from Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet,
In the wake of comments from Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman that spurred a familiar wave of worry from fans who lost their NHL club once before, commissioner Gary Bettman arrived in town this week and made a point to dispel any confusion about the league's position on the Canadian franchise.
“This is a place where hockey matters,” Bettman said at a press conference in the city Tuesday, while in town for his annual visit. “I believe that this is a strong NHL market. I believe that ownership has made extraordinary commitments to the Jets, to this arena, to the downtown area, involving hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m not sure why people are now speculating that somehow they’re not going to be here.”
The speculation in question stemmed from comments made by Chipman in a recent interview with The Athletic, wherein the Jets owner voiced his concern about the state of the club’s attendance and season-ticket sales.
"I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say, 'We’ve got to get back to 13,000 (season tickets),'" Chipman said in the piece. "This place we find ourselves in right now, it’s not going to work over the long haul. It just isn’t."
On Tuesday, Bettman suggested Chipman’s comments were more about the club's ability to compete as best it can as an NHL franchise rather than the viability of remaining in Winnipeg.
FWIW, Bettman said some of those same things weeks before the Thrashers were sold to True North.
No, I don't think that is going to happen soon and undoubtedly Bettman would support keeping the team in Winnipeg more than he did Atlanta (they hated the ownership group here). But if slow ticket sales continue despite team success, it'll become a problem.
I don't want to hear ownership complain ONE bit. They bought a team for $170M (if memory serves) that could now be sold for well over $650M. They aren't losing money. They are making it hand over fist.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.