Hard work only just beginning Fans back in stands the first step in getting the Jets headed in right direction By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022

Opinion

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This article was published 15/02/2022 (947 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no question Wednesday was an important day for True North Sports & Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets. For the first time since before Christmas, they had the green light to open the doors at Canada Life Centre without capacity restrictions.

“It makes our building fun to play,” captain Blake Wheeler said a few hours prior to puck drop against the Minnesota Wild. “I think our guys will be real excited,” added interim coach Dave Lowry.

After the Jets skated in a pair of January snoozers in front of only 250 spectators (both losses), and two more earlier this month in front of just over 7,000 fans (a win and a loss), the ability to once again try to pack the downtown rink to the rafters and get it rocking could be a real shot in the arm for an inconsistent club that can use any help it can get right now. It’s also a significant step in society’s cautious return to so-called normalcy, one we all hope is here to stay after previous false alarms.

However, at the risk of coming across as a bit of a party pooper, I’d suggest the organization hold off on taking a victory lap despite these promising developments. There are a number of key items and areas that need to be addressed.

On the ice, the Jets need to take off, and fast, if they want to get back in the playoff race. But an even bigger challenge is happening off the ice, where it’s clear damage has been done to the all-important brand in this community. And the loosening of public health orders, as much of a welcome development as that was, is not going to fix everything that ails them.

By March 1, the Jets are no longer required to restrict attendance to the fully vaccinated, which represent the large majority of the public. By March 15, masks won’t be mandated, either. Will True North simply go along with what the province is saying, as they have up to this point, or maintain the status quo by imposing their own set of rules as a private company? There are risks associated with either choice.

A fan survey conducted earlier this year revealed the majority were only comfortable attending games under the existing restrictions at the time. Even then, it wasn’t enough to get a full house, as the Jets didn’t sell out any of the first 17 home games this year when they could have 100 per cent attendance at the 15,321 seat facility. (They were averaging just a shade less than 14,000).

The big question now is how many of those existing customers might balk at buying tickets if they know an unvaccinated, unmasked person could be sitting next to them? And would that number potentially be larger than those who could now attend games after previously being prohibited from doing so, which ultimately results in an even bigger overall attendance drop? We’ll soon know the answer, but I’d suggest the almighty dollar will likely dictate which direction they ultimately go.

True North is going to have to carefully stickhandle their way through this in the coming weeks. When you rely on your customers to keep you afloat, anger is bad for business.

Still, it’s likely to create a divide one way or the other, the kind we’ve unfortunately seen in so many facets of society these days. True North is going to have to carefully stickhandle their way through this in the coming weeks. When you rely on your customers to keep you afloat, anger is bad for business.

So, too, is apathy, and I get the sense there’s a lot more of that surrounding the Jets right now than at any point over the past 11 years since the NHL returned to River City, which has been reflected by the drop in attendance in a hockey-crazed market where the product used to sell itself. There are many potential reasons for this, including priorities being re-assessed during the pandemic, disposable income in short supply and, of course, worries about health and safety in group settings. But the team’s lacklustre play clearly hasn’t helped.

The Jets are losing more than winning, falling well short of lofty expectations considering they are spending near the salary cap ceiling, have a core of players signed to long-term deals and supposedly filled holes in their lineup last summer. Paul Maurice, the long-time head coach with the glorious gift of gab, is gone. I sense the loss of dynamic personalities such as Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine in recent seasons is a factor, too. They had a marketable “it” factor that can’t be replaced.

There just isn’t the same excitement surrounding the franchise like there once was, and that’s certainly reflected in the tone of messages I receive on a regular basis. The connection between hockey club and community has taken a hit, with many supporters feeling like their loyalty has been taken for granted and not rewarded.

The season ticket waiting list, once filled with thousands of hopefuls willing to shell out their hard-earned cash, has vanished. The secondary ticket market has dried up, with owners not even able to get face value — or, in some cases, find buyers at all regardless of price. And the atmosphere inside the rink, once among the loudest and liveliest in the league, has been severely tempered.

Sure, winning would likely fix a lot the above, which is why if this season ends with a thud, a full-scale autopsy of what went wrong is required. And a major housecleaning and roster re-tooling is likely required. Not to mention finding a way to re-build some of those burned bridges with the base.

I’ve said it before, and will say it again: A market correction is required, not just here in Winnipeg but most other NHL cities which are also struggling at the box office. The cost of a big-league game has simply become too much for many to bear, and owners — including Mark Chipman and David Thomson — need to come to grips with that reality.

No doubt it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially here in the midst of a third straight season where COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on operations. The Jets, for example, have now lost the equivalent of three normal home gates by only being able to have just over 15,000 combined fans for their last four home games. That, after 28 dates last year in a completely empty barn, and losing several others (and playoff revenue) the previous season.

But playing the long game needs to be the priority, or else the sad-sack Arizona Coyotes might not be the only franchise skating in front of just a few thousand spectators before too long.

For True North and the Jets, it’s important to celebrate even the smallest victories, and Wednesday represented one of those. But there’s a lot more that needs to be done to get the organization pointed back in the right direction. In that sense, the hard work is only just beginning.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg