Post by smokes on Mar 23, 2011 21:40:23 GMT -5
Slow day so I thought I would start a thread to keep the wheels greased...
Just spent some time with Milt Black,
www.curtiswalker.com/jets/playerdetails.aspx?key=23
who, as some of you may remember, was a Winnipeg Jet in the WHA days. Born and bred Winnipegger who I see yearly skiing in BC...
I have shared the progress made in Winnipeg regarding ROTJ for years. This year, I shared my thoughts on the heightened prospects for an NHL franchise. Milt, for what it is worth, was very excited for us, noting that the city deserved it.
I then posed the following question, which gets to the heart of one of the main criticisms of hockey in our fair city:
"When you played, assuming your paycheck was equal, did it matter to you and the other players that your home building and then the building you played in were half or less full and dead, or filled and alive, even if the weather was warmer and the shopping better in some markets?"
Milt noted that when the team traveled to the southern U.S., they were often , "...just collecting a paycheck and playing a game they loved...little noise, little interest. When we played in Winnipeg, and other hockey markets (Quebec at Le Colisee was particularly special outside of Winnipeg), it was amazing. Everyone knew us and put us on a pedestal. It was special."
Milt's tenure with the Jets was short and was certainly in a different era. However, I think his comments confirm that most players would prefer to play in a hockey mad market, even if the temperature is colder, city is smaller, etc. (fill in the stereotype here), all other things being equal.
Just spent some time with Milt Black,
www.curtiswalker.com/jets/playerdetails.aspx?key=23
who, as some of you may remember, was a Winnipeg Jet in the WHA days. Born and bred Winnipegger who I see yearly skiing in BC...
I have shared the progress made in Winnipeg regarding ROTJ for years. This year, I shared my thoughts on the heightened prospects for an NHL franchise. Milt, for what it is worth, was very excited for us, noting that the city deserved it.
I then posed the following question, which gets to the heart of one of the main criticisms of hockey in our fair city:
"When you played, assuming your paycheck was equal, did it matter to you and the other players that your home building and then the building you played in were half or less full and dead, or filled and alive, even if the weather was warmer and the shopping better in some markets?"
Milt noted that when the team traveled to the southern U.S., they were often , "...just collecting a paycheck and playing a game they loved...little noise, little interest. When we played in Winnipeg, and other hockey markets (Quebec at Le Colisee was particularly special outside of Winnipeg), it was amazing. Everyone knew us and put us on a pedestal. It was special."
Milt's tenure with the Jets was short and was certainly in a different era. However, I think his comments confirm that most players would prefer to play in a hockey mad market, even if the temperature is colder, city is smaller, etc. (fill in the stereotype here), all other things being equal.
