Bettman holds strange press conference about Winnipeg Jets' future in the NHL
“Obviously, the attendance needs to improve. Get over your anxiety. - Gary Bettman
HockeyFeed
Winnipeg Jets fans have been living in an existential fog for the past 72 hours.
You see, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced three days ago that he'd be holding a public press conference in Winnipeg today to discuss the future of the Jets the team. Well, today he did that and he calmed Jets fans' worst fears... kinda.
Of course, the Jets have been on rocky footing the past few years and there's some sentiment amongst people in the league that the team's ownership can't afford to run the team if their revenues don't pick up. The Jets have the lowest average attendance in the NHL of any team playing in a full-sized arena. The Arizona Coyotes are dead last with just 4,600 fans per game in their college sized facility, but the Jets are net in line at 13,140 average fans per game. That's awfully close to what the San Jose Sharks are averaging and they're an absolutely dreadful team, so you can understand the concern. The Jets are a great team and they still can't make any money. That's concerning.
Bettman mostly poo-poo'ed away any reports that the NHL is looking to take the Jets out of Winnipeg though. He expressed his belief in the Winnipeg market and encouraged fans to "get over their anxiety" and return to Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre.
Some quotes from Bettman today:
“I’m not sure why people are now speculating that [the team] is not gonna be here. Obviously, the attendance needs to improve. It will. I have confidence in this organization.”
“If I didn’t believe in places like Winnipeg, we wouldn’t have brought the Jets back. Get over your anxiety and come to games.”
- Gary Bettman
You're not sure why people are speculating why the team might move?
Oh, I don't know Gary... maybe because that's exactly what you've done before!?
Right from the hop when the Jets were moved back to Winnipeg in 2011 the NHL made it clear that in order for things to work out that fans would have to show up and support the team. Now that there's been a bit of a dip in that, Bettman is showing up in town to remind everyone to put up or shut up. It's extortion, really...
Don't you have a team in the Arizona desert to worry about, Gary?
