Ticket/Attendance Discussion: The Sequel

[Jetsfan79]

People seem to forget Winnipeg's grass route fan base NHL season ticket percentage is one of the best if not THE best of all of Canada. Corporate business need to step up. Even 700 more corporate bought season tickets and Jets will likely be over 13000 every game.

 

[Puckatron 3000]

I agree with those who are saying that downtown needs the investment. With investment comes money, with money comes policing and social programs that are essential for keeping downtown from becoming a crime-ridden nightmare.

The significant uptick in attendance is reassuring. As is the kick-ass season so far. People who aren't going to games are watching them on TV, and will start buying tickets when their paycheck allows. A lot of folks are still in financial shock from the pandemic and run-away inflation, but hopefully those things will fade and we'll all be doing a little better as time moves onward.

 

[jetsfan15]

I did a lot of work this year on that North Side, and I can tell you that this is not the ideal location in terms of demographics.

South side would be more ideal.

But downtown needs investment or it will become a ghost town, a victim of urban sprawl which is a real problem in Winnipeg, as we have the least population density of any city in Canada, by a fairly wide margin.

It's a better location than St. James, which was an absolute traffic nightmare to get out of. Luckily there were plenty of good eateries around the arena back then.

The access through the walkways is a winter treat for people who don't want to brace the cold, although winter keeps getting shorter here.

I got my mom out on Saturday to her first game in 40 years. She was impressed with the scoreboard, as us older fans can remember having to watch the game on the TVs underneath the upper deck. She also noted there was a lot more female fans than she had seen in her day. So hockey in Winnipeg is being marketed in a broader sense.

Yeah I think if the « city » (I say this very generally - the residents, the government, TNSE, etc.) gives up on the downtown… the city will crumble apart more than people think. And having the arena downtown with an NHL tenant is a genuine building block. If that disappears and moves to the suburbs, I don’t know what that leaves for the downtown

 

[10Ducky10]

Someone thinks Chipman is going to build somewhere besides downtown?

 

[Gm0ney]

Downtown Winnipeg has been a shit hole for years. Suddenly people are too good to step over a piss soaked hobo? Come on!

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Found some interesting "inside info" about our arena.

https://arenanetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Bell-MTS-Place-Venue-Information-Sheet-2018.pdf

https://arenanetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/WINNIPEG-MTS-CENTRE-PROMOTER-TECH-PACKAGE.pdf

 

[Repoman]

I think we see a big jump after Christmas. I know my Dad was asking me about the multi-game packs as he was thinking about getting some for Christmas gifts. Unfortunately the packs currently available you have to pick a game before Christmas. I told him to call and see if he could change it out. If TN was smart they should adjust or come out with some Christmas related packs.

 

[cbcwpg]

So after spending millions upon millions to maintain and improve the arena, and building office space etc. downtown that he owns, people think Chipman will just wake up one day and say "Let's build a new $800+ million arena in the south of the city". Sorry, but the current building is the building the Jets will be playing in unless it just falls down one day ( or they get sold and moved )

 

[Whis]

They aren't moving arenas for 10-20 years minimum.

For Athletic subscribers, they are tracking attendance league wide. We are 26th in capacity % and #1 in increase.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5914065/2024/11/12/nhl-attendance-tracking-red-wings-penguins-2024/

 

[jetsfan15]

I think we see a big jump after Christmas. I know my Dad was asking me about the multi-game packs as he was thinking about getting some for Christmas gifts. Unfortunately the packs currently available you have to pick a game before Christmas. I told him to call and see if he could change it out. If TN was smart they should adjust or come out with some Christmas related packs.

My guess is as we get closer to Black Friday and into December, new mini pack combos will be made available. I assume a lot of people are thinking about mini packs as Christmas gifts

 

[jetsfan15]

So after spending millions upon millions to maintain and improve the arena, and building office space etc. downtown that he owns, people think Chipman will just wake up one day and say "Let's build a new $800+ million arena in the south of the city". Sorry, but the current building is the building the Jets will be playing in unless it just falls down one day ( or they get sold and moved )

This.
I just moved from a neighborhood close to downtown to south st vital recently. Selfishly, it would be convenient to have the arena in south st vital. That being said, I KNOW that’s not happening. And frankly as a Winnipegger, for the greater good of our city, it is likely best that the arena remains downtown and that the big downtown-related investments carry on — it is going to be a 10+ years timeframe to positively turn things around downtown, but it’s important for the city that it happens. You can’t just let the city’s core rot, and I think Chipman knows that and he loves Winnipeg and this bigger than just hockey. Of course there is money to be made for him, not denying that component of the equation, but ultimately it’s a win-win.

