News Article: The Athletic agents poll (Winnipeg edition) - paywall

[Spock]

So I ask again: “Other cities have so much more to do” - what does Denver or Columbus or Raleigh have that we don’t?

m.

You can believe that Winnipeg is on par with any city you want - that's subjective to your opinion.

Some, possibly many, won't share your opinion.

Winnipeg is just fine for many, myself included, but I'm not going to wonder why it's at the bottom of the list of desired cities for NHL players to play in.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Almost all of our top players chose to stay in this city by resigning long term, and that’s all that matters.

I prefer not be a top desirable UFA market, saves us from over paying for players who end up underperforming while they over enjoy their great cities.

 

[Spock]

Almost all of our top players chose to stay in this city by resigning long term, and that’s all that matters.

I prefer not be a top desirable UFA market, saves us from over paying for players who end up underperforming while they over enjoy their great cities.

While not being a desirable UFA market has its disadvantages, the bolded above is definitely something to consider - Although a smart GM could eliminate that issue.

 

[MelikeJets]

In the old days Winnipeg's claim to fame was inexpensive housing and safe place to raise a family....both those attributes are long gone unfortunately.

 

[Larabee]

In the old days Winnipeg's claim to fame was inexpensive housing and safe place to raise a family....both those attributes are long gone unfortunately.

It’s hard to understand why housing in Vegas is cheaper than Winnipeg by almost 50%.

 

[tbcwpg]

So I ask again: “Other cities have so much more to do” - what does Denver or Columbus or Raleigh have that we don’t?

m.

They have better weather and greater anonymity.

Raleigh is in a very nice part of the US. Colorado is right in the heart of so many outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, rock climbing, etc.

They're also just bigger cities.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Most of us love our city because it’s where we are rooted.

I can understand most players would pick this last and I’m not offended.

We moved back from Kelowna lololol

 

[Jimby]

Players who are free agents are also more likely to be older and have a wife and family. An important consideration to them is having the wife happy. What is there for her to do while he is away playing hockey? The perception would be that there is less to to in a small winter city.

 

[sipowicz]

In the old days Winnipeg's claim to fame was inexpensive housing and safe place to raise a family....both those attributes are long gone unfortunately.

Compared to just about anywhere else we still have inexpensive housing!

 

[Whileee]

You can believe that Winnipeg is on par with any city you want - that's subjective to your opinion.

Some, possibly many, won't share your opinion.

Winnipeg is just fine for many, myself included, but I'm not going to wonder why it's at the bottom of the list of desired cities for NHL players to play in.

Whether young male professional athletes want to live there might be one of the lowest of criteria in terms of assessing the quality of living in a given city, in my books. It matters to me only because I'm a fan of a local professional sports team.

I can understand why many would not prefer to live in Winnipeg, mainly due to the long and harsh winters.

However, I have a very low tolerance for the Winnipeggers that love to slag the city with a somewhat pathetic inferiority complex. If your personal identity is wrapped up in the presumed prestige of where you happen to live and work, then Winnipeg might not be for you. Bon voyage, and don't look back. We'll be fine without you. I say this as someone who has experienced living in more "prestigious cities" and could relocate to just about anywhere globally from a career perspective. I choose to live in Winnipeg, and I don't mind explaining to professional colleagues and acquaintances where it is and why I think it's a good place for me.

 

[Spock]

Whether young male professional athletes want to live there might be one of the lowest of criteria in terms of assessing the quality of living in a given city, in my books. It matters to me only because I'm a fan of a local professional sports team.

I can understand why many would not prefer to live in Winnipeg, mainly due to the long and harsh winters.

However, I have a very low tolerance for the Winnipeggers that love to slag the city with a somewhat pathetic inferiority complex. If your personal identity is wrapped up in the presumed prestige of where you happen to live and work, then Winnipeg might not be for you. Bon voyage, and don't look back. We'll be fine without you. I say this as someone who has experienced living in more "prestigious cities" and could relocate to just about anywhere globally from a career perspective. I choose to live in Winnipeg, and I don't mind explaining to professional colleagues and acquaintances where it is and why I think it's a good place for me.

As someone who has lived on planets with more prestige, and could relocate just about anywhere universally, Winnipeg is my number one choice.

