From the Archives: Winnipeg Lacked Strength to Save Jets

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The following THN Archive story by Tim Campbell takes a reactionary look at the original Winnipeg Jets’ departure from Manitoba, while including a brief chronology of important dates in team history.

(You can read all of THN’s new Archive by subscribing to the magazine.)

Winnipeg Lacked Strength to Save Jets

May 19, 1995 – Vol. 48, Issue 35

By Tim Campbell

The complicated debate that preceded the death of the Jets in Winnipeg has been summarized succinctly and accurately. Winnipeg can no longer afford the NHL.

This observation is correct, but less because the money was lacking in 1995 and more because here in Canada’s heartland, we’re so sadly short of vision, foresight and leadership.

The I-told-you-so’s loom morbidly over the corpse. He has been labeled a whiner and untrustworthy, but Jets’ president Barry Shenkarow tried to explain since the early 1980s how a new arena in Winnipeg was going to be required to keep the team in business.

Nobody believed him or cared to do anything about such an eventuality until it was too late. The Manitoba

Entertainment Complex group got into the act last summer as yet another loathsome deadline came and went and in the end, the problem of generating enough revenues in a smallmarket city was too much to overcome. Too much money was needed for the fix, much of it government grants or loans, and the risk of losses in the next two years soured the potential new owners.

The group had investors who wanted to contribute, but none who would guarantee losses while the franchise attempted to right itself with a revenue-generating new building.

The opportunity to build a new arena came and went several times before the last deadline. Such a project never got off the drawing board in early 1991 because those in positions of public authority or leadership would have no part of it.

It was later that same year the city and provincial government figured they’d bought themselves more time to repair the problem, signing the deal to cover the club’s operating losses through 1997 while decisions were made on franchise viability and the need for a new arena.

Winnipeg continued to set NHL records for studies, but there was no acknowledgement of the need. And the deal seemed a fair bargain, since time was being bought cheaply.

There were no losses to cover in the first two years, mainly because of expansion revenues. But when the debt began in late 1993, the squawking increased. By early this year, both governments, now in unpopular positions, said they would not honor their agreement with the Jets. That turned up the heat on the MEC.

Well, politicians eventually did what they do best-they saved their own butts. Mayors Bill Norrie (until 1992), Susan Thompson and Thompson’s nay-saying council didn’t come through. Don’t leave out Gary Fil-mon, now saddled with the label as “Premier of the parting.” Filmon’s newly elected provincial government had injected so much hope just eight days prior to the Jets’ demise.

The city is going through all the stages of loss. Denial, anger, bitterness.

I’m particularly riled by post-mortem words by MEC chairman John Loewen and Mayor Thompson, that we tried our best. They’re imploring Winnipeggers to move forward to make a bright future for our young citizens. This spiel was given to all as reason to keep the Jets. It is now being repeated, thrown back in our faces, sans Jets of course, and many feel duped by the lip service.

This town does not work together. It is not strong. It did not try its best.

This is a city that took 40 years to decide to build a particular bridge. This is a city where councillors needed six months to decide whether to use new chairs they had already purchased for the council chamber.

I wasn’t the only one here with a sick, empty feeling May 3. Can you imagine how much worse that feeling will be in five, eight. 10 years when the NHL has found the promised land of revenues on which it now seems so fixated?

Assuming the league gets over that hump, there will be only anguish in Winnipeg that the future was sacrificed for another comfortable day with our heads in the sand.

The Way They Were

A chronology of important dates in Winnipeg Jets’ history.

June 27, 1972: Bobby Hull signs for $2.75 million over 10 years with Jets in World Hockey Association.

May 27, 1976: Win first of three Avco Cups asWHA champion.

May 20, 1979: Win Avco Cup and play last game in WHA history.

June 22,1979: Join NHL.

June 16, 1990: Dale Hawerchuk traded to Buffalo; leaves as Jets’ alltime points leader with 929.

April 15, 1993: Teemu Selanne finishes season with 76 goals. 132 points, both dub records.

May 1,1995: Manitoba Entertainment Complex fails to make deal to finalize financing for new arena and purchase ol team.

May 2, 1995: Play final regularseason game in Winnipeg Arena. Federal government says no to funding.

May 3,1995: Owner Barry Shenkarow announces team is for sale.