Winnipeg Jets sellout streak ends at 332

[Fidel Astro]

So.....Since when did Bettman threaten to take away the team? What you just said was not a threat

Saying, essentially, “here’s your team BUT you need to sell out every game or else” isn’t a threat?

I don’t know how else to perceive it, especially when the same restrictions didn’t exist for other cities that were getting an expansion or relocated team.

I don’t know why people get so offended whenever someone says the NHL didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. They didn’t. They would probably STILL rather see the team in some sunbelt hotspot that better suits their precious US TV deal.

 

[TheLegend]

Saying, essentially, “here’s your team BUT you need to sell out every game or else” isn’t a threat?

I don’t know how else to perceive it, especially when the same restrictions didn’t exist for other cities that were getting an expansion or relocated team.

I don’t know why people get so offended whenever someone says the NHL didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. They didn’t. They would probably STILL rather see the team in some sunbelt hotspot that better suits their precious US TV deal.

I percieved it as Winnipeg, being a small market by definition, would need to sell out or at least maintain a high percentage attendance level in order to make it going forward.

What Bettman really implied was "Okay.... you've got what you wanted, so now you're going to have to prove you can keep it." That's not a threat.... that's just the reality of it. Without TNSE this doesn't happen..... period. And as long as they're willing to stay where they're at it should be no problem. That is NO different than any other southern market team no matter what you want to believe.

 

[Bookie21]

Saying, essentially, “here’s your team BUT you need to sell out every game or else” isn’t a threat?

I don’t know how else to perceive it, especially when the same restrictions didn’t exist for other cities that were getting an expansion or relocated team.

I don’t know why people get so offended whenever someone says the NHL didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. They didn’t. They would probably STILL rather see the team in some sunbelt hotspot that better suits their precious US TV deal.

Take the tinfoil hat off. Bettman doesn't have it out for any franchise, he can't, he works for the governors. The BOG controls where franchises are placed. Sorry to say it, but a lot of Canadians have Bettman derangement syndrome.....he dances in their heads at night. In reality , he's just working for his bosses, and carrying out their wishes

 

[tarheelhockey]

I think it’s fair to say there’s absolutely no way Bettman utters those words unless they’ve already been said by the owners, to each other, 100 times over.

Bettman, maybe moreso than any other figure in the history of this sport, is always meticulously careful about what he says and doesn’t say on the record. The remark about “it won’t work unless X” was unusual enough that it struck me as the BOG signaling through Bettman to the new owners and the fanbase — we’re taking a risk that this venture will work in the second go-round, much like we did in Atlanta... don’t make us regret it.

 

[Pilky01]

Take the tinfoil hat off. Bettman doesn't have it out for any franchise, he can't, he works for the governors. The BOG controls where franchises are placed. Sorry to say it, but a lot of Canadians have Bettman derangement syndrome.....he dances in their heads at night. In reality , he's just working for his bosses, and carrying out their wishes

No, they just understand the business.

Bettman and the majority of team owners would prefer every team, save for maybe the Maple Leafs, were in the USA because that would be better for business.

You can paint it as derangement for fun but that doesn't change the economics of the situation.

 

[zetajerk]

No, they just understand the business.

Bettman and the majority of team owners would prefer every team, save for maybe the Maple Leafs, were in the USA because that would be better for business.

You can paint it as derangement for fun but that doesn't change the economics of the situation.

No, that's just your persecution complex talking. No Canadian team is going anywhere.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Bettman and the majority of team owners would prefer every team, save for maybe the Maple Leafs, were in the USA because that would be better for business.

 

[TheLegend]

No, they just understand the business.

Bettman and the majority of team owners would prefer every team, save for maybe the Maple Leafs, were in the USA because that would be better for business.

You can paint it as derangement for fun but that doesn't change the economics of the situation.

Then why does Mark Chipman and three other Canadian team reps sit on the Executive Committee??? Chipman replaced Karamanos. So the Canadian representation on the EC has actually increased.

Kinda flys in the face of that load of bollocks you're shoveling there.

 

[End on a Hinote]

Saying, essentially, “here’s your team BUT you need to sell out every game or else” isn’t a threat?

I don’t know how else to perceive it, especially when the same restrictions didn’t exist for other cities that were getting an expansion or relocated team.

I don’t know why people get so offended whenever someone says the NHL didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. They didn’t. They would probably STILL rather see the team in some sunbelt hotspot that better suits their precious US TV deal.

While I agree that Bettman was less than enthusiastic about losing a Sunbelt expiriment team to Canada (I think his pride may have taken a hit with the relocation as well), I don't ncecessarily believe he meant it that way. As others here have said, he's just basically saying, "OK Winnipeg, you got what you asked for. Here is your second kick at the can, make sure you support it." He's saying it knowing that this team was lost before.

Having said that, of course he would rather have the Canadian teams in the USA. Even I would if I was an investor. But since I'm just a Canadian fan, obviously I don't. It's just business, not xenophobia.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

St. Louis seems to have suddenly dropped to 18,082 or so this year, a fixed sellout number, after many crowds over 19,000 when good over the years? (Again, conversion of seats to suites which likely dropped capacity?)

Replacement of seats in the lower bowl to match those put into the upper bowl, which reduced capacity because the new seats are slightly larger. But going back to when Kiel Center Savvis Center Scottrade Center Enterprise Center was built, there's parts of a handful of sections on the far side (end the Blues shoot once) that have been taken out to create open space.