 

[Whileee]

As someone who has lived on planets with more prestige, and could relocate just about anywhere universally, Winnipeg is my number one choice.

Ah, but you don't really need to choose, do you? You could live simultaneously in multiple galaxies, bending the space-time continuum to make it work...

 

[ps241]

10,000 foot view how much difference does it actually make trying to win a cup? Teams at the top of the list don’t seem to win more cups? I know Dallas is a very appealing market and it has helped them and hurt them. Florida is beautiful how is that going?

If you draft and develop well, retain the bulk of your talent, run a good org, manage your cap you might just get your shot like we did at 2017-18.

This one factor may make it a bit tougher but it’s still doable in the salary cap era. Onward and upward, let the haters hate, it will make it taste even sweeter when we win one day.

 

[DannyGallivan]

In the old days Winnipeg's claim to fame was inexpensive housing and safe place to raise a family....both those attributes are long gone unfortunately.

...and pretty girls. I think they're still around.

 

[DannyGallivan]

10,000 foot view how much difference does it actually make trying to win a cup? Teams at the top of the list don’t seem to win more cups? I know Dallas is a very appealing market and it has helped them and hurt them. Florida is beautiful how is that going?

My point exactly. As I said before, if a player is more concerned with driving to the rink in sandles with the top down and anonymity when grocery shopping rather than the strength of the franchise, you don't want them anyways.

I remember Phil Esposito's total disgust at the attitudes of some of his Ranger teammates and their wives, who were just fine with the frills of living in New York and didn't care whether they won as long as they got paid. When he heard some of them say that, he kicked them out of his house. A winning team lives in the locker room, at the team parties, at the tavern together after practice... not at the nightclubs with their own separate posse's.

 

[JetsUK]

Ah, but you don't really need to choose, do you? You could live simultaneously in multiple galaxies, bending the space-time continuum to make it work...

Meh. Spock ain't no Q.

We should aim to avoid those "trapped in a time loop" episodes at all costs -- for our pointy-eared friend, and the Jets struggling for a WC spot scenario alike.

I do think Edmonton and golden-age Detroit are good examples of the "winning changes things" argument (with present-day Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa as counter-examples), and quickly, given the pretty rampant and recent chaos there. Being classy helps, but being classy and a consistent contender helps more.

 

[Gm0ney]

Almost all of our top players chose to stay in this city by resigning long term, and that’s all that matters.

I prefer not be a top desirable UFA market, saves us from over paying for players who end up underperforming while they over enjoy their great cities.

Yes, a lot of players who've actually lived here have enjoyed it - not everyone, but a lot.

Winnipeg's reputation is terrible though...I've literally met people from Toronto at conferences or down in the Caribbean on vacation who, when they hear I live in Winnipeg, react like I just told them I reside inside a hobo's anus.

 

[buggs]

Yes, a lot of players who've actually lived here have enjoyed it - not everyone, but a lot.

Winnipeg's reputation is terrible though...I've literally met people from Toronto at conferences or down in the Caribbean on vacation who, when they hear I live in Winnipeg, react like I just told them I reside inside a hobo's anus.

Absolutely. My nieces grew up in North Vancouver. Any time they came and visited their friends would tell them they're sorry for them. Had they ever been here? Nope, not once.

As I explained to those girls, sure, Winnipeg is the murder capital of Canada almost as much as it's the slurpee capital of Canada. But per capita is misleading. We don't have people being killed in pizza ovens like they do in Vancouver? They'd never heard of it (much as I'm sure most here haven't - it was a Chinese Triad thing) because people being killed in Vancouver is common place and it didn't even rate the front page (made about page six I think).

And not everyone in Vancouver can afford to take advantage of all the beauty and activity that surrounds it. Millionaire hockey players? Without question.

All that aside, the list is no surprise. As many others have said I think the partners have as much to do with it as anything else. And if I were married to a hockey player and wasn't actively employed, I'd probably much prefer spending my time somewhere warmer or with better shopping too. It's just reality.

The league doesn't help either. Has San Jose ever played here outside of January - March? They're not wrong that the weather when they visit is cold and dark. Maybe schedule them in October for a change (when it's slightly less cold and slightly less dark, maybe).

