OT: Winnipeg in the NHL: What the hockey world thought in 2004

Daximus

Wow, what a terrific audience.
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Interesting leaves me kind of hoping the same thing happens to Sask one day. It would be much harder but man oh man I'd buy season tickets in seconds for the next 10 years minimum, regardless of how bad they are.
 

YWGinYYZ

Registered User
Jul 3, 2011
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I stumbled upon this thread this afternoon. It is always great to read how many from other cities doubted the Jets would ever return. This is more of a walk back down nostalgia lane, and is a really interesting read for Jets fans. We proved them wrong! :handclap:


http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?p=2025241#post2025241

Oh, how I'd like to bump that thread. Unfortunately, I'd have to infract and / or ban myself after I did it. :laugh:

Good read - thanks for posting the link to it.
 

YWGinYYZ

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Jul 3, 2011
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giphy.gif
 

ps241

The Ballad of Ville Bobby
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I stumbled upon this thread this afternoon. It is always great to read how many from other cities doubted the Jets would ever return. This is more of a walk back down nostalgia lane, and is a really interesting read for Jets fans. We proved them wrong! :handclap:


http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?p=2025241#post2025241

Ok That was something :laugh:

So did you join JFBoards back in the day to debate this or were you a fan in general? You had the torch burning a long time before it finally happened so props to you. :handclap:
 

Flyerfan52

Registered User
May 3, 2012
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Winnipeg
Saskatchewan would be awesome to have in the NHL. Not sure if a city with 300,000 people in the area could handle it, but why not get it a go?
Of those 300,000 you could count on @ least 100,000 hockey fans. They'd probably use the Winnipeg model that results in a waiting list for season tickets.
Atlanta has close to 6 million people but since they've lost 2 teams obviously didn't have enough hockey fans willing to pay to watch. Arizona is the same story with a large population but even with the snowbirds not enough that care that much about hockey.
In Saskatoon they could charge the average couple of hundred per game like other Canadian cities & fill the rink. 15000 tickets @ $100+ every game > 20,000 @ $35 average (including giveaways & promo items) should a city like Phoenix sell out a game.
There are non-traditional sites that worked (Nashville has a pretty solid fan base) but even former strong sites like Denver are a hard sell in leaner times when the team isn't good.
 

Jets4Life

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Dec 25, 2003
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Westward Ho, Alberta
Ok That was something :laugh:

So did you join JFBoards back in the day to debate this or were you a fan in general? You had the torch burning a long time before it finally happened so props to you. :handclap:

Much of the credit has to go to Darren ford at the time. I knew that the MTS Centre would be finished, and the lockout was happening. When I came across Jetsowner, I honestly did a double take and said to myself "I'm not crazy? I'm not the only one who believe a return to Winnipeg was possible?" LOL...ah memories.


I remember at work discussing this in 2004, and people would call me a dreamer. My family said it would never happen. I still remember a couple of friends telling me that when it was announced at a nightclub that the NHL season was cancelled, people actually cheered, and started a big "GO JETS GO" chant. Deep down, I think far more people had hopes of the NHL return, but never admitted it. Still it was a wild seven year wait, but looking back in retrospect, well worth it.
 

Zhamnov5GoalGame

Former Director of GDT Operations
Jan 14, 2012
6,600
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Winnipeg, MB, Canada
I stumbled upon this thread this afternoon. It is always great to read how many from other cities doubted the Jets would ever return. This is more of a walk back down nostalgia lane, and is a really interesting read for Jets fans. We proved them wrong! :handclap:


http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?p=2025241#post2025241

Geez could only bare to read the first page.
Some people were so keen to trash WPG that it must have been enjoyable for them.
A little bit less so in 2011 I would imagine.
 

ps241

The Ballad of Ville Bobby
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Much of the credit has to go to Darren ford at the time. I knew that the MTS Centre would be finished, and the lockout was happening. When I came across Jetsowner, I honestly did a double take and said to myself "I'm not crazy? I'm not the only one who believe a return to Winnipeg was possible?" LOL...ah memories.


