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WINNIPEG – It’s not Gary Bettman’s presence in Winnipeg that alarms Jets fans. It is his purpose.
The NHL commissioner visits most markets during the course of a typical season. He addressed the Winnipeg media last season and opened the commentary by saying he had no emergency to address and no news to announce.
This season’s visit came with the perception that the stakes were high, but Bettman was unequivocal in his support of True North as an ownership group and Winnipeg as an NHL market.
“I think there was a lot of speculation about why he was here today,” Bettman said in Winnipeg on Tuesday. “This is a place where hockey matters. I think this is a strong NHL market. I think the owners have made extraordinary commitments to the Jets, to this stadium and to downtown, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. “I’m not sure why people are speculating that somehow (the NHL) won’t be here.”
Jets president Mark Chipman revealed The Athletic last week that season ticket sales in Winnipeg have dropped 27 per cent over the course of three years, going from about 13,000 to just under 9,500.
“I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say, ‘We’ve got to get back to 13,000,’” Chipman said last week. “This place we are in now is not going to work long term. “It just isn’t.”
Bettman said in 2011 that the Jets needed to fill their building every game to make the NHL work in Winnipeg. On Tuesday he qualified that statement regarding the decrease in subscription commitments.
“I know Mark Chipman and David Thomson are not just interested in surviving in the NHL. They want to prosper,” Bettman said. “This will be solved. “I don’t see this as a crisis, but I do think that, as with any team in any market, there needs to be collaboration between the community, the fan base and the club, and I think that ultimately will be the case.”
Bettman spoke with similar optimism during his visit to Winnipeg last season. The Jets played at 93.6 percent capacity in 2022-23, according to Hockey Reference, but that number has dropped to 87.3 percent so far this season.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Bettman downplayed fears that the franchise is facing an imminent relocation if the season ticket base does not increase soon.
“Obviously, attendance needs to improve,” Bettman added. “I have confidence in the organization and, more importantly, I have confidence in this community.”
Chipman recently took matters into his own hands and called former season ticket holders to get a better idea of why they gave up their seats. He’s even made house calls: Chipman was accompanied by star players Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele on a recent visit to a former season-ticket holder’s home. It’s part of an overall strategy to improve True North’s customer service and sales, which Chipman acknowledged hadn’t been very good when the team sold out its entire supply of season tickets in minutes and then sold its building for most of it. of eight consecutive seasons. .
“For 10 years, we were not a sales organization; we were a service organization, and to be honest, I’m not sure we were that good of a service organization,” Chipman said. The Athletic.
Chipman was equally contrite during his speech to fans gathered at the Canada Life Center before Tuesday’s game. Speaking alongside Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Chipman apologized for previous customer service failures, particularly regarding a lack of flexibility with season ticket packages. Some former subscribers have cited customer service as the reason for his departure.
Earlier in the day, Morrissey shared his joy at the opportunity to visit with Jets fans with Chipman and Scheifele.
“In my opinion, it couldn’t get more Canadian than that. An outdoor rink in three front yards with trees in the middle of the ice,” Morrissey said. “I think that’s something I’ve always valued about the Jets organization and Mr. Chipman is his commitment to the city of Winnipeg, his love for the city of Winnipeg.
“I think it’s just another example of trying to put players in a situation to interact with some of the great fans and be a part of this community.”
True North’s investment in the Jets is strong and ongoing: Winnipeg purchased former captain Blake Wheeler this offseason, before signing trade acquisition Gabriel Vilardi in July and stars Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to match seven-year AAV extensions and $8.5 million in October. Winnipeg re-signed Nino Niederreiter to a two-year deal shortly after and earlier this month acquired Sean Monahan from Montreal to bolster its playoff push. True North also unveiled $13 million in renovations to the Canada Life Center in September.
Required reading
(Gary Bettman Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)