The Winnipeg Jets and the Long-Term Viability of Hockey in Winnipeg
The Winnipeg Jets are coming off of their best season since relocation in 2011, and with that success came nine home playoff games. That kind of revenue for a small-market team is nothing to sneeze at.
The Winnipeg Jets will always be looked at, from an outside perspective, as low men on the totem pole. Their metro area is the only one in the NHL with a population under one million. In fact, they’re almost half of the next highest team on this list.
That usually doesn’t scream long-term viability. Yet, this is the second time they’ve put a franchise in Winnipeg, and the fan base is, as we know, extremely supportive. They aren’t there for no reason.
As we know, however, this team faced economic trouble once free agency became more…well, free. The exchange rate, the small market and the US teams being able to, you know, use the US dollar, crushed some of the small Canadian markets.
The Quebec Nordiques folded in 1995 and moved to Colorado to become the Avalanche. This was, and still is, a troubling sign for the Winnipeg Jets. The Nordiques were good, they had just finished with the league’s best record. They were eliminated in the playoffs by the New York Rangers and *bam*, that was all she wrote.
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The small market and financial freedoms of the players and other teams were too much to handle, even for a team on the rise. The Jets are currently a team on the rise. And while they’re not the dumpster fire that Arizona is, they’re not the most economically stable NHL franchise.
Arizona, the place they moved the original Jets, has already had to file for bankruptcy and have the government take on their debt to keep the team. Their debt is 83% of their value, their revenues are the lowest in the league and their operating income is at a substantial loss.
True North Sports, who owns Bell MTS Place as well, is the current owner of the Winnipeg Jets. They’ve been dedicated to bringing a team back to Winnipeg for decades now, first attempting to buy the Coyotes and bringing them back.
Fortunately for the Jets faithful, there were no shortage of financially struggling teams. The Atlanta Thrashers were at the forefront of those teams, and, wow, beyond the ownership battle (lawsuits, $100million losses) and poor play, Atlanta was never a good idea for a hockey team.
They have the Falcons and the Bulldogs, the Hawks and the Braves, all franchises with decent-to-great histories. I live here in the south, down in Florida, and hockey is not popular. Even with the Tampa Bay Lightning being wildly successful, their fans are few and far between.
I have never once met a fan of the Florida Panthers. I live about three hours from their arena. The southeast just has too much sport to choose from and too little interest in something ice-covered. And such is life, the Thrashers failed.
True North Sports bought them and moved them back to Winnipeg, even with all the concerns that remain about the city’s long-term viability. This is a small-market team in a poor free agent destination. It will always be an uphill climb.
Yes, the Jets are near the peak. But the valleys are deeper for these teams. If a team like this falls into a deep funk, one not unlike Buffalo or Arizona, it can be catastrophic. I have no idea how the Sabres have stayed viable. Let’s not delve into that.
Fan support has never been a problem, since the Winnipeg Jets routinely sell out all 41 home games and were fifth in attendance percentage this season. Their new iteration has proved more than viable in its honeymoon phase.
I’m not an economist. I know, it’s surprising, but it’s true. I haven’t a clue how the future of the Winnipeg Jets financial situation will flesh out.
But the Jets not needing revenue sharing money in their first season wasn’t a bad sign. But there’s only so much merchandise to go around, I suppose. I have my Byfuglien shirt and Jets keychain, but maybe I’ll support my boys up north.
The people of Winnipeg clearly want the franchise enough to try and keep it there. It doesn’t seem as though attendance would fall to the point of becoming an issue. But the Winnipeg Jets will never be in the NHL’s premier teams of wealth, and that’s okay.
Not everyone can be the NY Rangers. I’d rather have an owner that A) Genuinely cares about the team and B) Is not a complete boor with a penchant for impetuous decisions. I love the Rangers, no doubt, but True North is an ownership group that desperately wants the team in Winnipeg.
Next: Season Review: Nikolaj Ehlers
And maybe years down the road when the Jets can’t afford all their homegrown stars and everyone splits in free agency, they’ll have a dark patch. But a good front office and ownership group deserves trust that they’ll keep the team competitive. And in Manitoba.