can't believe Phoenix has an average attendance below 10,000. The team is winning and people are still not showing up even though the NHL is trying so hard to keep it there.

People think the product (hockey) is crap down there. It's gonna take a while for people to head to games if Phoenix keeps it up. Not to mention future of franchise is in limbo.

Lets see if Phoenix makes the playoffs and they don't have fairly good draws then before we rat to hard on them.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

It's not a matter of "if" we get a franchise it is a question of "when".

I think it's still a question of "if".

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Joborule

People think the product (hockey) is crap down there. It's gonna take a while for people to head to games if Phoenix keeps it up. Not to mention future of franchise is in limbo.

Lets see if Phoenix makes the playoffs and they don't have fairly good draws then before we rat to hard on them.

They know they are losing their team and are still not supporting them. To me that shows zero interest in the game and the team. They are better off somewhere else if they are draw BELOW 10,000 numbers in a nightly basis. Only 7 of 17 games have drawn more than 10,000 announced attendance in that building. Once having a number South of 6,500 people.

It is a joke that the NHL would continue this fiasco.