Back in the game – NHL hockey returns to Winnipeg

The 9 reasons why a hometown hockey team is both good and bad news

Photo credit: Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press

In case you were wondering what Winnipeg is all excited about (and why they’ve been making all this national news), it’s hockey fever. The city lost its NHL franchise, the beloved Winnipeg Jets, in 1996. Ever since that black day, there has been a powerful underground movement afoot, stealthily organizing to get their team back.

The dream is becoming a reality. True North Sports and Entertainment announced that they have bought the Atlanta Thrashers (really, there was such a team!) in order to bring NHL back to Manitoba fans. On June 21st, the NHL Board of Governors will approve the transaction and make it official. (Or not, in which case the Board members had better head for the hills…)

So let’s look at the 9 reasons why the Jets-Redux team is bringing both good and bad news to the Winnipeg economic landscape.

1. Jobs lost and gained

   • The bad news: The city’s AHL hockey team, the Manitoba Moose, which had been keeping hockey fans entertained for the past 15 years, will be sent packing in order to make room for the big leagues.
   • The good news: New local jobs will be created to support the NHL team, including office and administrative departments, marketing and publicity positions.

2. Family fun for a fortune

   • The bad news: Hockey games as a form of family entertainment just got a whole lot more expensive. Tickets for Moose games averaged around $30 each, while tickets for the new NHL team will be an average of $82.
   • The good news: The theory goes that as local fans spend more of their cash on games, that money stays in Winnipeg rather than being spent on trips to US outlet malls, for example (you know who you are!).

3. Sky-high salaries

   • The bad news: It’s super costly to run a hockey team. The salary cap (the maximum amount of money that NHL teams are allowed to pay their players) keeps rising and this year it will be around $62 million. This means every team in the league can expect to pay at least $46 million in salaries.
   • The good news: At least there’s a cap.

4. Fat paycheques = real-estate boom

   • The bad news: The team comes with a few salary commitments already. Experts are suspecting that the payroll for the new Winnipeg team could top $50 million. That’s in US dollars.
   • The good news: Hey Winnipeg, a whole team of multi-millionaires is moving in! This means monster homes, fancy cars, swimming pools and parties like it’s 1999. This will give a mega-boost to the local economy and property values.

5. Counting on a sell-out

   • The bad news: To stay profitable, games will need to be sold out every night, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
   • The good news: A pre-sale aiming to sell 13,000 season’s tickets sold out in 17 minutes. Analysts are saying that Winnipeg will likely be in the top 10 across the league when it comes to selling out their tickets.

6. The big box just got pricier

   • The bad news: The cost of a luxury box at MTS Centre ranges between $105,000 to $197,000 a season.
   • The good news: The ‘corporate suites’ are aimed at big businesses and their traveling executives, who will hang around in Winnipeg longer in order to attend an NHL game. Those corporate expense cards will be put to good use at Winnipeg’s hotels, restaurants and bars.

7. Small rink, big brand

   • The bad news: The 15,015 seat MTS Centre will be the shrinkiest rink in the NHL.
   • The good news: Winnipeg gets a branding boost, as NHL fans all over North America watch televised games at the MTS Centre, and the players carry the spirit of Winnipeg with them in their travels.

8. The Jets by any other name...

   • The bad news: Though most people are rooting for the team to be re-named The Jets, there is still a chance it could be called something else like…The Not Habs or The Leaf-Blowers.
   • The good news: Whatever the name, there will be a definite rise in tourist spending, as NHL games will attract hockey fans from all over Manitoba, as well as Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Northern US states. (Get the pull-out sofa ready, your cousins from Saskatchewan just bought season’s tickets!)

9. Fundraising just got easier

   • The bad news: You better brush up on your game; you’re going to be roped into a lot more charity golf tournaments next summer.
   • The good news: NHL teams spend a lot on promotion, such as advertising, sponsorships and community donations. The players also donate a lot of their time to their communities, using their profile to help local charities fundraise.

Canadians love their hockey

Once you net it all out, most hockey fans will tell you that more hockey in Canada is better than less. So we’re with you Winnipeg! Looking forward to an exciting season in 2011-2012...rooting for, well, whatever your name will be...

 

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