They aren't moving arenas for 10-20 years minimum.

For Athletic subscribers, they are tracking attendance league wide. We are 26th in capacity % and #1 in increase.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5914065/2024/11/12/nhl-attendance-tracking-red-wings-penguins-2024/

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This is a really positive and encouraging trend for the jets. And I expect it to get increasingly better as the season progresses. Great to see.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Yeah I think if the « city » (I say this very generally - the residents, the government, TNSE, etc.) gives up on the downtown… the city will crumble apart more than people think. And having the arena downtown with an NHL tenant is a genuine building block. If that disappears and moves to the suburbs, I don’t know what that leaves for the downtown

Honestly the arena/True North Square is the only truly major improvement to downtown Winnipeg since The Forks was created over 30 years ago. I shudder to think of what downtown would be like without that there. Probably a boarded up Eatons filled with squatters, and the parking lot on Graham would still be there.

So after spending millions upon millions to maintain and improve the arena, and building office space etc. downtown that he owns, people think Chipman will just wake up one day and say "Let's build a new $800+ million arena in the south of the city". Sorry, but the current building is the building the Jets will be playing in unless it just falls down one day ( or they get sold and moved )

Yeah, it's impossible to imagine. Whatever additional revenue a new arena generates (regardless of where it's located) would be more than offset by the construction cost for a new venue. In some respects TNSE's timing was perfect for building a new arena... original construction cost was $144 million which was absolutely dirt cheap, it's basically the cost of an arena renovation project these days. A new rink would cost nearly a billion dollars today (and who knows how much in another 10-20 years), and it's not like the province is going to pick up the tab for it under current economic conditions.

Besides, the rink is only 20 years old. It's not like the Jets have outgrown it... there is no massive unmet demand for suites and club seats. Even if you assume the current rink will only last 50 years, that means replacement is still another 30 years away.

 

[wpg1]

Looking at Ticketmaster and it appears the next home game (Tuesday Nov 19 Vs Florida) is selling well. From my count, just over 1000 tickets available. Very positive for a weeknight game against a not so popular opponent.

 

[Scheifele55]

I live in NE Winnipeg and realize any new arena shouldn't be in north Winnipeg or downtown and should be in south Winnipeg. The old Packers site would be okay!

Really? The Old Packers site would be a TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE! Marion is 2 lanes each way, Archibald is 2 lanes each way. You cannot expand past 2 lanes each other unless you do some expropropriating due to buildings being very close to the road as it is. It is surrounded by residential thus you have to limit speed limits in the area. North West Winnipeg specifically McPhillips already has 3 lanes of traffic when you reach Leila and can EASILY be expanded like I mentioned above.

 

[jokesondee]

Put it where the old Bomber stadium was. A million ways out and a million things to do in the area. Still wish they would have kept that location for the new Bomber stadium.

 

[AtomicJets]

Looking at Ticketmaster and it appears the next home game (Tuesday Nov 19 Vs Florida) is selling well. From my count, just over 1000 tickets available. Very positive for a weeknight game against a not so popular opponent.

I'll be at that one... it was a lot more appealing to pick that game this year with the Panthers being the cup champs. That should be a pretty incredible matchup.

 

[Jet]

I agree with those who are saying that downtown needs the investment. With investment comes money, with money comes policing and social programs that are essential for keeping downtown from becoming a crime-ridden nightmare.

The significant uptick in attendance is reassuring. As is the kick-ass season so far. People who aren't going to games are watching them on TV, and will start buying tickets when their paycheck allows. A lot of folks are still in financial shock from the pandemic and run-away inflation, but hopefully those things will fade and we'll all be doing a little better as time moves onward.

Yeah you can't give up now. The demise of downtown started with the monstrosity that is Portage Place and razing well traveled businesses.

Stuff like this takes decades to fix, not years. They've made a good start with SHED and new residences. Now they have to keep building on that.

The real win would be public transit that doesnt suck like an e/w and n/s LRT

Not to mention meaningful police enforcement (cops out of cars), stronger vagrants laws and more resources for people in need.