I remember at work discussing this in 2004, and people would call me a dreamer. My family said it would never happen. I still remember a couple of friends telling me that when it was announced at a nightclub that the NHL season was cancelled, people actually cheered, and started a big "GO JETS GO" chant. Deep down, I think far more people had hopes of the NHL return, but never admitted it. Still it was a wild seven year wait, but looking back in retrospect, well worth it.

Yea I remember when the work stoppage happened and they finally got a hard cap in place I thought......wait a second.......maybe one day.....

I have to admit the ride our city was on leading up to the failed attempt with the Yotes, followed by landing the Thrashers, the frenzy to get tickets, selling out in minutes etc was one of the most emotionally rewarding sporting journeys I have ever been on. Its very hard to describe how amazing it felt that rainy fall night when I was sitting in my seat and they dropped the puck on the exhibition game with Columbus. That entire moment was so surreal.
 

Potrzebie

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Mar 25, 2010
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Hahaha, what a great read. I wonder what some of the more condescending posters thought once the dream became reality.

I felt kinda bad for the guy in Atlanta that basically said Winnipeg deserved a second chance too.
 

Mortimer Snerd

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Hahaha, what a great read. I wonder what some of the more condescending posters thought once the dream became reality.

I felt kinda bad for the guy in Atlanta that basically said Winnipeg deserved a second chance too.

Yeah, well Atlanta deserves a 3rd chance - next time with better owners though. :laugh:
 

thejaf7

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Mar 21, 2010
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That brings back the passion to prove these people wrong reading that thread. I wasnt on these boards at the time but heavily on the jetsowner boards. We were all crazy delusional people right?
 

kxx

the great southern threadkill
Feb 21, 2015
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WOW thanks for sharing that. **** that must have felt good when the team came back.

crow for them in 2011:
yA3F3yA.jpg


What a different time. Before the Salary Cap it definitely wasn't possible for the return though so makes sense it was still a pipe dream. Some people were strangely prophetic on there ("A [southern US] team would have to have suffered some bad seasons, owner of the [MTS Centre] would have to be involved, ownership would need to be ready." etc) others especially now look completed stupid / shortsighted.
 

Tom ServoMST3K

In search of a Steinbach Hero
Nov 2, 2010
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What's your excuse?
I was the believer in my entire family.

And they now don't even take my hockey opinions seriously. When I told them Stuart and Pavelec were trash, they didn't believe me.
 

thereturn

Registered User
Jul 10, 2011
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Winnipeg
The salary cap brought down one of our barriers, that's about all that I could make of it at that time. I just remember that no one could speak of any remote optimism regarding a return without being given a stern dose of "reality", even among 'Peggers.

Eyes in two directions. :nod:
 

Gm0ney

Unicorns salient
Oct 12, 2011
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Winnipeg
I recall back in the early 2000s talking with friends about the NHL returning to Winnipeg some day. I never doubted that the market could support a team with a new arena owned and controlled by that team.

But I did totally doubt the NHL's willingness to ever return. Bettman seemed like he couldn't get out of Winnipeg and Quebec fast enough in the mid-90s...and I didn't see any imminent changes of heart back then. In fact, as I watched the NHL bend over backwards to save Phoenix, I thought it was even more apparent that the last thing they'd want to do is come back to Canada.
 

Ducky10

Searching for Mark Scheifele
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I always believed, in it being viable at least. The NHL 's willingness was another matter but there was enough **** shows going on around the league that there was always a reasonable chance.

The salary cap conbined with owners who actually owned the building and all it's revenue streams were the biggest and most obvious differences.
 

Briscodog

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May 2, 2016
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The best part of that thread was the list of Winnipeg celebrities that no longer live here. They included REMY SHAND!!!!
 

Hobble

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Sep 2, 2010
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To be fair, no one thought the NHL would have been interested in a city with so few parks.
 

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