For the Love of the Game, part 2
 | This TSN Documentary examines the passion for the game of Hockey in Canada & the notion that perhaps the NHL is deliberately keeping Canadian teams out of its exclusive club. This 3 part series looks as all aspects of keeping a franchise in Winnipeg thru interviews with all of the main players. Everyone from the Mayor Of Winnipeg, Premier of Manitoba, Owner of the Winnipeg Jets, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman & Most importantly; The Fans. Something to think about while watching this documentary, If Bettman himself states that if there are not enough fans going to the games to make it successful; Why in 2008 are we stuck still watching failing franchises in the Southern States? Winnipeg had the fan base however; our Arena was not suitable for the NHL to provide revenue for Players Salaries, etc however; other cities such as Pittsburgh were in the exact same position but Bettman did much more to keep that team there then he EVER did for our city of Winnipeg. Also; although our Mayor at the time "Susan Thompson" comes off as a true supporter of keeping the Jets in Winnipeg, Just remember that SHE could have...... "In 1996, Winnipeg's mayor Susan Thompson spent $130 million of taxpayer money to prepare for the 1999 Pan American Games instead of building an arena for the Jets. The Pan-Am funds were used to improve roads and clean up Winnipeg for the 16-day event. Years later, the $130 million Winnipeg spent has amortized into nothing. Susan Thompson was thinking short-term instead of long-term. The benefits of an arena and a NHL team can be had for decades, while the benefits of new paint and fixed roads were felt for less then a single decade. Had Winnipeg not had such an incompetent mayor at the time, an arena would have been built long ago, and the Jets would still in Winnipeg." Part 2 of 3. TSN, Inside Sports July 01, 1996 (Link not available to source) |
The NHL In Trouble?
 | One of the most detailed articles reviewing the state of the economics of pro sports and the differences in hard and soft salary caps and luxury tax systems. Although wrote before the NHL lockout season, so much of the article could have been wrote current day with the new CBA in hand. As such the article provides a great understanding of the issues, which seemingly have gone unchanged for many of the NHL's stakholders including the proverbial family of four. The article's conclusions may be stark but may become more realistic as time moves forward. Matt Witting, WashingtonHockey.com February 10, 2003 Source |
Just a matter of time
| | Sports business analyst says NHL's return to Winnipeg is a 'no-brainer' With the new CBA bringing both revenue sharing and a salary cap into view, a new arena in downtown Winnipeg that can derive much more revenue than the past Winnipeg arena, Mark Chipman has crunched the numbers. While he won't guarantee anything, he also won't rule anything out, as it pertains to the NHL returning to Winnipeg. Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun October 05, 2005 (Link not available to source) |
A sympathetic ear
| | Great One recalls Jets' past and holds out hope for NHL future Gretzky comments positively about Winnipeg as he arrives in town for the first preseason game at the MTS Centre: "When the franchise left years ago, there were a lot of reasons as to why the team left," Gretzky began. "A lot of those issues have sort of changed. By that, I mean the salary cap, obviously, revenue sharing to a certain degree, the American-Canadian dollar is stronger than it was ... and the new facility. So there's a lot more in favour of Winnipeg maybe some day getting an NHL franchise back." He added, "I know the league, the players themselves, enjoy playing here." Gretzky concluded by saying, "The visiting teams enjoy the atmosphere in this city. There's a lot better chance in this day and age that this city could get a franchise than maybe 10 years ago. Whether or not it happens is something the league has to work out, and ownerships have to work out. But obviously this city's always going to get talked about, because it's a good hockey city." Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun September 18, 2006 (Link not available to source) |
Canwest Global: Local Reaction To Gary Bettman's Support For Winnipeg
| | Local reaction to the NHL Commissioner’s support for Winnipeg’s return to the NHL. CEO Edmonton Oilers, Pat LaForge, supports Winnipeg. Global also speculates on potential NHL financials. (Although much was understated or missing.) Claims that $260 million would be required before the first season starts are inflated with no mention how future revenues streams for both hockey and non-hockey events at the MTS Centre may offset a team purchase cost. Canwest Global January 26, 2007 (Link not available to source) |
CBC: HNIC Hotstove
| | A week following Mr. Bettman’s supportive comments about Winnipeg, the group of reporters speak about some NHL governors support for it, a potential local ownership group has already reviewed two NHL teams books and concluded that the NHL would work in Winnipeg with the current MTS Centre at 15,003 seating capacity. CBC, Hockey Night in Canada: Hotstove January 28, 2007 (Link not available to source) |
Flames loving Loonie
| | Ken King, president and CEO of the Flames, talks about the rising Canadian dollar and its effect on the operation. Steve McFarlane, Sun Media (Calgary) June 03, 2007 Source |
Movie mogul wants an NHL team
