Bettman praises Winnipeg’s hockey culture

Don’t ask Gary Bettman to name a favourite franchise. That would be like asking a parent to choose which child they prefer.

However, the NHL commissioner who brokered the return of the best hockey in the world to this market back in 2011 admits he enjoyed seeing the excitement surrounding the thrilling, Game 7 comeback by the Winnipeg Jets that now has them skating in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“You have moments like Sunday night, that’s going to be in people’s minds for a long, long time,” Bettman said Wednesday prior to puck drop at Canada Life Centre for the second-round series against the Dallas Stars.

“You see the connection to the club and to hockey and to the city. Sports brings people together. The Jets bring people of Winnipeg together. It’s part of the community. It’s part of the quality of life. Add I think people recognize that.”

There was no breaking news reason for Bettman’s visit — he’s simply making the rounds to various playoff cities this spring — but there was a much different tone compared to his last time in town.

That happened midway through the 2023-24 season, with Winnipeg’s attendance issues becoming a growing concern and Bettman and Jets co-owner Mark Chipman sounding the alarm, including meeting with various stakeholders in an attempt to drum up support.

There’s no victory lap yet, but the Jets did enjoy a year-over-year jump of nearly 1,000 fans per game this past season (14,366, the largest since the pandemic, compared to 13,490 last year) while capturing the Presidents’ Trophy with a 56-22-4 record.

They sold out the final eight games of the regular-season, and 16 overall, and have now hosted five consecutive full houses for the playoffs.

The Jets boosted their season-ticket base to approximately 10,000 — up about 500 overall — but are still striving to get it back to their previous high of 13,000. Getting additional corporate support has been the main focus.

“I don’t think tickets are an issue,” Bettman said this time around.

“I think the club, the organization had to go through a process of transitioning the season ticket base. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a club have to go through that. It’s happened to other clubs where the fan base starts aging and you have to get it younger.”

Bettman said he never believed this was a “long-term issue” and isn’t surprised to see the market respond.

“It was more about re-positioning what had to be done. Things are great,” he said.

Bettman mentioned the Whiteout street parties, joking that if he were a bit younger he might have ventured outside to watch Game 1 of Jets vs Stars with the masses.

“I think everyone is still recovering from Sunday night,” he joked. “It goes to the point that sports brings people together. Not everybody at one of these outdoor viewing sessions knows each other. But they’re all part of the community and everybody has something in common that brings them together – namely the Jets. To me that’s all good.”

Bettman touched on a few other topics of local interest, including the possibility of the Jets getting another Global Series game in the near future. The last one occurred in November 2018 when Winnipeg played the Florida Panthers in Finland.

“It’s a work in progress. Like outdoor games, we have a long line of teams that have put their heads up and said they’d like to play. And we try to manage that process in a fair, orderly and sensible way,” said Bettman.

“(The Jets) are always on our list. They represented the league very well when they were in Finland.”

Bettman also discussed the ongoing economic issues between the United States and Canada including tariffs and what impact that could have on the seven teams north of the border.

“Now it’s a little unpredictable. Every time I’ve been asked the question I’ve said ‘Well, if it affects the Canadian economy and the Canadian dollar drops, that may create some issues,” he said.

“But the Canadian dollar has gone from 70 to 73 cents, so it’s actually getting stronger. So the answer is I don’t think anybody knows. We’re just going to have to watch and see it how it all unfolds. Hopefully we’re just dealing with a moment in time. Canada and the United States are great friends, great allies, great countries. “

Bettman, who has been at the helm of the NHL since 1993, said he’s seen the Canadian dollar dip into the low 60s and be above par.

“You just have to ride the wave,” he said.

The NHL is currently in negotiations with the NHLPA on a new collective bargaining agreement, and Bettman told the Free Press that an issue that hits close to home for several Jets players — neck guard protection — is on the agenda.

So far, the league has not made neckguards mandatory following the tragic on-ice death in England of pro hockey player Adam Johnson, who was best friends with Jets defenceman Neal Pionk.

“We are discussing it. I never find it constructive when I’m having the discussions to a certain point to do it publicly but we are,” said Bettman.

“Obviously that is something the Players Association and the league would have to jointly agree to, and it’s something that is being discussed.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg