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Post by hatrick007 on Nov 14, 2004 19:10:45 GMT -5
Which team do you think is most likely to move to Winnipeg??? I think it will most likely be Carolina or Nashville.
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Post by jets4ever on Nov 17, 2004 23:41:38 GMT -5
Anaheim.
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Post by jetsfanatic on Nov 18, 2004 16:11:19 GMT -5
Which team do you think is most likely to move to Winnipeg??? I think it will most likely be Carolina or Nashville. pittsburgh
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Post by vivianmb on Nov 23, 2004 9:55:19 GMT -5
maybe we could get carolina(sans karamanos),atlanta,nasville,and the ducks to merge and move to winnipeg.that would get rid of 50 or 60 non- nhl caliber players and 4 garbage franchises.kinda like killing two birds with one stone theory?
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Post by Ducky on Nov 23, 2004 18:05:34 GMT -5
I say Nashville, wow vivian we would have one awesome team and perhaps a birth of dynasty would come about.
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Post by Jetty on Nov 28, 2004 9:48:32 GMT -5
Why Nashville? i think of two team that come to mind- Pittsburgh and Anaheim. The Los Angeles area is not really a sports town, just ask the NFL. I think Disney has rid itself of the Mighty Ducks. The Kings will always be LA's team. I don;t see too many people lining up to purchase the franchise. Don't even think about Carolina. Karmanos is a cancer to the game. Look what he has done to Hartford. Karmanos as an owner of the new Jets would make Shankerow look like Mother Teresa.
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Post by hockeyfan on Dec 1, 2004 20:17:37 GMT -5
LIsten folks, no nhl team is going to relocate to Winnipeg. You had a team, and you lost it....now it's time to get over it.
Your new arena only seats 15,000 which is not up to nhl standards.
Ticket prices are twice as high as when the Jets were in the league...you couldn't support them then, you won't be able to support them now.
There are probably 3 or 4 american markets that would get a team before Winnipeg ever gets another team.
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Post by Neil on Dec 1, 2004 21:01:08 GMT -5
LIsten folks, no nhl team is going to relocate to Winnipeg. You had a team, and you lost it....now it's time to get over it. Your new arena only seats 15,000 which is not up to nhl standards. Ticket prices are twice as high as when the Jets were in the league...you couldn't support them then, you won't be able to support them now. There are probably 3 or 4 american markets that would get a team before Winnipeg ever gets another team. Those are your opinions and we're sorry you feel that way. Take a look around the site, Guest, and mabye you can see things more our way.
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Post by Yar on Dec 1, 2004 23:44:27 GMT -5
LIsten folks, no nhl team is going to relocate to Winnipeg. You had a team, and you lost it....now it's time to get over it. Your new arena only seats 15,000 which is not up to nhl standards. Ticket prices are twice as high as when the Jets were in the league...you couldn't support them then, you won't be able to support them now. There are probably 3 or 4 american markets that would get a team before Winnipeg ever gets another team. please check the facts of the site before you make an asumption. there have actually been teams that have contacted winnipeg about relocating. its not your fault that you are uneducated on the topic. now is your chance to read into it and maybe you can see why this is very possible. as for fan support, that is definitly NOT the issue. ex)white out. i rest my case. i hope you enjoy the site.
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Post by Jari on Dec 1, 2004 23:51:53 GMT -5
Mystery NHL team puts out feelers to Winnipeg Posted: Saturday January 17, 2004 11:30PM; Updated: Saturday January 17, 2004 11:30PM
By Ross Romaniuk, SLAM! Sports!
The dream of bringing the National Hockey League back to Winnipeg isn't dead yet.
A National Hockey League franchise has contacted city hall to inquire about possibly relocating to Winnipeg, The Winnipeg Sun has learned.
Deputy mayor Dan Vandal received a phone call last week from a representative of a United States-based NHL club, who wanted further information about the possibility of Winnipeg regaining a major-league team.
The inquiry did not come from the Pittsburgh Penguins, a franchise Vandal had courted during the past few weeks. However, the St. Boniface councillor refused to reveal which team contacted his Main Street office and left the voice-mail message while he was on vacation in Costa Rica.
"They're asking, 'How serious is Winnipeg? Because we're in trouble,' " Vandal said yesterday.
Vandal has since returned the team official's call but hasn't been able to reach him. Until he does, he won't identify the club.
He confirmed "it's a team that's not doing really well" financially.
Vandal said he plans to discuss the matter with fellow members of Mayor Glen Murray's executive committee.
