WINNIPEG — It’s not Gary Bettman’s presence in Winnipeg that’s alarming to Jets fans. It’s his purpose.
The NHL commissioner drops in on most markets over the course of a typical season. He addressed Winnipeg media last season, opening his remarks by saying he had no emergency to address or news to announce.
This season’s visit came with the perception of higher stakes, but Bettman was unequivocal in his support for True North as an ownership group and Winnipeg as an NHL market.
“I think there was a lot of speculation as to why I was here today,” Bettman said in Winnipeg on Tuesday. “This is a place where hockey matters. I believe that this is a strong NHL market. I believe that ownership has made extraordinary commitments to the Jets, to this arena, and to the downtown area, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m not sure why people are speculating that, somehow, (the NHL is) not going to be here.”
Jets chairman Mark Chipman revealed to The Athletic last week that Winnipeg season-ticket sales have declined 27 percent over the course of three years, falling from approximately 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 find ourselves in right now, it’s not going to work over the long haul. It just isn’t.”
Bettman said in 2011 that the Jets needed to fill their building every game for the NHL to work in Winnipeg. On Tuesday, he qualified that statement with respect to the declining season ticket commitments.
“I know that Mark Chipman and David Thomson aren’t interested in just surviving in the NHL. They want to thrive,” Bettman said. “This will get sorted out. I don’t view this as a crisis but I do believe, as with any team in any market, there needs to be collaboration between the community and the fan base and the club and I believe ultimately it will be here.”
Bettman spoke with similar optimism in 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 declined to 87.3 percent so far this season.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Bettman downplayed the fears that the franchise is facing imminent relocation if the season-ticket base doesn’t increase soon.
“Obviously, the attendance needs to improve,” Bettman added. “I have a confidence in the organization and more importantly I have confidence in this community.”
Chipman has recently taken matters into his own hands, calling former season-ticket holders to get a better sense of why they gave up their seats. He’s even made house calls: Chipman was joined 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 had not been very good when the team sold out its full supply of season tickets in minutes, then sold out its building for the better part of eight straight seasons.
“For 10 years, we weren’t a sales organization; we were a service organization, and I’m not sure we were that good of a service organization, to be honest with you,” Chipman told The Athletic.
Chipman was similarly contrite during his address to fans gathered at Canada Life Centre prior to Tuesday’s game. Speaking beside Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Chipman apologized for previous customer service failures, particularly with respect to a lack of flexibility with season-ticket packages. Customer service has been cited by some former season-ticket holders as a reason for their departure.
Earlier in the day, Morrissey shared his delight at the opportunity to visit with Jets fans with Chipman and Scheifele.
“It couldn’t be any more, in my view, Canadian than that. An outdoor rink across three front yards with trees in the middle of the ice,”…
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