| | Jerry Bruckheimer is looking to bring hockey to Vegas and the league is more than willing, if he's got the cash to pay for it Steve Milton reports that Bill Daly has confirmed that the NHL is considering Las Vegas as an expansion club with a hefty expansion price tag of $250+ million. Jerry Bruckheimer of TV show CSI has supposely whispered this figure to the NHL. With Balsillie driving up the value of all franchises by offering more than $200 million for the Predators he is also driving up the cost of all expansion teams too. Kansas City more by virtue of an empty brand new rink is also said to be selling its case to the NHL. Based on Hamilton, the writer suggests that should those two cities be set aside for expansion, then less relocation options remain for the trouble clubs, which leads to better prospects for another team in Canada. Milton also points out that Winnipeg would be the NHL's choice over Hamilton due to several complications including territorial concerns with Toronto. Steve Milton, The Hamilton Spectator June 13, 2007 Source |
Hockey Hearsay
| | A Loonie idea for Winnipeg A high-ranking hockey source says the league receives daily calls about bringing a franchise back to Manitoba. The NHL reportedly also reinforced its patent on the Winnipeg Jets name and logos. Sportsnet.ca November 07, 2007 Source |
Strength of Canadian Dollar Could Hurt U.S. NHL Teams
| | Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily November 07, 2007 Source |
NHL says league revenue will reach $2.53 billion
| | Tripp Mickle, Washington Business Journal December 14, 2007 Source |
The Loonie Takes Off in Canada
| | Laura Blue, Time.com December 20, 2007 Source |
Sun Belt teams still struggling to cash in
| | There's been success on the ice, but not at box office John Manasso explains how the new CBA has lead the NHLPA to conclude that franchise relocations maybe the biggest way to grow the financial pie from which the players receive a percentage. The numbers show that Canadian teams are doing very well while Sunbelt teams aren’t. John Manasso, NBC Sports January 26, 2008 Source |
Mike Beauregard reports; Peter Mansbridge with Mark Chipman
| | Mike Beauregard reports from Winnipeg focusing on the state of pro hockey, past, present and future. Following Mike’s report is a live, candid discussion between CBC television newsanchor Peter Mansbridge and Mark Chipman, governor of the Manitoba Moose hockey club, regarding the various aspects of the return of the NHL to Winnipeg. CBC Newsworld February 06, 2008 (Link not available to source) |
Mother of All Mailbags
| | Content not related has been removed From his mailbag, John Buccigross anwsers a reader question from San Jose about lamenting the Jets White-Out and why there aren't more Canadian teams. He says that the NHL may want any new team to be able to stand in its' own without the need for revenue sharing. (Our financial scenarios found here validate that Winnipeg would not need revenue sharing to sustain itself.) John Buccigross, ESPN.com April 23, 2008 Source |
31% of NHL ticket revenue from Canadian teams
| | The Canadian Press examines the NHL’s gate receipts by game and by team and finds that Canadian teams proved to be among the most financially sound. These numbers allow Manitoba Mythbusters to compare how a potential Winnipeg team’s ticket prices at the MTS Centre and related gate revenues would show against the existing 30 teams. NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly cites the document and says that this highlights the need for more teams in Canada instead of the U.S. The Canadian Press May 30, 2008 Source |
Canadian NHL teams mean money
| | Canada's six clubs are responsible for bringing in almost one-third of NHL's entire ticket revenue Rick Westhead at the Toronto Star breaks a story from a leaked NHL attendance and gate revenue report. Former Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths said that the report makes the case for another Canadian team “whether it's Hamilton, Winnipeg or Quebec City”. Paul Kelly, head of the NHLPA, said "I think it would be a huge error not to relocate one of the existing franchises to Hamilton or Winnipeg." The numbers show that 8 US clubs brought in less than half that of Edmonton or Ottawa. Rick Westhead, Sports Business Columnist, TheStar.com May 30, 2008 Source |
Canadian clubs bring in 1/3 of ticket revenue
 | The Fan 590: Jim Kelly chats about the recent NHL document which states that the top 6 Canadian clubs (20% of the NHL teams) bring in 1/3 (33%) of ticket revenue in the league, and mentions how this statistic should convince Gary Bettman to add another Canadian team to the NHL. They note past Canucks owner Arthur Griffith's surpportive comments about placing a team in Winnipeg, Hamilton and Quecbec City as well as very direct and supportive comments by the NHLPA head, Paul Kelly. Jim Kelly mentions that the NHL would probably drop resistance to Jim Balsillie if his destination target was Winnipeg, Quebec City or Kitcherner-Waterloo instead of Hamilton and its territorial issues with the Maples Leafs and Sabres. Jim Kelly, The Fan 590 May 30, 2008 (Link not available to source) |
Silly season in the NHL
| | Using the kickstart to free agency as a backdrop, Iain MacIntyre's main point is that 6 to 12 teams are driving the salary cap up while that rising salary cap floor may render some teams as also-rans at best or unsustainable at worst. Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun July 05, 2008 Source |
Scandal-plagued NHL could drag Jackets down
| | Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch July 05, 2008 Source |
