The best of the worst - but don't be alarmed...
A report from OntarioBets.com ranked Winnipeg Jets fans 28th among the most engaged fanbases in the NHL.
This news, while concerning, is some of the least troubling news regarding the Jets’ fan support published this year.
In February, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman visited Winnipeg to meet with Jets owner Mark Chipman, amid record-low attendance averages at Canada Life Centre.
At that time, the Jets were five points behind Vancouver for first-place in the Western Conference, with four games in hand. Despite the team’s play, the Jets were averaging around 13,400 per home game—only 87 per cent of the rink’s full capacity.
In the past three seasons, the Jets’ season ticket sales have dropped 27 percent. A trend that Chipman said was “not going to work over the long haul.”
Despite the suggested cause for alarm, it was Bettman who issued the Jets’ faithful a sigh of relief. “I know there was skeptics and critics suggesting doom and gloom. I don’t buy that. We believe in this market and this is a great place for hockey. It’s a great place for an NHL team,” said Bettman.
After Chipman’s unsettling comments, he was quick to refute with a different perspective, acknowledging that Winnipeg is the NHL’s smallest market.
“We knew this going in. That’s what I love about what we do, is that knowing all of that, we still get to compete. I have to say I’m proud of how we’ve done that,” Chipman said. I learned yesterday that since the year we started this, there’s no other market in Canada whose fans have watched more wins at home than our fans have.”
These past few seasons have been some of the hardest financially for Manitobans. Grocery prices and interest rates are quite possibly at the highest points some Jets fans have seen in their lifetime - something the OntarioBets.com report did not consider.
So, Jets fans, no need to push the panic button yet. Chipman is hopeful season ticket sales will start to climb, and the Jets' faithful remain eager to cheer on a team coming off a record-setting regular season in 2023-24.
*The report scored teams based on social media following, percentage of home seats filled, and Reddit’s general fan rankings.
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