"Why would we give up?" he asked of The 'Peg's hopes to put an NHL team into MTS Centre, seven years after the Jets left for Phoenix in 1996.
"There's no risk to us at this point. It's all about keeping the right position to catch a fly ball. Anyone who says we can't do that is short-sighted."
A lockout by NHL owners or strike by the players is widely expected before the start of next season, when the owners' agreement with the NHL Players' Association expires. Owners are expected to be willing to sacrifice up to an entire season to bring salaries under control.
Jim Ludlow, president of True North Entertainment, which operates Winnipeg's coming arena, said it's far too early to predict the city's NHL prospects.
Edmonton Oilers Governor Cal Nichols said he would welcome Winnipeg back into the NHL.
In Edmonton, a group of about three dozen small and medium-sized business people all own a share of the hockey team. Nichols said that formula would work well in Winnipeg.
"Hockey is Canada, Canada is hockey, and I think the game really does have legs here. Under the right economic circumstances, it can be viable," he said.
Former Winnipeg Jets general manager John Ferguson said he isn't surprised an NHL team would consider a return to the city.
"It would be an ideal situation to come back to Winnipeg," said Ferguson via telephone from Windsor. "There's a new arena being built, and the fan base is there. Winnipeg has probably the most knowledgeable hockey fans in the world.
"If some common sense comes out of the next collective bargaining agreement I don't see why Winnipeg shouldn't have a team. Hockey is the only game in town during the winter there -- you don't watch NASCAR and you're not that interested in basketball."
ABC sports hockey analyst John Davidson said Winnipeg deserves another NHL team.
"Salaries are going to come down. I'm hearing the players have already offered a 5 percent give-back, so that's the starting point for negotiations," Davidson said, adding owners will also push hard to curb the entry-level salaries of NHL rookies.
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Post by Jari on Dec 1, 2004 23:52:23 GMT -5
Report: Winnipeg wants the Penguins
TSN.ca Staff with files
1/2/2004
Seven years after losing the Jets to Phoenix, it appears the city of Winnipeg wants the National Hockey League back.
The Winnipeg Sun reported Thursday that the city's deputy mayor Coun. Dan Vandal penned a letter to Penguins owner Mario Lemieux on Dec. 9 to consider moving his team to Manitoba.
In his message sent to Lemieux, Vandal pointed out that the league is facing "difficult decisions" with an imminent labour shutdown, and said Winnipeg was ready to welcome the struggling club if it can't make things work in Pittsburgh.
"We have to be cognizant of the changing issues in the NHL, and position ourselves to capitalize on those changes," Vandal told The Sun in explaining his inquiry to Lemieux, which is dated Dec. 9.
"The quality of the fan here is second-to-none -- so consider us."
Neither Lemieux nor anyone from the team has responded to the letter, and Penguins general manager Craig Patrick told reporters earlier this week that a rumour saying Lemieux would sell without a new arena deal by the time a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached is false.
Vandal's letter - not considered to be an official city query - is the first public declaration of another city wanting to house the Penguins.
Many expect the league to suffer a shutdown due to a strike or lockout when the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and its players expires next September, and that some teams may not survive a potential work stoppage.
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Post by Jari on Dec 1, 2004 23:56:02 GMT -5
Fri, September 17, 2004
Tale of two cities
By Rick Bell
CALGARY -- One community's dark cloud is another's silver lining. This is a tale of two cities. Very different cities.
In Winnipeg, unlike Calgary, they've already been muscled out of the big-buck bigs. Lacking loads of loot or sugar daddies willing to dole out the dollars, they've already lost what they probably will never regain. An NHL team.
The fans lament this lockout with the rest of us, though their beloved Jets exist only in the mind, in the histories and on a well-worn jersey tucked away for those special occasions.
Along with the memories and the memorabilia, though, the believers also continue to cling to the hope of the world of If.
If the strike creates a cheaper league, we might be back. If a state-side team or two tanks in this tussle or faces extinction in the aftermath, there might be a spot.
Jim Millican is a big guy down at the MTS Centre, the new 15,015-seat arena to open in a couple months, the flashy facility already tagged The Phone Booth by some.
He knows the city's NHL days are gone but not forgotten.
"They never stopped talking about it and, gazing into the crystal ball, they never will. Events like this always cause a group of Winnipeggers to say: Maybe this will start the ball rolling."
Jim says he and the others down at the MTS Centre are not rolling anything. The new building is not going up to entice the NHL back. The Manitoba Moose of the AHL play there.
