Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Gary Bettman wasn’t here to sound the alarm or to apply any pressure to the ticket-buying public.

As Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly sat at a table in front of the assembled members of the media inside Canada Life Centre on Wednesday morning, there was no formal agenda to adhere to.

This was a routine check-in with one of the 32 member clubs, which gave Bettman another platform to extol the virtues of an exciting start to a season where parity has taken centre stage.

The recent announcement related to the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game next October was celebrated, questions about the upcoming Olympics were sorted through and Bettman also conceded that the Jets quest to reclaim their 1.0 history remains a work in progress — though that would suggest the efforts will continue until a suitable resolution is found.

The subject of that history returning to its rightful owner is something folks around these parts would love to see sorted out by next season, though it’s not as simple as willing it into existence.

“Mr. (Mark) Chipman has raised that issue with us repeatedly. It’s not as simple as just doing it,” said Bettman. “It is something we’re looking into. It’s not so much a process. It’s what the end result would look like and can we make it make sense? The process is trying to figure it out, which is what we’re trying to do.

“If we figure it out, my guess is it will be okay, but not perfect.”

Attendance has been a hot-button issue around these parts for quite some time and the Jets have seen strides taken this season, both on the corporate front for season tickets and with individual games on the rise so far.

But there have been only two sellouts through 13 home games for the Jets going into Thursday’s tilt with the Boston Bruins.

Bettman praised the Jets’ organization and had kind words for the market, though there was also an acknowledgement that further strides need to be taken on the attendance front, especially when you consider the salary cap will eclipse US$100 million next season and increase steadily during the coming years.

“If we figure it out, my guess is it will be okay, but not perfect.”

“Attendance is better, attendance is improving. I know that the Jets’ organization and Mark (Chipman) — as would I — love to see this building full every night,” said Bettman. “But I do think the attendance is trending in the right direction. A franchise cannot be stronger than the support it gets locally, and an essential element of that is the attendance.

“This is a team that I think has more regular-season wins over the last three years than any other team in the NHL. The product is great, it’s strong. This team more than earns the support of the local community and I’m glad it’s increasing, but I’d like to see a little bit more.”

Some time was also spent on the topic of no-trade and no-movement clauses and Bettman was asked if there was any appetite to try and do something to try and level the playing field, since there have been plenty of players that include Winnipeg — and many other Canadian markets — on the trade protection they receive in free agency.

“Players choose to play in different places for a variety of reasons. The flavour of the day seems to be state taxes,” said Bettman. “It’s (about) quality of life. It’s the quality of the organization. It’s where a player thinks he can fit in. It’s where he wants to live and raise his family and send his kids to school if he has kids. There’s a whole host of variations that go into it and, most recently, this club (the Jets) has been very successful in signing players who are here, who want to stay here long term. Which, to me, is probably the best indication as to the quality of being an NHL player in Winnipeg.

“So, I don’t get overly moved by articles and polls that depend on how you ask the question. I think this is a great place to live and play and, obviously, a number of players obviously agree with that.”

During his opening remarks, Bettman made it clear he wasn’t in town to break any news, though he did engage in some friendly banter with a reporter who posed a query about whether the 2026 Heritage Classic might include an alumni game component to it — like the one held at Princess Auto Stadium did when the Edmonton Oilers served as the opponent.

“We haven’t made an announcement to that effect. So maybe there will and maybe there won’t and maybe at some point we will make an announcement if there will or maybe at some point, they’ll never be an announcement, so stay tuned,” said Bettman. “We just announced the main event. There are always things that may or may not come in tent pole events. Would you like to see one?”

“The product is great, it’s strong. This team more than earns the support of the local community and I’m glad it’s increasing, but I’d like to see a little bit more.”

Bettman also tackled a question about how much longer he plans to remain in his current role.

“I love what I get to do on a daily basis. It energizes me. I love being a part of the game. I love the people associated with the game,” said Bettman. “What I get to do on a daily basis is intellectually challenging, stimulating, sometimes rigorous. It brings me to places all over North America and the world. I get to meet interesting people and I get to be a part of something that I think is terrific day in and day out, and that’s what keeps me going.

“So, that’s why I don’t put a timeline on it. ”

Bettman acknowledged that he’s been around the block a few times and, at some point, an appropriate succession plan would be put in place — but that doesn’t appear to be imminent.

“Today, tomorrow, the next day, for the foreseeable future, I’m still fully engaged and as long as the owners want me to be fully engaged, I’m gonna continue to do it,” said Bettman, who then took an example to use his wit as an exclamation point. “And so, if you’re looking to get rid of me, I’m sorry, you’ll have to be disappointed a little longer.”

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Bettman certainly didn’t hide his disappointment with some of the challenges related to getting the primary venue in Italy up to speed for the upcoming Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

“I’m excited about the fact that our best-on-best, our internally-based best-on-best perhaps may be the best. Our players love it, our fans will love it,” said Bettman. “But as you’ve heard me say over the years, from a league operation standpoint in our season, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. But we think it’s good for hockey world wide and it’s something that’s important to our players, which is why we do it.”

“I think this is a great place to live and play and, obviously, a number of players obviously agree with that.”

Daly says the concerns about the arena have shifted from chatter about the length of the ice being slightly shorter to ensuring that player safety is not compromised once the completion of the main rink is finally completed and the ice plant is functioning.

“It’s probably a self-fulfilling prophecy that if the ice isn’t ready and it’s not safe, then we’re not going,” said Daly. “I mean, I think that’s pretty self-evident.”

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Ken Wiebe
Reporter

Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.

Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.