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Originally Posted by Danny D Oh
Yeah the tickets for any minor pro/semi-pro level team are often comped or given as promotional items for sponsors. The main thing for those franchises are those corporate partnerships and the money that flows in from them. At this point that's more of the business than selling walk-up tickets. The WHL should have no issue in Winnipeg, there are a lot of businesses operating at the right level to partner up with a WHL franchise.
The play in general for 50 below is to add ice to the market, run a busy building including a WHL team and potentially the MJHL Blues as well plus the hockey school type business which is in huge demand right now. If they operate the Ice at breakeven or a bit of a loss I doubt it has much impact on the overall business.
If they don't get the building up they will be in a bit of trouble in terms of being able to operate that entire business.
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With all of the travel, coaching and player development costs and other expenses that go hand in hand with running what is a pretty big time operation, I would think that the potential for losses with a WHL team that is in all likelihood drawing no more than maybe 1,000 paid customers a night right now has to be substantial.... I can't imagine that it isn't weighing on their bottom line.
But I'm sure the ownership group factored a bit of a growth curve into their plans - they must have known that it would take some time to expose people to their product and turn them into paying customers, especially given that the Jets take up practically all of the oxygen in the room when it comes to hockey. The fact that they're deep-pocketed helps too.
I just don't see the towns in southern Manitoba being quite big enough to handle a WHL team just yet. If the ICE is going to work in southern Manitoba, it would have to be in Winnipeg.
Anyway, big game tonight... Moose Jaw is in town and the ICE are trying to claw their way back into first after a disappointing road trip to Alberta. I'm looking forward to it!