Our Jim is quick to add there ARE 50 suites.
"More than some buildings," he says, before listing the bars, the restaurants, the state-of-the-art electronics and the home team digs fit for a ... well ... an NHL team.
"We absolutely believe this is an NHL-calibre building," says a suddenly-enthused Jim.
This is where If kicks in. Right now, the return of the prodigal pucksters is a myth, nice to think about but not real.
However, in a league with a low-enough cap and an open franchise, even Jim, eye on the bottom line, will entertain the If.
"It's all economics, a very large unknown component, a bundle of unknowns. Until there is cost certainty, there really isn't any point doing an analysis of the opportunity."
But ... But is a big word in the world of If.
"But it's all dependent on the NHL and the results of the lockout, whether Winnipeg could be viable. The book is open. If there is an opportunity, anybody would look at it. We're not going to say no. Who would, in a hockey city?" asks Jim, who then adds with a chuckle.
"Not through expansion. God forbid. If we had any more teams, we'd have Chris Chelios playing until he was 54."
A team would be nice. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. We all forget the bad and remember only the good, shining up what we select for posterity.
"It's not just wistful and nostalgic," cautions Jim, who tells the story of kids gathering outside the construction site fence of the new rink, whooping it up after Canada beat Finland.
"There is no denying the psychic blow. The hangover continues today. Even beyond the sporting community, there is an impression the city took a step backward, suffered a loss of prestige, lost our place on the map. For all those years, we saw the best in the world."
In Calgary, the junior Hitmen skate on the mid-afternoon Saddledome ice. The best in the world aren't playing anywhere these days. Ken King, the Flames prez, knows his role, to regret but to be resolute.
"We can endure whatever is necessary," says the stoic-sounding Ken. Yes, endure everything, including losing less money by NOT playing.
He talks about the magnificent momentum of last season and how they've sold 14,653 season tickets for a season shelved.
He talks about the Flames history, losing multimillions during "all the twists and turns." Then the awful time, not so very long ago, when the team was "sitting on the precipice of moving or collapse."
"We need to have a new system," concludes Ken, repeating the refrain more than once when pressed by the press.
And, in not-so-faraway Winnipeg, you can almost hear the collective If.
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Post by Jari on Dec 1, 2004 23:59:45 GMT -5
Tue, November 9, 2004
Didn't deserve bad rap: Essensa
By PAUL FRIESEN
It's mind-boggling when you think about the hockey history that graced our city on the weekend. Many of the ex-Jets here for the Arena farewell didn't mind talking about the future, either -- specifically, whether the NHL will ever make a comeback in Winnipeg.
If it were up to them, it would happen. And I didn't get the impression they were just blowing smoke up my breezers, either.
The most interesting comment about the new, downtown rink came from Dave Ellett.
"It's 15 years too late," Ellett said. "It would certainly have helped the franchise. This new arena's going to be a great stepping stone for the future of hockey, whether it be American League or, potentially, the NHL.
"I'd love to see it happen. The people here deserve it."
The next guy to cast his vote was Eddie Olczyk, head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"In the right environment, there's no question in my mind," Olczyk said. "It'll always be an NHL city."
Of course, Olczyk could probably sell a Grey Cup ticket to a Blue Bombers fan (a skill that comes in handy trying to sell the Penguins in Pittsburgh). But, again, you got the impression he meant it.
Retired goalie Bob Essensa agreed, saying this city would fit in, given the proper solution to the lockout.
"We'll have to see how this next CBA shakes its way out, to allow, not only Winnipeg but the other small-market cities ... to flourish," Essensa said. "If that's the case, then yeah, I think they can support another team."
Of course, all the ex-players in the world could say the same thing and it wouldn't mean diddley. It's the owners who control this thing.
The weekend reunion, though, provided a reminder of how players who thought Winnipeg was the armpit of the league before they came often left with an appreciation for the city and its fans.
"It always got a bad rap, for whatever reason," Essensa said. "But all the players seemed to band together. Everybody was in close proximity, so it made it really easy for guys to bond. I found that out in my travels around the NHL. It's not all that common to have as close-knit a group."
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Post by Jari on Dec 2, 2004 0:01:38 GMT -5
Winnipeg won't give up!
ROBIN BROWNLEE, EDMONTON SUN
WINNIPEG -- To be an NHL town again ... Call them crazy, but hardcore hockey fans here believe a return to the NHL is a possibility if Gary Bettman can orchestrate a collective bargaining agreement providing the new economic order that teams insist they want and need.