It would be smart for the Jets to invest in these things because making downtown vibrant would be a huge financial win for them

Also, downtown has great bones. Lots of amazing architecture, historic sites and interesting places to go

 

[sipowicz]

Really? The Old Packers site would be a TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE! Marion is 2 lanes each way, Archibald is 2 lanes each way. You cannot expand past 2 lanes each other unless you do some expropropriating due to buildings being very close to the road as it is. It is surrounded by residential thus you have to limit speed limits in the area. North West Winnipeg specifically McPhillips already has 3 lanes of traffic when you reach Leila and can EASILY be expanded like I mentioned above.

Obvioulsy the roads would have needed to be upgraded, they have been talking about upgrading Marion for about 20 years and of course since it's Winnipeg they need 5-6 studies before NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!

Actually all Winnipeg roadways are a shit show, who would think a roadway network built for a city of 500K would be inadequate for a city pushing a million!

 

[macmaroon]

Put it where the old Bomber stadium was. A million ways out and a million things to do in the area. Still wish they would have kept that location for the new Bomber stadium.

I live right near Polo Park and I have not been to a Blue Bomber game since they moved to the University...

 

[Buffdog]

Obvioulsy the roads would have needed to be upgraded, they have been talking about upgrading Marion for about 20 years and of course since it's Winnipeg they need 5-6 studies before NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!

Actually all Winnipeg roadways are a shit show, who would think a roadway network built for a city of 500K would be inadequate for a city pushing a million!

Ironically, they REMOVED a lane on Goulet heading into downtown for a bike lane

I'm all for bicycles, but to take away a traffic lane on one of the busier routes heading into downtown in favor of a bike lane that can be used for 5 months of the year by a handful of people (idiot winter cyclists of fat tired bike notwithstanding) is just plain stupid

Personally, i think cyclists should be able to ride on the sidewalk for no other reason than a cyclist-pedestrian collision is going to have WAY less risk of severe injury than a motor vehicle-cyclist collision

That's all I have for my off topic rant lol

 

[voyageur]

Obvioulsy the roads would have needed to be upgraded, they have been talking about upgrading Marion for about 20 years and of course since it's Winnipeg they need 5-6 studies before NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!

Actually all Winnipeg roadways are a shit show, who would think a roadway network built for a city of 500K would be inadequate for a city pushing a million!

Marion St. would be the absolute worst. Imaging getting caught at the tracks trying to get in or out of the game. Old St. Boniface is too much like Elmwood, and it smells worse (I am old enough to have lived in that area when there was Packers, Maple Leaf and Burns all nearby), that site is heavily contaminated too, from what I understand, one of the reasons nobody actually lives on Marion St., east of Archibald, until that little area around Lag. And St. B will not get any funding for a major project like a railway underpass, not enough tax dollars. And the tax dollars they do get will all go to the richer areas like Southdale and Sage Creek.

But if you know our city's history it's built entirely around railways. And urban sprawl. Downtown arena is fine. Lots of parking, lots of access points. Just nothing to do in the area after the game. I just wish they had made the seats a little more spacious, it's not comfortable if you are a big or wide shouldered person.

 

[Bender Duster]

The arena is in a great location. Ask Ottawa how their suburban rink is working out for them.

If it needs to be replaced in 25 years a good spot for a new arena would be someplace else downtown like the massive gravel parking lot across from the Human Rights Museum. Maybe by then there’ll be a rapid transit line running next to the CN rail line…

 

[Wpgpage]

Maybe I am in the minority here but I can't imagine the rink being anywhere else. I absolutely love the downtown location and would hate if it was out in the burbs. I can say I would absolutely go to fewer games if the rink was in the south or west ends.

One improvement I think they could make that would help a ton would be to make Graham a full transit corridor run street car style vehicles up and down between the forks and the old bay building and make that section free to ride similar to what Calgary does with the C train. You would have to install some kind of a priority light at main to get them over to Provencher but that's relatively doable.

 

[Buffdog]

The arena is in a great location. Ask Ottawa how their suburban rink is working out for them.

If it needs to be replaced in 25 years a good spot for a new arena would be someplace else downtown like the massive gravel parking lot across from the Human Rights Museum. Maybe by then there’ll be a rapid transit line running next to the CN rail line…

Ottawa's arena would basically be located past Headingly in terms of distance from the center of the city

 

[Section 325]

I do not understand why people are talking about needing to move the arena outside of downtown.

Downtown Winnipeg has issues, yes, but rather than address those head on, the thought is that True North should spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of private dollars to sidestep them?

What about the idea that somebody in Winnipeg needs to actually step up and DO SOMETHING to improve the city, other than just depending on True North doing everything all the time.