But, we're pretty much guaranteed to sell out every game this season and there's a waiting list for season tickets. Something about winning a "Stanley Cup" - whatever that is.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Also, I don’t think a few hundred unsold tickets during a freak snowstorm that was officially declared a province-wide State of Emergency is anything to be concerned about.

Especially mid-week against a team that there’s not a big rivalry against, aside from a handful of fans ‍still holding a grudge over 1996.

The article seems to make it a big deal, if you read it.

 

[GuelphStormer]

I'm surprised that folks in Winnipeg aren't taking to the streets in protest now that Bettman is about to snatch their team away.

 

[TheLegend]

I'm surprised that folks in Winnipeg aren't taking to the streets in protest now that Bettman is about to snatch their team away.

A lot of the comments to that article were pointed at TNSE. Baby steps ya know.

 

[Confucius]

Strange how that worked sold out game after game and all of a sudden there are about 500 empty seats, just like that. One would think it would take awhile to lose that many paying customers.

I would have thought the decline would start more gradually. For instance 5 short of a sellout gradually working its way to 50, then 100 etc.

 

[Stumbledore]

Strange how that worked sold out game after game and all of a sudden there are about 500 empty seats, just like that.

Strange how a couple of hundred seats gets inflated to 500 when someone wants to make a point.

Strange how the following games being sellouts gets overlooked when someone want to make a point.

 

[Stumbledore]

But, we're pretty much guaranteed to sell out every game this season and there's a waiting list for season tickets. Something about winning a "Stanley Cup" - whatever that is.

Well played, sir. Well played.

 

[KevFu]

The article seems to make it a big deal, if you read it.

I get that, but I don't get why it's really a massive deal.

Winnipeg through six home games have sold 91123 of 91950 tickets (99.1%)

That’s 827 unsold tickets in six games. That’s a pace of 5,651 unsold tickets all year.

That's a max revenue loss of $553,000. The Jets payroll is $15,3 million above the floor. So worst case scenario, they don't sign a veteran third winger and go with a rookie next year. We're not talking about sky is falling relocation here. We're talking about the promo calendar has an extra towel day instead of a bobblehead day next year.

 

[Confucius]

Strange how a couple of hundred seats gets inflated to 500 when someone wants to make a point.

Strange how the following games being sellouts gets overlooked when someone want to make a point.

The tweet states attendance 14,764
Capacity for hockey is 15,321
To me that means 557 seats were unoccupied

I was being courteous by rounding down, If I was rounding to the 100s I should have said 600. Certainly not the couple hundred you suggest. Having a bad day were you?

 

[hui43210]

I always found it funny that some in Winnipeg are still sour over Bettman saying we needed to sell out to be a success. People should know damn well he was saying that on behalf of Chipman because it was the economic truth of the matter, he didn't buy the Thrashers as an act of charity.

The Bettman anti Canadian myth really should be dead by now, the NHL makes decisions based on making profits and expanding the league, sometimes that benefits Canadian teams, sometimes not. All there is to it.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

True North has somehow burned through their goodwill with the Winnipeg fanbase.

It's impressive, I would have thought they had at least 5-10 more years.

They have really stuck it to their season ticket holders.

 

[StreetHawk]

True North has somehow burned through their goodwill with the Winnipeg fanbase.

It's impressive, I would have thought they had at least 5-10 more years.

They have really stuck it to their season ticket holders.

It’s been 8 years now.

A couple of thousand GS Warrior fans have given up their season tickets now that they have moved from Oracle in Oakland to Chase in SF. Prices of all tickets have gone up.

 

[Stumbledore]

The tweet states attendance 14,764
Capacity for hockey is 15,321
To me that means 557 seats were unoccupied

I was being courteous by rounding down, If I was rounding to the 100s I should have said 600. Certainly not the couple hundred you suggest. Having a bad day were you?

The tweet is wrong. Not counting the holdback accorded to the League, there were 193 unsold seats. My day was fine, far as I know.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I get that, but I don't get why it's really a massive deal.

Winnipeg through six home games have sold 91123 of 91950 tickets (99.1%)

That’s 827 unsold tickets in six games. That’s a pace of 5,651 unsold tickets all year.

That's a max revenue loss of $553,000. The Jets payroll is $15,3 million above the floor. So worst case scenario, they don't sign a veteran third winger and go with a rookie next year. We're not talking about sky is falling relocation here. We're talking about the promo calendar has an extra towel day instead of a bobblehead day next year.

Guess it just depends on if this is a scary trend or not. Ticket prices do seem outrageous there.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

No, they just understand the business.

Bettman and the majority of team owners would prefer every team, save for maybe the Maple Leafs, were in the USA because that would be better for business.

You can paint it as derangement for fun but that doesn't change the economics of the situation.

So which is it, Canadian teams subsidize NHL or NHL hates Canada? It can’t be both.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

The tweet states attendance 14,764
Capacity for hockey is 15,321
To me that means 557 seats were unoccupied

I was being courteous by rounding down, If I was rounding to the 100s I should have said 600. Certainly not the couple hundred you suggest. Having a bad day were you?

Teams are allowed to claim sellouts with less than 500 seats available. I keep fairly close tabs of Jets seats available on ticketmaster and over the years there have been a decent number of games with a 2-400 seats available within hours of puck drop. This happens with plenty of other teams as well...and not just in hockey.

There really hasn't been a big increase in seats available...from "sellout" to nearly 600 for this one particular game. Probably more like a few hundred more not sold for this game than others.