It's a long shot to be sure, but in a city where many puck-heads still lament losing their beloved Winnipeg Jets at the end of the 1995-96 season and believe they belong in the best league on the planet, there is optimism.
Of course, if Bettman and his 30 franchise owners don't get a framework that lowers payrolls, allows for cost certainty and provides fans an affordable ticket, such talk is nothing more than pie-in-the-sky delusion.
If that doesn't happen, then fans, many of whom cheer for the Manitoba Moose draped in Jets jerseys, will have their hearts broken again and Winnipeg will remain an AHL town.
Then again, if the numbers don't make sense in a new deal, it won't be long before Edmonton joins Winnipeg, a small-market cousin since the WHA days, on the NHL-used-to-be scrap heap as a fixture in the Almost Hockey League.
Better Winnipeg gets back in The Show.
"The possibility turns entirely on the extent to which they get it (CBA) fixed," said Mark Chipman, governor of the Moose and chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the new 15,000-seat MTS Centre downtown.
"It's not difficult to wrap your mind around it if they get it fixed to the extent most people think is required."
NEW RINK OPENS NEXT MONTH
Chipman and the Moose have been in business at Winnipeg Arena since the franchise arrived from Minnesota as an IHL outfit in 1996, after the Jets left for Arizona in an emotional exit that still stirs passions today.
With the $133-million MTS Centre, which will become home to the Moose on Nov. 17, Chipman and True North Sports and Entertainment will be significant players in any scenario that would see a return to Winnipeg by the NHL.
"Yes, we would be interested in being a part of it," Chipman said. "I don't know that we could necessarily manage taking it on all by ourselves. We would certainly be willing listeners to any proposals that might make some sense."
For investors here to even contemplate getting into the NHL sweepstakes, the numbers would have to add up.
- It would take operating with a payroll of no more than $30 million. That's $4 million less than the Oilers had last season. When the Jets left, their payroll was $17 million.
- A team would need a season-ticket base of at least 13,000 and an average ticket price of $50-$60. The Oilers, at the low end of the scale, had an average ticket of $65 last season. Jets tickets averaged $27 in their final season.
- There would have to be revenue sharing in conjunction with a salary cap, something Cal Nichols and Oilers ownership, the Edmonton Investors Group, supports.
"They've got a very strong ownership group that give it a great deal of strength," Chipman said of the Oilers.
"The discussions I've had with Cal and others, I understand how challenging it's been. In their view, and in the view of many other owners who I've talked to, it's going to have to be almost turned upside down."
As much positive as the new rink is - the MTS Centre has 50 luxury suites and will generate substantially more revenue than Winnipeg Arena for hockey and other events - it won't be enough to make the NHL viable on its own.
"Obviously, it's dramatically different," Chipman said of the facility. "It's 50 years newer. All 50 suites were sold in about a three-week period. There's 900 club seats and restaurants, all those things that would be necessary to support an elite tenant like an NHL franchise."
HOPE LIES IN NEW CBA
Even with a new rink, Jets jerseys in the stands and websites dedicated to the team, fans here won't get their hopes up until Bettman emerges from this lockout with a CBA that makes it possible for franchises like the Oilers to stay in business and cities like Winnipeg to get back into business.
"I think there's lots of people who are very guarded about it because of reliving the disappointment of the last go-round," Chipman said.
"I wouldn't underestimate this community, if it was given another opportunity, but it's an academic discussion right now because nobody knows what that league is going to look like."
If the economics don't change, fans in Edmonton will share the perspective of wishful thinkers here soon enough.
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Post by Jari on Dec 2, 2004 0:02:48 GMT -5
Fri, October 29, 2004
Winnipeg's whiteout unmatched
By ADAM WAZNY, STAFF REPORTER
The Winnipeg Arena will close its doors for good next month. Until then The Sun will bring you the stories that made the Old Barn memorable. From the original construction to the final buzzer, we'll take you through the history of a building that was never spectacular but always colourful as a sports venue.
For the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, the playoffs meant one thing: Whiteness.
From 1985-96, Canadian teams in the National Hockey League employed different rituals when appearing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Montreal had tradition, while Quebec suffered through inferiority. With backing from the national television network, Toronto always had hope and for Ottawa, the post-season was still a dream.
Out West, Vancouver waved towels, Calgary swam the red sea and all Edmonton seemed to do was hold parades in May.
We had the whiteout.
In 1985, the Winnipeg Jets were heading into the playoffs against the Calgary Flames when the team -- a club that brought you "Lightning on Ice" and "Vitamin J" -- successfully recycled an old idea.