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Yes, a lot of players who've actually lived here have enjoyed it - not everyone, but a lot.

Winnipeg's reputation is terrible though...I've literally met people from Toronto at conferences or down in the Caribbean on vacation who, when they hear I live in Winnipeg, react like I just told them I reside inside a hobo's anus.

Thats the nail on the head. People that have lived in Winnipeg over the past several years, spent summers here, enjoyed the city on a more personal level, usually have nice things to say.

Ignorant Torotarianas and Vancouver stuck ups that have zero familiarity of our city other than their visit back in 1997 and what they read in the paper, say the same ignorant crap.

 

[TS Quint]

My point exactly. As I said before, if a player is more concerned with driving to the rink in sandles with the top down and anonymity when grocery shopping rather than the strength of the franchise, you don't want them anyways.

I remember Phil Esposito's total disgust at the attitudes of some of his Ranger teammates and their wives, who were just fine with the frills of living in New York and didn't care whether they won as long as they got paid. When he heard some of them say that, he kicked them out of his house. A winning team lives in the locker room, at the team parties, at the tavern together after practice... not at the nightclubs with their own separate posse's.

I don't know, LA, Boston, Anahiem Tampa and Chicago are pretty desirable destinations. Thats a pretty good majority. I'm not sure where Washington would rank.

 

[Whileee]

Yes, a lot of players who've actually lived here have enjoyed it - not everyone, but a lot.

Winnipeg's reputation is terrible though...I've literally met people from Toronto at conferences or down in the Caribbean on vacation who, when they hear I live in Winnipeg, react like I just told them I reside inside a hobo's anus.

I met a 30-something US diplomat from NYC at a social event in an Asian country. When he heard I was from Winnipeg he was enthralled. He said that Guy Maddin was his favourite film maker and thought it must be a very interesting and intriguing place. He also wanted to know if I had ever visited Gimli. I told him I'd only been to the hospital there...

 

[Hank Chinaski]

I met a 30-something US diplomat from NYC at a social event in an Asian country. When he heard I was from Winnipeg he was enthralled. He said that Guy Maddin was his favourite film maker and thought it must be a very interesting and intriguing place. He also wanted to know if I had ever visited Gimli. I told him I'd only been to the hospital there...

Did he ask you about our secret network of back lanes?

 

[PhilJets]

I'm trying to remember who coached the Jets when the Jets and their players were close to the top of the NHL. Can you remind me?

I think it was pretty hard to f:%k up that Jets line up 2 years ago.

Schiefele and wheeler on top of their game.
Laine was agame breaker.

5 lines deep.
7 dmen deep
Top 3 goalie in net, most winby american goalie in a season.

But coach got schooled in 5 Western Final games.

Everybody was gashing about the Jets

Speed
Skill
SiZE
grit

What a year

 

[Whileee]

Did he ask you about our secret network of back lanes?

...I would never tell.

 

[Whileee]

I think it was pretty hard to f:%k up that Jets line up 2 years ago.

Schiefele and wheeler on top of their game.
Laine was agame breaker.

5 lines deep.
7 dmen deep
Top 3 goalie in net, most winby american goalie in a season.

But coach got schooled in 5 Western Final games.

Everybody was gashing about the Jets

Speed
Skill
SiZE
grit

What a year

Maurice got "schooled" in the Western Final? Actually, the Jets got goalied. Looking at shot metrics (5v5) the Jets more than held their own vs. Vegas, and were in fact better than any of Vegas' other 3 playoff opponents in shot metrics. But the Jets had poor goaltending, and Vegas had great goaltending.

Here are some relevant 5v5 metrics (score and venue adjusted) for Vegas' opponents in the 2017/18 playoffs.

CF%
Jets 51.3
Caps 47.1
Sharks 46.9
Kings 46.2

xGF%
Jets 53.7
Caps 53.3
Sharks 49.8
Kings 41.5

HDCF%
Jets 58.4
Sharks 51.2
Caps 49.8
Kings 36.2

Save %
Kings 94.3
Caps 91.4
Sharks 91.3
Jets 89.9

PDO
Caps 1.034
Sharks 0.963
Kings 0.952
Jets 0.948