Are The Jets Headed For Budget Issues?

Oh boy.  Here we go again.  Isn't this the problem the Winnipeg Jets had in the 90s?  Bad Canadian dollar, high salaries and other lost revenue due to the lack of vision and greed of Winnipeg Enterprises?  The only, and most specific difference, is Mark Chipman and True North Sports & Entertainment actually own the arena they occupy.  That means revenue that the Jets 1.0 never got. Revenue such as parking, concessions, plus non-hockey related revenue such as concerts, circuses, awards shows (the Junos, for example) and other activities.  That's the difference this time around. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have one of the richest men in the world as a co-owner.  That of course being David Thomson, Third Thomson of Fleet.

Fancy title, huh?  Well, it should be, his net worth is an estimated $27.2 billion.  Yes, that's billion with a B.

Thompson isn't expected to just hand over cash to Mark Chipman whenever there may be a financial dip in the Jets financial fortunes, but I doubt the Jets will face the financial crisis that forced them to move like the the team that was born in Winnipeg in 1972 and was forced out to Arizona (losing eventual Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Famer and probably Jet-for-life Teemu Selanne in the process, in what was still one of the most dumbest trades in NHL history) in 1996.  Afterall, in one of his rare public appearances, the Jets silent partner/owner went pretty much all-in when asked for a comment during True North's press conference in 2011. stating, in effect, the Jet are more than just a hockey team to Winnipeggers; it's a symbol of the community, their identifier.  It's something that the city has rallied around since 1972 (minus of course 1996-2011) and never really let it go.

One example of that never-say-die attitude of wishing a team back is Darren Ford and his "Jets Owner" website in which he, for years, championed the return of the Winnipeg Jets, acknowledging the need for a new, stable, wealthy owner and a new, downtown, centralized arena and a salary cap. Despite a lucid, economically thought out theory on how to attract a prospective owner in an already hockey-rabid market, especially when by 2007/2008, all of Phoenix, Carolina, Florida and Atlanta were in financial turmoil, made public by the NHL or not; Ford saw the reality of a well-run hockey club in Winnipeg once again.

He received more than his fair share of criticism and mockery over the years for his prophetic vision, but on May 31, 2011, I wonder who was laughing the hardest.

When referring to the return of the team at the press conference back in May of 2011, Thomson said, "It's time."

For the life of me, I wish I could find the full quote from the press conference.

I actually just found an old article from 2011 at the HuffPost Canada, although it isn't exactly what I was looking for, meaning the Thomson quote.

So, while the Jets are in no real trouble of moving (as some nay-sayers predicted as soon as True North made the announcement about purchase and re-location) they still face the trials and tribulations of a small-market, lower-cap team.  Not to mention the stigma that accompanies every players reason for not wanting to play there.

That will change.  When this team is built into a contender and is finally seen as a legitimate destination for players wanting to win, the culture will be one of professionalism, dedication and victory.

But, for the sake of 80s Jets fans, let's hurry it along, shall we?