The Winnipeg "Solution"

We’re almost the size of Akron, OH!

The PHX Coyotes have 507 wins. The Winnipeg Jets had! 506. #Boom

Do me a favor – read the tagline of the stie that your on?
Here I’ll repost it for you
bq. Five For Howling -Your Local Phoenix Coyotes Blog

This is a blog for Phoenix fans. We are wanting to discuss the situation. We’re not the unbiased TSN (oh wait, they have a ‘Jets Meter’). We’re not THN, fuck we’re not even Yahoo. We’re a fucking blog.

If the writers on this site what to put up information around the situation and show their veiw points they can
If you don’t like it? Click this button (or if your a mac user, press command + Q). If its the same information you’ve seen elsewhere? So fucking what!

While you didn’t ‘belittle’ Winnipeg in so many words, the whole purpose of this post is to cast doubt on the city as an NHL market.

No the purpose of this post is to discuss the potential options if the Coyotes deal is unable to close for whatever reason. Guess what? Even Mr Bettman has said “We have other OPTIONS” (with an S).

Yes, the piece talks about population, but only to discuss Winnipeg’s size in comparison to other "potential" relocation destinations. "Hey, Winnipeg is small. If the team has to move, look at all of these OTHER places. They’re all bigger than Winnipeg."

Yep, So what? Are we not allowed to do this?

The intention is obviously to cast doubt on Winnipeg as a hockey market. Otherwise, why would you even bring this up? Also, that shit at the end about how the next piece is going to discuss the MTS Centre’s viability…. what’s the point of that? The MTS Centre has been OK’d by Gary Bettman as an NHL-ready arena, and TNSE’s Mark Chipman has indicated (in the "Why Not Canada?" series on TSN and elsewhere) that the arena’s size is perfect for the Winnipeg market and there is no intention to increase it.

Why do it? To stimulate debate on our home team blog. To get a perspetive from an unbiased a view point with our own Bias. TSN is as Bias as the WFP and JetsOwner.com.

bq,. So what are you going to say…the arena’s too small? It will be the smallest in the NHL? We’ve all heard that before. Everyone is aware of the MTS Centre’s size, especially the owners, who built it that size on purpose. What do you accomplish by criticizing the MTS Centre in that way? The standard "that arena is too small" trolling has not been successful as of yet, and there’s certainly no way you can criticize the arena’s money making ability. We’re in such a tiny (by your standards) city, and we have one of the most successful arenas (as a concert and event venue) in North America.

Maybe we are going to say this? Why does that fucking matter to you? Again, do those of you up in Winnipeg have such a small man syndrom that a COYOTES BLOG talking about you city in comparison to other potential NHL cities require a huge cry about it?

If you have a problem with the situation your team is currently in, you guys should be addressing what you, as fans, can do to support that team while it’s currently in Phoenix. Writing stories on the Internet that are clearly there only to shit-talk Winnipeg does nothing to help your cause.

We’ve been at this shit for TWO FUCKING YEARS NOW. We’ve talked about we as fans can do. At this point its out of our hands. Its up to the bonds being sold. to Hulsizer buying the team, to GWI’s lawsuit. THERE IS FUCK ALL WE CAN DO.

So if you don’t like it, don’t read it.

We’ll even refund you the purchase price of this article. Take you 0c and go take a long walk of a very short peir, and stay underwater till the bubbles stop.

Althought I suspect that BanHammer has been deployed…

You can belittle Winnipeg all you want, but that isn’t going to change anything.

Where did we belittle Winnipeg; We simply showed populaton sizes relative to other Metro area’s that have been discussed.

First; Phoenix may be a city of 4.6 million people, but it has clearly shown over the past 16 years that it has a base of 10,000 (being quite generous here – we know that half the people in the arena are cheering for the other team) hockey fans at most

Look at this photo:

Official attendance at that game? 17,125
Number of wings fans in that photo (and as someone at the game it is very representitve)? 18 by my count
That means that, maybe 5%…MAYBE 10 at the most were wings fans – leaving 15k+ Coyotes fans at that one game alone.

Or you want a pissing contest on Raw numbers. Fine
Last three years of the jets existance? 13,297, 13,013, 11,316
Last three years for the Coyotes? 14,820, 14,875, 11,989
(Source: http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/index.php/site/comments/nhl_average_attendance_since_1989_90/118-2008-09)

So aside from last year….the year after the previous owner wrote to the Season ticket holders and told them not to buy tickets cause the team would move and they would lose their money.

The Jets highest attendance figure ever was in the 1992-1993 NHL season. The average? 13,550
The Coyotes Lowest attendance figure, excluding last year, was 2001-2002. The average? 13,161
So in our WORST year, we were only an average of 400 people lower than the Peg’s best year.
Based on both worst years, including last year?
Jets: 11,316 (1995-1996)
Coyotes: 11,989 (2009-2010)
Both teams were in the playoffs that year.

Finally, lets assume (based on this research) that 31% of Americans consider themselves hockey fans
AND, lets assume that, oh i dunno, 90% of canadians are:
Phoenix Metro Population: 4,192,887. So 31% of that is 1,299,795 (just shy of 1.3 million)
Winnipegs Metro Population is still around 700,000. Hell MANATOBA’s Metro area is 1,232,654.

Now the 31% was in 2001, this research shows that between 1993 and 2006 (just after the lockout) was still 29%.

; The ownership group in Winnipeg (True North Sports and Entertainment) consists of David Thompson, the richest man in Canada, and 17th richest in the World (Net worth $19 Billion in 2010). TNSE already OWN the arena (MTS Center). MTS ranked as high as 11th busiest area in North America – without even having NHL hockey. This is a PROFITABLE well run organization.

No arguement here – TNSE is a well run, slick organisation. See when you use facts we can agree on things.

The will without doubt run a successful NHL franchise

Again, I don’t disagree they would likely run a successful NHL franchise in a market that would support it.

BUT, even if they don’t, at the very worst, it will be a nice TAX WRITE OFF for David Thompson. After all, he could buy EVERY NHL team (with his own money) if he wanted to.

Sure, but he would have to sell most of his assets to to do so. Just because his net worth is $19 Billion does not mean he has a big bin full of looneys, or even a bank acount with a few more zeros than the rest of ours.

Althought that would be nice, most ‘rich’ people actually have very little in liquid assets. Most have money in shares, buildings, businesses etc.

Mr Thompson does not look like this:

So go ahead, keep trying to convince yourself that Winnipeg is not worthy, it doesn’t change anything.

I don’t think Winnipeg is not worthy. But Mr Pot, those of us here are the Kettle, and we are just as worthy of a team as you.

And on that note:

HAVE A NICE DAY