Are the Winnipeg Jets coming home?

  by Brandt Corbin 
       Is the inevitable finally happening, are the Phoenix Coyotes coming home to Winnipeg? It's starting to sound very possible and it could be announced within 3 weeks. This came out of no where, this past week the Goldwater Instiute (a tax payer watchdog group in Arizona) keeps getting in the way of the Coyotes being sold. Well this time the NHL has had enough. For the past two seasons, the NHL (who purchased the Coyotes before 09-10 season) have been losing 10's of millions of dollars. They're next move is relocation to Winnipeg, unless the City of Glendale can find an owner and very soon for the Coyotes.
Jets season ticket drive to start soon?
         True North owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson are working out a deal should no owners be found to keep the Coyotes in Phoniex. As soon as next week, reports have it they are going to start a season ticket campaign to gauge support for the imminent return of the Jets. If the response is poor that could hurt the chance of the Jets coming back, possibly opening the door for Quebec City. But the support should be through the roof as many folks have been waiting for the team to return since 1996. One other note, they are said to be looking for multiple year commitments during the season ticket drive.
         Club seats for the Manitoba Moose clubs cost $1744 with an average of $42 p/g, the Jets club seats would be in excess of $6000, which works out to $142 p/g. Will the folks of Winnipeg buck up, atleast they'll have a winner to start off with. Another thing to think about is merchadise sales. If they come up with a new design for jerseys, its not far fetched to say they can sell up to 25,000 jerseys at $100 p/j.
Winnipeg Jets TV
          It's a good thing for the Jets that Rogers Sportsnet introduced Sportsnet One last season. Only reason being you've got Edmonton (Oilers) and Calgary (Flames) in the same region (Sportsnet West) as the Jets. Currently Sportsnet has committed 10 years to Flames & Oilers (58 games per year, per team). A key to the Jets success is a good television deal, one that would see all games being televised. Could a local tv station in Winnipeg step up and televise some games? They would also require a radio deal which is a mortal lock. Capacity at the MTS Centre is around 15,500 a few thousand less than an average NHL arena, so revenue in all area's is vital for the Jets to be successful.
Few other Jet notes         
          There is very few (past) Winnpeg Jets left in the NHL, one of which is Coyotes captain Shane Doan. But would Doan want to return to a colder destination when he's been in warmer location like Phoenix for 14 years? He's married with 3 kids, all of which has been born and raised in Arizona, because of this its not a certainty he'd play going forward if they return to Winnipeg.
          All that matters is that the Jets hopefully very soon will be coming home, where they belong.