Quote:
Originally Posted by Boreal
I'm a cynic until anything happens. I used to get farrrr too excited for the tiniest dribbling of the NHL.
I just hope to all that is good and great that if we are afforded an opportunity that we as Manitobans don't blow it. It would be a big time financial commitment on behalf of many over a prolonged period of time (post honeymoon). I suppose a large piece of me is skeptical of Winnipeg's ability to live and thrive in the big leagues (ie Manitobans willing to pay big dollars to potentially watch a losing hockey club). I sincerely hope that Manitobans are atypical in the face of NHL hockey if we were to be afforded an opportunity, because 'cheap' and the 'NHL' cannot under any circumstance co-exist.
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Winnipeg can and will support NHL hockey. It's almost become a question of "when" not "if." Bringing a team to Winnipeg would be the biggest morale boost in the history of the city. True, tickets will not be cheap, and Winnipeg will more than likely be in the bottom half of the league in terms of revenue.
However, where there is smoke, there is usually fire. In 2004, I remember city counsellor Dan Vandal sporting a Jets jersey in the front of the Winnipeg Sun, and it was the first time the "Return of the Jets" movement really started. At the time, people dismissed Vandal, and others who believed in the NHL return to Winnipeg were merely a few dreamers.
Fast forward to 2010, and that movement has snowballed, and the powers that be have definitely taken notice. I could even make a convincing argument as to why the city needs the Jets back within a 10 year timeframe. Winnipeg has a huge emotional attachment to the Jets, and there is still a sense of loss nearly 15 years after the Jets departed for Phoenix.
No matter what you think of them, Darren Ford and others who were ordinary everyday Winnipeggers who decided to do something to make the community push for the return of an NHL team. After all, if you don't have dreams, how exciting can life really be? We need more people to take the initiative, and follow their dreams in this city.