The Future of Pro Hockey in Winnipeg
Since my opinion has been solicited frequently on this topic, here it is:
After the Jets Left
The Minnesota Moose of the IHL moved to Winnipeg for the 1996-1997 season and became known the Manitoba "Fighting" Moose. The club and its venue are simply expensive toys for owner Mark Chipman, and Mr. Chipman is probably the only Winnipegger who cares about his team. His building has fans, his team does not.
Will the Jets Come Back?
Realistically, there is no chance that the NHL will ever return to Winnipeg. However remote the chances are, if this situation is ever to change, three key factors must be addressed:
| 1. Winnipeg |
Winnipeg is a slowly degenerating city whose economy is government-driven. Governments remain the largest employer in the city, and skilled, higher-income professionals continue to leave. As a result, the corporate money that is needed to fill private boxes and premium seating in order to make a team financially viable is not there in the same quantity as it is in other cities. The fact that those Winnipeggers who remain in the city continue to elect socialist governments doesn't help matters any either. No city, province, or country can tax itself into prosperity. Even in a rejuvenated, capitalist Winnipeg, this city would still qualify as the NHL's smallest market, and though this may come as a surprise to some, pro sports leagues are not falling over themselves to place teams in small markets. In short, Winnipeg has a long way to go before any pro sports league will seriously look at it as a potential destination. |
| 2. NHL |
The National Hockey League wanted no part of Winnipeg in 1972, 1979, or 1996, and doesn't want to be in Winnipeg today. It can be argued that the only reason Winnipeg got an NHL franchise in 1979 was to get rid of the competition, the WHA, and so that the NHL could get their hands on the young players that were currently on WHA rosters. The Birmingham Bulls probably interested NHL governors more than the Winnipeg Jets did. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman continues to give carefully-worded statements that a small, naïve, but vocal group of Winnipeggers interpret as support for the return of an NHL franchise to Winnipeg. In reality, all Mr. Bettman is doing is skillfully adding virtual competition for expansion franchises in order to drive up the expansion fee, as well as adding another virtual relocation candidate to act as a threat so as to apply pressure to existing cities to renovate or build new arenas. I don't believe for one moment that the NHL will ever again place a team in Winnipeg, and won't be convinced to the contrary until the proverbial puck is dropped at center ice. It is my belief that the NHL would sooner fold a troubled franchise than move it to Winnipeg. |
| 3. Mark Chipman |
Currently, Mr. Chipman effectively holds a monopoly over pro hockey in Winnipeg, and will not give it up unless forced by finances or legislation. His involvement in any aspect of the operation of any potential future NHL team in Winnipeg must be prevented in order for the team to have a chance to be successful. He was given his monopoly by the government, and that same government must act to take it away from him. With him in power as the de facto Tsar of Hockey of Winnipeg, any effort to return an NHL team to Winnipeg can not work. This man simply must be removed from power as a precondition to any such effort. |
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