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Winnipeg fans next goal? Sell 13,000 season tickets

Winnipeg Thrashers Hockey

Steve Thomas and other avid Winnipeg hockey supporters play street hockey at The Forks onTuesday May 31, 2011 in Winnipeg, Canada. True North Sports and Entertainment has scheduled a news conference at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre to make “a significant community announcement.” True North has been in negotiations with the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers to buy the NHL team and move it to Winnipeg. Winnipeg has been without NHL hockey since the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. Atlanta is saying goodbye to an NHL franchise for the second time. The Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980. The NHL was unable to find an owner who wants to keep the team in Atlanta. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, David Lipnowski)

AP

While the euphoria will continue in Winnipeg for the foreseeable future now that True North has announced they’re buying the Atlanta Thrashers and moving them to Manitoba, fans there have a job to do ahead of the NHL Board of Governors meeting on June 21.

While the Board of Governors will meet that day to officially approve the sale and relocation of the Thrashers, it’ll be up to Winnipeg fans to help convince them that they’re a more than viable location for an NHL team. How does one do that? True North wants to make it happen by selling 13,000 season tickets.

During the press conference, True North revealed a website, DriveTo13.com, to point fans toward to help them plunk down their money towards securing the future of the team in the city as well as showing the NHL they’re not screwing around. Of course, that all comes at a price, and in this case a commitment of time as well as money. Here’s how things break down:

MTSCentreTickets

As you can see, there’s an added tweak to the pricing in that for the best seats in the house, to get a season ticket package you’ll have to commit to them for up to five years. Even for the worst seats in the MTS Centre you’ll need to buy in for three years. At least there you can get a half-season package but still... Whether it’s three or five years you’re asking for a lot of time and especially money from fans. If you want a pair of tickets in the top priced seats you’ll need to pay up $58,050 to do that. Needing to throw down $1,000 right off the bat hurts too.

Even for fans willing to get a pair of seats in the “worst” seats in MTS Centre that will cost $10,530 for the three year commitment. We’re figuring buying a pair of seats is more likely than just a single seat so that’s why we’re measuring the numbers out that way. Obviously if you want just the one ticket number is, cut the figure in half.

Fans in Winnipeg have gotten used to AHL prices over the last 15 years with the Manitoba Moose so there’s legitimate concern that the sticker shock will stun some fans into backing off of buying tickets. Doing that, however, might give the Board of Governors reason to pause on approving the sale.

The other part of the team going to Winnipeg is need to prove it’s a viable market for the NHL. Since the MTS Centre is set to be the smallest venue in the NHL next season, they’ll virtually need to be sold out nightly for the team to not end up another potential financial mess. Of course, that possibility is lessened by having billionaire David Thomson involved with the True North group.

For years the fans in Winnipeg have clamored for the return of the NHL, now it’s their turn to put their money where their mouth is. Only thing we wonder about is just how fast they’ll get to 13,000 tickets sold.