Winnipeg Jets return

[jrhky36 1]

report on yahoo.com says the talks between glendale and thethe group that wants to buy them broke down. and a new group has expressed intrest.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AvD8...-winnipeg051010

[chippa13 1844]

And what makes people think a team in Winnipeg that was hemorrhaging cash back in '96 won't be doing the same in 2011?

[RadioGaGa 162]

And what makes people think a team in Winnipeg that was hemorrhaging cash back in '96 won't be doing the same in 2011?

I think the biggest problem in '96 was the need for a new building (which at teh time no one was willing to contrinute to)...now, they have the MTS Centre and fairly decent corporate support.

There could be a chain reaction of movement in the next few years. Between the AHL and NHL.

If all is to be believed and Phonenix moves to Winterpeg...that could leave the Moose homeless...and if Laval is indeed the new home for the Habs AHL Affiliate...then maybe HECFI (who runs the Bulldogs) can coax the Moose to Hamilton.

[Chadd 916]

I think the biggest problem in '96 was the need for a new building (which at teh time no one was willing to contrinute to)...now, they have the MTS Centre and fairly decent corporate support.

The Canadian dollar is also worth about 30 cents more in relation to the US dollar than it was 15 years ago.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Can we install spell check on the New MSH....Cripes...that's awful (me, not you!)

[BenderHockey 127]

Lol, are Phonenix and Winterpeg anywhere near Ontanarino?

[RadioGaGa 162]

Lol, are Phonenix and Winterpeg anywhere near Ontanarino?

Winterpeg was on purpose...the rest were just horrible typing *L*

[Larry54 243]

The Canadian dollar is also worth about 30 cents more in relation to the US dollar than it was 15 years ago.

So when the canadian dollar reaches $1.30 USD, are all the U.S. teams going to move to Canada? :P

[Chadd 916]

So when the canadian dollar reaches $1.30 USD, are all the U.S. teams going to move to Canada? :P

At least two or three more would. Since salaries are paid in US dollars, those teams would have a huge advantage in turning a profit. Unfortunately, I don't think they would have an easy time attracting free agents to play there.

[JohnnyCanuck 0]

The Jets moving to Phoenix was inevitable, the Canadian teams were on life support (Leafs the only exlcusion) due to a horrible currency value.

The Nucks, Flames, Oilers, Habs all were in deep trouble (All reflective of ownership changes in each and every market, to keep the teams alive)

The Jets and Nords relocating happened due to economic forces that wont ever be repeated in Canada.... due to a much more fiscally conservative Canadian govt and much more socialist style USA govt due to the weakening economy there. The gap will never ever be as wide as it was in the mid to late 90's.

The MTS Centre, while small in NHL terms, will be packed to the rafters and would get $80-$150 a seat imho... the corp support is better there than it was due to industrial activites in the centre of Canada etc.

Just a humble $0.02...

Hockey in Arizona never made sense to me... along with some other markets, but let's not get off topic ;)

[crazylegs_9 0]

NHL releases contingency schedule with Winnipeg, and moved the avs to the Pacific.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010...eg.html?ref=rss

[LivHockey84 0]

if anywhere, I'd love to see them back in Winnipeg

[starsfan71 9]

One can only hope.

[jds 20]

So the NHL moves the team with good fan support from Winnipeg to Phoenix only to have it bleed money at a ridiculous rate. Even brings in Gretzky to try sell the game to the desert much like he did when he went to LA ( except that when he went to the Kings he was playing and still a huge draw for non-hockey fans) and THAT fails;ignores bids from a billionaire who is willing to pay more than the team is worth because he will move it to Hamilton; takes control of the team and continues to lose money only to (it seems) move it back to where it started in the first place. When does Bettman get a fail for this whole process and get canned? (no bias being from Hamilton. Okay, maybe a bit)

[LivHockey84 0]

Oh Mr. Bettman has been getting a FAIL for a long time in my book!

[jds 20]

He's on HNIC now being as slippery as usual. I wish Scott Oake would just give him a shot to the head. I'd pay big bucks to see that!

[Chadd 916]

Let's cut the US - Canada crap and stay on topic.

