Thursday, February 1, 2007

Bring back the Winnipeg Jets

The New York Islanders are 29th in the league in attendance at 12,150 fans a game according to this year's figures on ESPN.com. To add to that, this year's valuations of NHL teams by Forbes has the Islanders losing more money than any other NHL team last year. What's the point of keeping this failing franchise in an odd location (Long Island) with one of the worst arenas (Nassau Colliseum) in the game.

So, what's the solution you ask? Move the team to Winnipeg. The Jets originally left Winnipeg for Pheonix because an overwhelmingly strong US currency and the inability to compete in a system without a salary cap. The dollar has taken a dive and economists predict it will remain around this level in the near future. That's no longer a concern for Canadian teams. With a salary cap, all major Canadian markets can now compete in the NHL.

And besides, how could it not be ten times better than the debacle currently called an NHL franchise on Long Island. I'm sure Manitoba residents would gladly trade 14 more years of Rick DiPietro, just to see NHL hockey in their home province again.
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As a self-deprecating Ranger fan of twenty years, the team I've loved for so long is not making any progress quickly. Stuck with a lost coach, an MIA GM, and an egomaniac owner who knows less about hockey than Gary Bettman, it appears as though it will be another 41 years until we win another Stanley Cup. So, what are the short term options? To save the the Penguins and move them to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn! The Penguins are poised to be the next dynasty in sports yet are potentially doomed to be moved to a hillbilly market that will further destroy the image and decrease the popularity of the already floundering NHL. What better for a league in thick turmoil than to move its marquee franchise to the #1 sports market in North America. Think about the profits that could be reaped with Sidney Crosby playing in the #1 media market? With all of Mario Lemieux's concerns in buidling a new arena, he should turn to Brooklyn-the new Nets arena, the Frank Gehry designed Barclays Center will be ready for business in three seasons when the Penguins biggest starts will only be still in their early 20s!Imagine the country's most promising franchise and one of hockey's most exciting teams ever playing in New York City in the most state of the art building in the country. The possibilities are endless.