Let's have all our ticket holders wearing the same thing.
The Nordiques (white) and Flames (red) tried similar campaigns before the Jets, but neither could match up to what Winnipeg Arena had to offer.
Everybody have fun tonight. Everybody wear white tonight.
People painted their bodies white, some had on white helmets, others pulled the sheets off their beds and fashioned either a toga or a ghost costume. White pom-poms and white painter hats were handed out as people entered the Arena.
Those who arrived in anything other than white looked ridiculous next to guys dressed in wedding gowns.
It was so much fun.
More to the point, it was deafening.
In fact, there might not even be a word in the English language to describe the amount of white noise generated from the throats of Friendly Manitobans.
The cheers were felt all across Canada.
"I have never heard a crowd -- ever -- like I heard in Winnipeg," Don Cherry once told his Coach's Corner audience, and the man with the big white collars was right.
It was almost too loud for some.
"Like going to bed after seeing an Iron Maiden concert at the Arena," Kevin Olszewski said. "Your ears would still be ringing after a (Jets playoff) game."
NOT EVEN CLOSE
A former Winnipegger who now works as a television sports director in Red Deer, Alta., Olszewski uses some recent history to illustrate the decibel level on Maroons Road.
He attended the games when the Flames faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final this past spring and the volume of the crowd rekindled memories of not being able to hear anything in the Arena.
"It was loud, but there's no way it was as consistent as a whiteout," he said. "The Saddledome is bigger, but we made more noise.
"It wasn't even close."
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Post by KillerBrew on Dec 2, 2004 1:50:01 GMT -5
I'd like to see Nashville. I sure hope Pittsburgh gets the deal done for a new arena, I don't want them to move.
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Post by itty on Dec 3, 2004 19:20:43 GMT -5
So now I've seen the many teams that should be relocated and who has and idea as to who would be best suited to Winnipeg.
Myself, the only idea i have for the whole "new team" would be that they make sure that their salaries would be capped for a good 5 yrs and that they make a committment to our city to provide us with the best hockey entertainment one person would want to see.
We would also need a coach that would be dedicated to having the team go as far as possible with all the games and cups. One of our biggest problems with the Jets in the last few years that we had them, was that they had pretty much lost the moral for playing for the city and not just for themselves and the money they were making.
Don't get me wrong, there were still those who were dedicated to just playing the game. I really believe our Jets had simply lost their perspective as did the city when it came to how much their ticket costs were and how much the players were being paid.
We need a businessperson with a good head on their shoulders to manage the team as well.
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Post by Ducky on Dec 3, 2004 19:29:10 GMT -5
great analogy, that is something in itself should be looked at. ThoughI am not sure about locking cap at five yrs though b/c of fluctuating factors and expenses like the CDN dollar and travel ...
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Another darn Nashvillian
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Post by Another darn Nashvillian on Dec 14, 2004 15:55:49 GMT -5
Hey I don't pretend to know if the Predators are moving or not. I have talked to Craig who has told me he wasn't moving the team, but what's he going to say "Yeh, just don't tell anyone"?
I would like to point out a few things that may or may not be known to peggers.
1) Leapold pays 50k a year to lease the areana. 2) Nashville pays all operating cost on the arena, so the 50k is the only building expense the Predators pay. 3) Leopold also gets full control of the arena and has all rights to dates. 4) He gets rent from all concerts, arena football, signage, naming rights ($60M w/Gaylord), suite revenue, parking, consessions, etc. 5) He has a 30 year agreement with the city of Nashville, the penalties to break this equal the money to date he has made off of arena management (well over the 80M he paid for the team)
The Predators did lose money but Craig made a great deal through the arena management (Powers Management)
According to CL on the radio here he lost close to 3M last season with the Preds (naming rights revenue alone covers this with Powers management) so the Predators are far from financial ruins.
Just a little food for thought.
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Post by jets4life on Dec 14, 2004 23:52:19 GMT -5
That is EXACTLY why someone needs to buyout the MTS Centre from Chipman. I have a bad feeling he would charge way too much money for the Jets to lease the arena. Now that Sam Katz is mayor (thank God), he would definately make great concessions for the Jets. Premier Doer would also come to bat for the Jets. the only thing missing is an owner.
I pray that the Asper's/Richardson's/Nygaard's/etc. would make an offer on the arena to rid themselves of Chipman and co. I could also see Manitoba lotteries doing the same thing as Alberta, distributing some of their profits to ensure the long term viability of the Jets.
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