[jds 20]

It's not US vs Canada in my mind. The original six was mostly US after all.It's the fact that Bettman refuses to look at any market that is not part of his mandate which is to sell the NHL in the sunbelt US. Even if it isn't working he can't seem to admit that maybe it doesn't work in some markets. It's not the NBA. THAT is why he gets a fail. How about the fans?

[Chadd 916]

It's not US vs Canada in my mind. The original six was mostly US after all.It's the fact that Bettman refuses to look at any market that is not part of his mandate which is to sell the NHL in the sunbelt US. Even if it isn't working he can't seem to admit that maybe it doesn't work in some markets. It's not the NBA. THAT is why he gets a fail. How about the fans?

When the team won this year, they started selling out the building. Success brings fans in a new market and the Coyotes had very little success for a long time. Putting the new building so far from their fan base was also a monumentally stupid move, but the owner at the time wanted a centerpiece for the new development he was building. This is a situation that has had a number of bad owners making bad decisions, that will kill just about any sports team in any town. It wasn't long ago that the Hawks and Pens were struggling to draw 10,000 people a night and now look at them.

As for the fans, in their last season Winnipeg was the third cheapest ticket in the league, $12 (1/3 of the league average) cheaper than the league average. If there was so much demand for tickets, why couldn't they raise prices?

[n3ss 0]

derp hockey in the south WTH?

nationalism sucks guys/ quit being elitist.

[jds 20]

When the team won this year, they started selling out the building. Success brings fans in a new market and the Coyotes had very little success for a long time. Putting the new building so far from their fan base was also a monumentally stupid move, but the owner at the time wanted a centerpiece for the new development he was building. This is a situation that has had a number of bad owners making bad decisions, that will kill just about any sports team in any town. It wasn't long ago that the Hawks and Pens were struggling to draw 10,000 people a night and now look at them.

As for the fans, in their last season Winnipeg was the third cheapest ticket in the league, $12 cheaper than the league average. If there was so much demand for tickets, why couldn't they raise prices?

I agree. All bad ownership decisions. But why did the NHL back these poor decisions. That all must have been part of the bid to build the arena in the boonies. Now you have the town of Glendale (250,000) likely on the hook tax-wise to carry this team since it looks like council is going to vote to keep it. I am all for spreading the NHL throughout North America. I gave up the "Canada is the best hockey country" when I was 12. I don't care if they have a team in Hawaii. I just get the sense that Bettman is the one being nationalistic in all of this and , like many on this board have said, there is no place for that kind of crap.

[Chadd 916]

I agree. All bad ownership decisions. But why did the NHL back these poor decisions. That all must have been part of the bid to build the arena in the boonies.

Lay off the acid man, there was no grand conspiracy. A couple owners made selfish decisions that they didn't have to live with and hockey fans did. The NHL has no control of the internal operations of a team. Big things like moving out of town, yes. Where in your market to put a building, not so much. The problem is that sports owners are often using the teams to draw traffic to other businesses that they own. The team can be a loss leader for them and they will still make money on the other parts of the project. Unfortunately, that doesn't help other people who may take over the team later.

[jds 20]

Good point ( and I'm not dishing acid here. Not my intention). It comes down to the owners screwing the fans ( see MLSE) to line their pockets. Not like they aren't in it for the money but it seems to be going the way it was in the early days when the owners did all sorts of questionable things to max profit. I get that it is a business but it is still nice (thought perhaps idealistic) to have owners who actually like hockey and don't just look at a team as ONLY a ways to make money (for example the Molson boys in Montreal-hockey fans at least). I don't think Reisndorf has ever been to a hockey game :)

[Chadd 916]

I don't think Reisndorf has ever been to a hockey game :)

You would be incorrect. I've seen him a a number of coyote and blackhawk games prior to him being announced as a potential owner.

I really don't want to see the new ownership groups trying to take advantage of the city. As much as Phoenix is a viable market over the long term, they would be better served losing the team than paying a kings ransom to keep them.

[jds 20]

You would be incorrect. I've seen him a a number of coyote and blackhawk games prior to him being announced as a potential owner.

I really don't want to see the new ownership groups trying to take advantage of the city. As much as Phoenix is a viable market over the long term, they would be better served losing the team than paying a kings ransom to keep them.

( I was being facetious) Agreed. I think the taxpayers of Glendale would be not well served if they choose to keep the team. The money has to come from somewhere. You'd hate to see them having to either raise taxes or cut something to fund this venture.