Whileee
Registered User
- May 29, 2010
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So I should give up my season tickets or am I misinterpreting your statement?
The feeling I get from TNSE is that they're happy insomuch as they're making money. They're looking at the economic situation and deciding that A)the Canadian dollar continues to perform poorly cutting into their bottom line and B)we have a largely captive audience so we'll just raise prices to cover our margins (plus profit, of course). If that affects any of our season ticket holders then hey, they can walk and we'll pluck someone off the wait list to take their place. Loyalty is for those inside the organization. Eff the rest of them. I'm sure they're displeased with the on-ice product as well but I've seen no outward indications of it. To the contrary I see statements that seem to imply "we're just this close to the playoffs" and we're sure everything will be ok. There's no urgency despite being a rather pathetic team, in terms of performance, for the tenure here in Winnipeg.
I'm at a loss here as to how to proceed. I'm not giving up my season tickets because I enjoy the privilege of going to NHL hockey games. Generally I enjoy them, be it to watch our guys or as of late, to watch other teams outperform our guys. My only real avenue of complaint is to fill out the end of season ticket holder survey. I'm not convinced that they take any of it to heart at all. Don't get me wrong here, I don't want management to take MY advice on how to manage the team.
We're in year six. There've been some moves made though really many not until the management has been forced to make them. The team did entirely check out on Noel. Buff threw Kane's tracksuit in the shower forcing the trade. Beyond that? No addressing of goaltending in a meaningful manner (yes, I was supportive of a Hutch/Helle combo for this year but really only in the sense of the Helle half of it) for years. We've squandered most of the Atlanta Core's better years trying to figure things out while icing GST, Mittens, Peluso and others. We are again, pragmatically speaking, out of the playoffs by American Thanksgiving. Within my season ticket group I have for the past several seasons front-loaded my games so I can delude myself that we still have a shot in October, November, December.
So how do I voice those concerns as a season ticket holder? How do I convey the message that I'm not satisfied with the product on the ice? I disagree with paper bags, throwing jerseys on the ice and for the most part, booing the home team. But what avenues are available to suggest I'm largely dissatisfied with the product? If that dog's breakfast of a Tampa game was me in a restaurant eating a meal I'd have asked to speak to the manager about his/her employees' performances - the hostess was great and showed us to a nice seat, but it was downhill after that, the waiter was awful, the product largely undelivered and you want me to pay how much?
I'm well and truly ok with the notion of a growth year with youth in place. But the Jets should be better than they are showing, youth or not in the lineup. I'm not upset because we're not winning, I'm upset because they don't even look like they're trying. It's not JUST goaltending that is hampering this team, far from it. The Helle/Hutch combo was a risk that didn't work (what is preventing us from acquiring another goaltender during the season btw if we are seriously trying to make the playoffs?) The play beyond there is what could best be described as embarrassing at times for young men making millions of dollars to do what they do.
If they were losing by being out-competed by a better team that would be a-ok in my books. But that's not the case in many games. The Leafs were behind us prior to this year in terms of development. I think Matthews is one heck of a hockey player but he's not the difference between the Jets and the Leafs at the moment. And I think the Leafs are considerably further ahead of us in a very, very short time since they tore it down to start over. Year six since the team came over and we're still evaluating and in a developmental year? Oy.
There are two issues - one is the issue around rising ticket prices. That's a legitimate complaint, and you'd have to decide whether you think it's justifiable, and in the end, whether the tickets are worth it for you. I don't have enough information to assess whether the expenses have risen enough to justify the price increases, but there has been a substantial depreciation of the Canadian dollar vis-Ã -vis the US dollar. I know that the Jets hedge, and there are currency balancing mechanisms, but I would bet that the Jets are dealing with a worse balance sheet due to currency fluctuations.
Regardless, on balance, I still think that the season tickets are worth the money for me, but understand those who don't. Ultimately, the market will decide.
The issue of whether the team performance is adequate for the (rising) ticket prices is an entirely different matter. I've been disappointed by their performance this season, but objectively I find them just as entertaining or moreso than in the first few years when I didn't see the level of young talent the team has now. Watching Laine and Ehlers and Scheifele (and Morrissey and Trouba) is entertaining for a number of reasons.
I approached this season very differently than many others, mostly because I could see that the Jets' management were more formally declaring in words and actions a move a youthful core with bright young talents. I expected that they would struggle. However, I have been disappointed by a number of aspects of how they have played, and how they've been coached. Overall, I still think that the franchise is now on a good trajectory, and that with a few key fixes they finally have the talent and depth in the organization that might lead to a real contender.