Post by delicategenius on Jan 19, 2016 3:14:04 GMT -6
Seems ridiculous doesn't it. The path we were set on back in 1997...
Other Cities.
Las Vegas - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Quebec City - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Seattle - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Anaheim, Nashville, etc. - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Colorado - NHL: "You had a team that failed before, but... build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Minnesota - NHL: "Your minor league Minnesota Moose hockey team failed miserably, but... build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll give you an NHL expansion franchise."
WINNIPEG.
NHL: (or at least, popular opinion) "Support a minor league hockey team the affiliate of an old rival (Moose 1.0) to PROVE you like hockey. Build a new arena. PLUS - sell out - or at least very strongly support NHL exhibition games on weekdays featuring 2 non-Winnipeg sports teams. Give us a lot of money. And, yeah, maybe we'll give you a look."
I'm thankful we have an NHL franchise. And I always knew it'd be successful. First-class ownership & a state-of-the-art arena (things the Jets 1.0 never, ever had) will always equal success in a Canadian NHL city. But the path it took really was ridiculous - especially now considering we have a successful NHL franchise and it's primary affiliate also doing well in the same building.
I'm paying close attention to the NHL expansion process and although the pricetag is insane ($500 million(!)) - for cities like Seattle (if they got shovels in the ground), Vegas & Quebec - plus those sunbelt expansion teams - and cities that lost NHL teams once before in the past (Colorado, Minnesota) they really did not have to suffer the ignorance & disrespect Winnipeg did.
Winnipeg's infamous "inferiority complex" really did make those years without an NHL franchise (1997-2010) harder than they had to be.
Other Cities.
Las Vegas - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Quebec City - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Seattle - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Anaheim, Nashville, etc. - NHL: "Build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Colorado - NHL: "You had a team that failed before, but... build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll probably give you an NHL team."
Minnesota - NHL: "Your minor league Minnesota Moose hockey team failed miserably, but... build a new arena, give us lots of money & we'll give you an NHL expansion franchise."
WINNIPEG.
NHL: (or at least, popular opinion) "Support a minor league hockey team the affiliate of an old rival (Moose 1.0) to PROVE you like hockey. Build a new arena. PLUS - sell out - or at least very strongly support NHL exhibition games on weekdays featuring 2 non-Winnipeg sports teams. Give us a lot of money. And, yeah, maybe we'll give you a look."
I'm thankful we have an NHL franchise. And I always knew it'd be successful. First-class ownership & a state-of-the-art arena (things the Jets 1.0 never, ever had) will always equal success in a Canadian NHL city. But the path it took really was ridiculous - especially now considering we have a successful NHL franchise and it's primary affiliate also doing well in the same building.
I'm paying close attention to the NHL expansion process and although the pricetag is insane ($500 million(!)) - for cities like Seattle (if they got shovels in the ground), Vegas & Quebec - plus those sunbelt expansion teams - and cities that lost NHL teams once before in the past (Colorado, Minnesota) they really did not have to suffer the ignorance & disrespect Winnipeg did.
Winnipeg's infamous "inferiority complex" really did make those years without an NHL franchise (1997-2010) harder than they had to be.