Time overdue for more NHL teams in Canada
| | Mark Moore would like to see an NHL team back in Winnipeg. The modern big business of the NHL is more concerned with dollars than fairness. But now, things have come full-circle in a sense and the economic argument itself might for the first time in a long time find its best place on the Canadian side of the border. Mark Moore, The Hockey News September 04, 2008 Source |
All quiet on the expansion front
| | Due to the impending econmic cloud coming to North America in general and pro sports in particular, so much talk about possible expansion has been put on the NHl's backburner. Tim Wharnsby, Globe Sports September 17, 2008 Source |
CJOB 680 AM Radio: Richard Cloutier with Mark Chipman
| | CJOB Radio: Richard Cloutier talks corporate support in Winnipeg with Mark Chipman. Mark calls Gretzky's comments about Winnipeg not having that corporate base "folklore" and that Gretzky "very well may be" wrong. Mark also says how much stronger the corporate community has become since 1996 and that a team would not come here without proper validation on a high degree of certainty. The committments for season tickets and corporate-base revenues streams would need to be demonstrated before an ownership group could move ahead and purchase a team. Those committments could not be for just for 1 or 2 years. Mark Chipman believes that with his group owning the arena and all its revenue streams, that they would love to become owners of an NHL team in almost any way conceivable. As an illustration of the robust economy, Mark Chipman says that currently, there is a waiting list of over 50 companies for the MTS Centre. Mark also presents the Manitoban economy as one of the most stable that can be pointed to. Richard Cloutier with Mark Chipman, CJOB 680 AM Radio September 24, 2008 (Link not available to source) |
The giant sucking sound
| | The Globe & Mail staff report that "the grumbling is intensifying behind the scenes from owners and team officials who are watching with mounting dismay as millions pour from successful franchises in Canada and the United States to their staggering partners, mostly in the American sunbelt." The six Canadian NHL franchises contributed more than $40-million US to their fellow owners last season, and about $50-million when playoff revenues are taken into account. The article points out that "at the other end of the spectrum, several teams are becoming increasingly frustrated at the skyrocketing salary cap, which now forces teams to carry a minimum payroll of $40.7-million." A source with knowledge of league operations said, "there are probably 10 to 12 teams that can't afford a $40.7-million payroll." Edmonton Oiler CEO Patric LaForge said, "It's not 15 teams that get the benefit of the rewards. It's a temporary measure. Hopefully, it'll go away" which, as other newssotries point out, may be too optimistic for some troubled teams unless a relocation is in their future. Sean Gordon, Allan Maki & David Shoalts, Globe & Mail October 10, 2008 Source |
NHLPA Boss Treads Slow in Uncertain Times
| | James Deacon, AOL Sports October 17, 2008 Source |
Special Report: The Business Of Hockey
| | Michael Ozanian and Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes.com October 29, 2008 Source |
Kelley: Balance sheet
| | Speculating on the values of NHL clubs doesn’t make much sense, but it can provide some insight into league economics. Jim Kelly, Sportsnet.ca October 30, 2008 Source |
Michael Russo's Sunday Insider: NHL players brace for concessions
| | The union is taking steps to deal with the possibility that players will have to give back to cover shrinking profits. Michael Russo, Star Tribune November 02, 2008 Source |
The squeeze is on
| | No longer immune to world economic fluctuations, professional sports are feeling the pinch of this global recession. The key question, Bill Lankhof asks, is: How bad will it get? Bill Lankhof, The Toronto Sun November 02, 2008 Source |
The Fan 590: Hockeycentral with NHL VP Bill Daly
| | The Fan 590 / Hockey Central: Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean host the daily noon-hour hockey talk show. Mr. MacLean asks the NHL VP Bill Daly a question regarding Winnipeg and the possibility of "temporary expansion". Doug is adamant that relocation will have to happen, and Mr. Daly doesn't appear to disagree at all. The Fan 590 November 21, 2008 (Link not available to source) |
Recession Warning: NHL on thin economic ice
| | The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran reports that many leading economists and financiers in the sports community say that "the NHL will likely find itself on financial thin ice if the recession deepens." McGran states those experts opine that "with no substantial American television contract, teams in questionable, non-traditional markets and a falling Canadian dollar, the National Hockey League will suffer more than North America's other major sports leagues in a prolonged economic downturn." McGran reports that "the upside for Canadian fans is that those economic woes could mean another team north of the border as owners look to the game's hotbeds as an economic salve. Kevin McGran, Toronto Star December 02, 2008 Source |
ShawTV's Sports Talk with Mark Chipman
| | ShawTV, Sports Talk: Hosted by Jim Toth, this week Manitoba Moose owner Mark Chipman talks about his team, the possibility of Sean Avery playing for the Moose and his push to bring the NHL to Winnipeg. ShawTV December 11, 2008 (Link not available to source) |
