Fans flock to downtown barn as NHL season reaches crunch time

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This article was published 28/03/2024 (577 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The on-ice product remains a work in progress, with the Winnipeg Jets scuffling a bit as they head down the stretch.

But the box office is suddenly booming for the inconsistent hockey club, which has now played host to three straight sellouts at Canada Life Centre.

The latest came Thursday night as the Jets fell 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, creating a lively atmosphere on the eve of the Easter long weekend. The game was much closer than the final score indicated, coming right down to the wire until a pair of empty-netters sealed the deal.

Winnipeg also drew crowds of 15,225 on Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers and March 15 against the Anaheim Ducks.

This, after only seeing four full houses through their first 33 games — and none in the first 18 home dates of the year.

That’s certainly good news considering it was just one month ago that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman came to town to hold court with fans, corporate sponsors and members of the media in an attempt to drum up business.

The visit was just days after Jets co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman had publicly sounded the alarm about plunging attendance, which he then repeated in a one-on-one interview with the Free Press.

Winnipeg’s season-ticket base has dropped to about 9,500 this year, putting a major emphasis on walk-ups. An aggressive marketing campaign is underway in an attempt to eventually build that back up to 13,000.

It would appear local fans have responded accordingly, at least in the short-term, by reaching for their wallets.

On the day Bettman and Chipman held court (Feb. 27), Winnipeg’s average attendance was 13,098 through 30 games, with crowds as low as 11,136 (Oct. 24 vs St. Louis).

That’s now up to 13,335 on the season through 36 home games, and very much trending up.

The Jets have five home games remaining, and one suspects they might make it four straight sellouts when the Ottawa Senators pay a visit on Saturday for a Hockey Night In Canada duel that also happens to be “fan appreciation night.”

That will be followed by Pierre-Luc Dubois and his Los Angeles Kings on Monday, another one-anthem game against the Calgary Flames next Thursday, and then the final two home dates of the year on Apr. 16 (Seattle Kraken) and Apr. 18 (Vancouver Canucks).

There was a time, not that long ago, when a full house at the downtown barn wouldn’t have really merited a mention. It was as sure as the sun rising every morning, with a robust waiting list acting as insurance.

But that has now disappeared, and the global pandemic certainly didn’t do the team any favours.

No doubt Winnipeg’s play, despite the recent 0-4-1 slump, has helped the cause. The Jets are a lock for the playoffs at 44-23-6 and, at least until the last few games, were very much in the running for first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference.

Timing of some games has also boosted sales, along with the quality of opponent.

Winnipeg’s first sellout of the year came on Dec. 30 against the Minnesota Wild (4-2 victory), no doubt buoyed by the holiday season along with some bad blood between the divisional rivals.

The second came on Jan. 11 against Chicago, who were without teen phenom Connor Bedard owing to injury (many tickets were likely purchased before he went down). The Jets took that game 2-1.

Next up was the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 27, where fans wearing blue and white — and there were thousands of them — had plenty to cheer about as the visitors skated away with a 4-2 win.

Sidney Crosby no doubt helped moved some tickets for the fourth packed barn on Feb. 10, with the Jets coming away with a 2-1 triumph.

There’s no real explanation for why the Ducks were such a draw, other than it was a Friday night game and, perhaps, fans thought they’d see the home team fill the net (they certainly did, in a 6-0 victory).

Connor McDavid was likely a big factor on Tuesday (Winnipeg lost 4-3 in an overtime thriller), while a chance to see the Stanley Cup champs on Thursday would have been a draw for many (along with the fact the Golden Knights have plenty of local flavour on the roster as well).

Add it all up and Winnipeg is now 4-2-1 this season when every seat in the house is occupied, with all seven of those sellouts coming in the last 18 games.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyewpg