There was never any hard core demand by Bettman & the league that Winnipeg sell 13,000 ST's within 2 weeks "or else". Or else what?. The Thrashers implode while Dalys down in Phoenix cashing another years $25M check from the COG?. This "better sell minimum number of ST's" is bogus when considering a Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton or Markham, anyone of which could (as Winnipeg did) sell 20,000, 30,000 ST's within about 48-72 hours based on a 3, 5 or even 10yr + commitment, and in Southern Ontarios' case, you could probably also charge a frikin "seat license" fee/lease of about 10 grand just for the right to buy them. The leagues well aware of it. Why would they "demand" something like that from a market where "demand" exceeds availability?. My understanding of the Pegs' ticket drive was that it wasnt a league mandate, it was Chipmans', his perogative to go about it in the best way he saw fit, a minimum he wanted to see bought up in order to meet the basics' of his business plan & financial forecasts. Its simply unfair to compare Canadian tastes & demand to teams in the SW, Florida or wherever else by the same standard. Apples to oranges. Entirely different set of rules, standards.
