Winnipeg Lightning?

Author: Scott Taylor

June 26, 2009

It’s been an interesting month in Winnipeg. The Thomson family appears to be gaining more control of True North Sports and Entertainment, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s new owners have to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and a bunch of people were seen walking through the MTS Centre talking about “adding seats here and expanding seats over there.”

Could it be that the NHL is closer to returning to Winnipeg than we think? In fact, could the Jets be on their way back by the start of the 2010-2011 season? The answer is yes and yes.

On a recent Winnipeg Goldeyes telecast on Shaw TV, Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz hinted that a deal to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg could be secured if a number "of very complicated things fell into place." "It's certainly not impossible," Katz said. "It's not something that would happen overnight. I would say in the next two-to-five years, perhaps. It would involve the MTS Centre and certainly the Chipmans (Winnipeg's wealthy Chipman family) would have to be involved, although I don't think they would necessarily be the major shareholders in the club. "It would be a very complicated deal. First of all, an NHL team would have to be made available and I think that's coming. If that happens, there is a chance something could be arranged to bring an NHL team to Winnipeg. I really believe that."

For months (maybe years) there has been a belief among certain Winnipeg business people that the money is already in place to bring an NHL team back to the 'Peg. There has also been a more recent belief that if someone, anyone can break down the NHL's cartel, there is a good chance half-a-dozen teams in failing markets could become available.

Just this week, Tampa Bay Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss “their ongoing feud.” Poppycock. If Barrie and Koules were having a feud, Bettman would call them both and tell them, “fix the relationship or one of you will have to buy the other guy out.” Period. It’s not that complicated.

Barrie and Koules really went to New York to see if Bettman will allow them to move the team they own right out of that football market in Tampa, Fla. It’s not a hockey market, fans don’t go in as great a number as is announced every night and big corporate dollars are becoming fewer and harder to attract. No one is saying Koules and Barrie are trying to move the team to Winnipeg (or sell it to Winnipeggers). They’re just asking about the future of a team that they purchased with a $100 million loan from the previous owner -- a loan they aren’t in a hurry to re-pay.

Back in Winnipeg, The Chipmans have made it clear they won't be bringing a team to Winnipeg all by themselves (NHL money is monster money). But with some help, and an expanded MTS Centre, they believe a group of wealthy people could make it work. That’s probably why there were people (oooh, some say they were architects) wandering around the MTS Centre figuring out if 2,000-3,000 seats and a dozen executive boxes could be added to the building.

If the building can be expanded, the Chipmans could bring a team to Winnipeg. That is, they could bring a team to Winnipeg with some help from beyond the Perimeter Highway. I recently wrote at www.rivercitysportsblog.com that in order to find the money necessary to operate an NHL team in Winnipeg, the Chipmans have turned to one of the current investors in True North Sports and Entertainment (the parent company of the MTS Centre and the Manitoba Moose), the Toronto/Stamford, Conn.-based Thomson family.

The Thomsons, owners of Thomson Reuters, Thomson Financial, Thomson Legal, Thomson Scientific, and on and on, have a stake in True North today. The family owned the old Eaton's site in Winnipeg where the MTS Centre now stands and have been investors in the company since the early days. The key person in this alleged NHL ownership group is David Thomson, who runs the multi-billion dollar Thomson business conglomerate from the head office in Stamford, Conn.

Lately, there has been talk that the Thomsons will soon take over the major shareholder position in True North from the Chipmans. If that's true, and there is still some question that it is, the NHL will be in Winnipeg in two-to-five years, just as Mayor Katz suggested on the Shaw telecast last month.

Put it all together – there are teams that will soon become available, there is a wealthy family (eg: a family wealthy enough to own an NHL team) involved in True North Sports and Entertainment, there is a growing political will to acquire a team and someone has evidently acknowledged that the building is too small and needs an upgrade.

If all that comes together then... oh, let’s just all put on our Jets jerseys and have a parade.
 

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